Who is responsible for educators' mental health and wellness?
There are few other professions or systems that need to be more closely aligned than education in order to function. Administration...
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Apr 4, 20225 min read
Dear Districts: Time to Wake Up, The Teachers Aren't Coming
There's an interesting phenomenon that happens when it comes to change where the catalyst is adversity - people don't want to believe...
Dec 30, 20204 min read
Can We Change the Lens in Which We View Parents?
I was a young mother. I had my eldest son a few months after turning 21. Having dropped out of college to do so, I was not my school...
Dec 2, 20204 min read
What did educators do pre-pandemic that’s helping them survive or thrive now?
One of the concepts I’ve been the most interested in since the pandemic started is why some educators are surviving or even thriving and...
May 26, 20204 min read
Educator Mental Health and the New Hot Topic
Years ago when I began speaking about educator mental health, I was met with a lot of blank stares and uncomfortable glances. When I...
Dec 10, 20193 min read
Reignite the Flames: Defining Educator Engagement and Disengagement
Listen to the Make Learning Magical Podcast by Tisha Richmond discussing this topic here. As I gear up to complete the follow-up book to...
Oct 29, 20193 min read
Where Vulnerability Becomes a Liability (hint: it’s the place where courage is born)
Vulnerability is currently a hot topic in education. I find it’s commonly viewed in one of two ways: either people believe it’s the way...
Oct 15, 20193 min read
What Story is Your Communication Telling
Our brains love stories. Especially stories filled with drama and intrigue, a villain, a hero and other pieces that make us talk...
Sep 24, 20195 min read
Leading From the Heart
Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead is one of my top five must read books. As I’ve always been a huge fan of talking about the uncomfortable...
Sep 17, 20194 min read
Support and the Risk-Taking Cycle
You read about a new technology on Twitter. You love how the teacher used the tech to support learning and empower students. You decide...
Aug 1, 20194 min read
The Importance of Feeling Valued
One of the consistent aspects of any positive climate and robust, supportive culture is the feeling of being valued. When you feel that...
Apr 16, 20192 min read
The Things People Do When They Don’t Know You’re Watching
Since I’ve been in my current role, I have focused my efforts on what I have believed to be important supports for my department and the...
Mar 10, 20193 min read
The Importance of Communication in Climate and Culture
When I work with districts on the ideas in #DivergentEDU, communication is one of the most common areas recited as either supporting the...
Mar 2, 20193 min read
Judge Me By My Worst Day, Do You?
My friend, Jaime Donally, and I were out to lunch one day at a nicer restaurant where all the waiters and waitresses wear matching black...
Sep 30, 20183 min read
Are You Playing to Win or Playing Not to Lose?
I’ve been watching my boys play football since they were eight years old. Actually, before that, if you include flag football. And in all...
Aug 19, 20183 min read
Be an Upstander: When the effect we have collides with the choices we make
In my district, the district administrators (with the exception of the superintendent and the business administrator) are all housed in...
Jul 6, 20183 min read
When Doing Nothing Causes Distrust
I believe that it is human nature to want to trust people, but it’s definitely a feeling that when broken, takes a great deal of time to...
Jul 2, 20184 min read
When The Ball Finally Drops
I was sitting in the car on my way to a doctor’s appointment this morning desperate, mentally willing my blood pressure to lower. I had a...
Jan 17, 20183 min read
Building Trust with Challenging Conversations
Educators are nice people. We are taught to be positive and complementary and to give feedback that people can feel good about. What we...
Jan 5, 20184 min read
Hierarchy of Needs for Innovation & Divergent Thinking: When the supports are in place
This is the fifth installment of the #hierarchyseries. You can find the first post here. Updated 10/9/2019 The purpose of the Hierarchy...
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