All Episodes
Episodes
Episode 164: Do These 3 Things When A Parent Hijacks Your Emotions
On June 21, 1985, a domestic flight in Norway (Braathens SAFE Flight 139) was hijacked mid-flight. The aircraft was a Boeing 737, carrying 121 people (116 passengers and 5 crew.)Â
The hijacker had an air gun that...
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Episode 163: The 3 Biggest Indicators Of A Healthy Culture And How To Get Them At Your School
Back in the summer of 2021, one of my daughters was driving a Chevy CRUZE with over 110,000 miles on the odometer. She needed to trade it in and get a more updated used car, with less miles on it.
We found a car that...
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Episode 162: When The Best Thing About Your School Is Also The Worst Thing About Your School
A little bit of fire, under control, is a good thing.
I love grilling in my back yard and a hot dog always tastes better straight from the grill.
When my daughters still lived at home, we would really enjoy making...
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Episode 161: How To Turn Fragile Kids Into Resilient Kids
Do you have any fragile kids at your school?Â
Do some of your students give up easily when faced with a challenging problem or concept?
Are your students sometimes too worried about “looking smart?”Â
Do any of your...
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Episode 160: Luke Skywalker And Katniss Everdeen Can Help You Solve Your Most Expensive Problem
I know that the title of today’s episode is a little bizarre, but just trust me. I promise, by the end of this episode, you’re going to see how the heroes from The Hunger Games and Star Wars can help your school save...
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Episode 159: The Emotional Price Tag Of Suspending Or Expelling A Student
I was a private school leader for 33 years.
When I think back on some of my favorite things about my job, a few things immediately come to mind:
Spirit Days and seeing all the kids dressed up and having fun
Home...
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Episode 158: Handle Problem Parents By Being More "Teflon Skillet" And Less "Saturated Sponge"
I want you to use your imagination.
Â
Imagine that you are a stick figure. Now imagine that this stick figure has a sponge for a heart.
You go through your day and your sponge keeps absorbing other people’s emotions....
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Episode 157: This 1 Framework Will Make You A More Effective AND Happier Leader
What do the following four things have in common?
A meatloaf recipe
The 2nd grade math curriculum
The NFL rulebook
A grading rubricÂ
They are all examples of frameworks.
Frameworks give us structure. They give us a...
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Episode 156: How to Handle a Veteran Teacher Who’s Resisting Change
Has this ever happened to you?
You are standing in front of your faculty about to introduce a new initiative, policy or school-wide roll out of some sort. Before you even open your mouth, you notice one of your...
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Episode 155: Your 4 Biggest Blind Spots: How To See Them And Avoid Them
About 5 years ago, one of my daughters bought a 2018 Hyundai Sonata.
Before buying this car, she did a ton of research because she was looking for one very specific feature. It wasn’t the stereo system or heated...
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Episode 154: Are You Running Your School Or Leading Your School?
It was Field Day 2005 and I was just trying to be helpful. I arrived at the field early and asked Mrs. Ankney if there was anything that I could do.
She asked me to use the manual line painter and paint the finish...
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Episode 153: When A Parent Says, "If you don't _______________, then I'm going to pull my kid out of the school."
Several years ago, I was meeting with the mom of a 6th Grade boy. She looked me in the eye and said, "If you don't put my son into Pre-Algebra 6, then I'm going to pull both of my kids out of the school."
Immediately,...
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