Principles of Principals

"Dad, I know what I'm not going to do. Sit in a desk. I just wasted the last 13 years of my life doing that. I'm done sitting." My son graduated this year. He gets asked all the time what he wants to do next. He has plans to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and then pursue a career in law enforcement. My heart hurt. He's right, in a way, that it was sitting. Not entirely wasted, mind you, but he makes a great point. Here are 8.5 mandatory high school classes, not time wasters; Money management - it's a resource that requires skill and knowledge. Debt is poison. Mental health - statistics on this, for this generation, scream for education and support. Time management - instead of yelling get off your phone, teach replacement behaviors. Taxes - see #1, and #7. Self-confidence - coping skills, self-facilitation tools, conversational and manners. Self-care - awareness, attention, habits of work, habits of play, leadership....

Today, I'm having a conversation with Mr. Jon Gentile of Educational Wingman . Jon is a gifted school leader with an uncanny sense of how to build trust. Many of us have similar stories of being thrust into roles for which we are wholly untrained, sometimes unprepared. It forces us to call upon a well spring of raw talent, to sink or to swim. Jon pulled several Michael Phelps-esque performances that still impact school communities by virtue of the the cultures he built. Unconventional. Brash. Sometimes a lot like a bucket of ice cold water in the face, albeit on a hot summer day, Jon brings love to the equation. Love for potential, for people. Jon : Dr. J, you asked me for possibly three scenarios, so lets see if I can separate.  But I’m going to start with what I call my Big Picture : First, let me talk about my  fundamental key points on relationships ;  Be genuine. I know who I am, I am loyal to my sense of self.  I am aware of gaps in my a...

Arne Duncan now promotes local control . As a professional educator, this comes as a terrible surprise to me. During his service as Secretary of Education, he used the national government to force feed common core down the throats of wh*#e suburban mom's who didn't know how to make informed choices about their children's education. Common Core, much like its similarly legislated predecessors (ESSA, NCLB), has grossly failed to address; Marginalized populations. Globally competitive high school graduates. Globally competitive competencies in public school attendees. Now those Moms know best? Why now? Didn't Arne participate in the federal funding of public education from the national level, even threatening to withhold school funding from those who didn't meet federal mandates? Yeah. He did. I was there, in the room, when as a local leader , felt the incomparable weight of the tentacles tightening around my waning lack of control, as I fought migh...

"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire Over and over again, we have learned it is the nature of all people when given a little to power, to exert unrighteous dominion over their fellow humans. To dehumanize and objectify one another, distilling away individualism, and replacing it with a group identity. Mormon. Jew. Black. Racist. Male. Jock. Nerd. In 1966, students identifying themselves as Red Guard (unsolicited protectors of Mao Tse Tung) began beating, torturing, and killing their own teachers and administrators. To be brief in writing, educators across China, grade levels, and subject matter disciplines fell at the hands of children. Middle school students were considered the worst offenders. The total death toll of what historians and documentarians refer to as a Revolution  or Great Leap Forward numbers in the 10's of millions. I looked for numbers on teachers and professors, and I didn't find anything sol...

(image courtesy of fineartamerica.com) Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) comes in waves that distract and confuse me. I don't think much of myself, but when I do, I think that I should not be so afraid based on my life's experiences, my education, and my beliefs. But, I am, afraid. Sometimes. A lot. In the epic sci-fi novel, Dune, by Frank Herbert, we witness Paul Atreides enduring a mental test at the hands of a Bene-Gesserit as he chants to himself, "Fear is the mind-killer, I shall not fear." He passes, shattering the expectations of his teachers. I believe that we all share varying levels of VUCA in our daily lives. I was talking with my daughter yesterday, and in the past 72 hours her start date for school has been moved twice. Moreover, her district has cancelled Band and Football, and may cancel her Badminton season (no joke, they have Badminton and are a state-wide competitive team). She's frustrated and afraid. Online lear...

While sharing some insights with a friend, I was prompted to bring attention to how best to navigate the volatility and uncertainty surrounding what we call, Covid-era Education. The uncertainty is often promulgated by the news media, and unfortunately the advice being shared is often hijacked by those who think they know what's best for you and yours. Activists don't really have a place at the table when it comes to deciding what qualifies as medical or educational advice. I implore them to leave it to professionals. So, here are 8.5 tips for navigating today's educational challenges. Read this . On several levels, it speaks to me about self-care , good medical advice, and how to take responsibility for my own health and wellness. Run for school board. I say this a lot, and you can always contact me if you disagree; school boards are the most powerfully elected bodies in our nation.  If you don't want to run for school board service, attend every meeting. S...

I'd taken a post in a large unified school district north of Phoenix, Arizona, in a primarily middle class K-8 elementary school. As the newly minted Assistant Principal, I'd established my career understanding how to mitigate and manage behavioral crisis in classrooms - this particular campus housed a self-contained program for Emotionally Disabled students - and they hoped to lean on my so called expertise. Mid-way through the year, and in context of dealing with most of the code of conduct issues across campus, I got to know a group of students for whom navigating school structure was complicated. One student in particular was often in my office for increasingly physically violent actions - hitting a female student in the side of the head with a basketball - and I was working closely with his family and teachers to support rapid changes. It heightened my anxiety around school safety, and stressed my awareness. Cafeteria duty was part of my routine, not my favorite, but...