Joy Over Happiness

Being hit with the unexpected can be jarring. But sometimes it's necessary to help you grow. At the start of the year, Sahira Kodra unexpectedly became a kindergarten teacher. Now she is transitioning to work full-time for the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Today she joins host Jon Eckert to discuss how she's been humbled by kindergartners this year and the transformation that she ho...

Leading with love and compassion can change the people you lead forever. Today, Herb Cox, Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor University, joins host Jon Eckert to discuss his calling to become an educator. He details how, through the years, he led his schools with compassion and love and the impact that had on his students and their parents. To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: F...

Cognitive endurance is built through struggle and engagement. That is a key part of classical education. Today, Anika Prather, the founder of The Living Water School, joins host Jon Eckert to discuss her journey from a career in public school to creating her own school dedicated to classical learning for students of color. She tells stories about how her school has helped equip kids with real-worl...

Putting people first is a big part of living tov.  Today, Laura Barringer, author and kindergarten teacher, joins Jon Eckert to discuss her 20-plus year teaching career and her unexpected journey to writing her book, A Church Called Tov . She details how living tov has enabled her to see each student as individuals and create respectful, safe spaces for them. To learn more, order Jon's book, J...

Cheating seems to be on the rise, especially post-COVID. It seems some students are even confused about what's actually considered cheating. Today, Alyssa Carl, a math teacher from Illinois joins host Jon Eckert to talk about cheating among students. The two have an in-depth conversation on the definition of cheating, the causes and the possible long-term consequences.  To learn more, order Jo...

When people take care of people it fills them up. Those people then are able to take care of others. That's what King's Christian Collegiate did to create a culture centered around caring for their faculty and students. Their culture of care was born out of the reputation that they had developed over the years. Today, Lisa Conlin and Vicky Nolan of King's Christian Collegiate join host...

No leader is an island. It's important to take other leaders on your leadership journey. That's called collective leadership. Daniel Pamuch is the CEO of Christian Schools Australia (CSA) and Darren Iselin is the director of Research and Innovation. The two join Jon Eckert to discuss how CSA uses a unique architecture framework to conceptualize the essential elements that make a Christian...

Culture is being formed whether you're doing it on purpose or not. Today, David Robinson joins host Jon Eckart to discuss David's first year as a school leader. Over the course of his first year, David has put in the work to intentionally impact the school's culture. To do this, he's been implementing feedback, engagement, and well-being to lead his faculty and build a life-giving...

Leadership of the past meant coming up with answers. Today, leadership means asking questions. Tod Bolsinger, the author of Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory joins host Jon Eckert to discuss what questions Christian leaders can start asking to become stronger leaders. One of the main questions he advises leaders to ask themselves is what can be eliminated from our...

So many people struggle with addiction each year in the United States. And the ways young people use different substances has changed over the years. Today, David Magee, best selling author, joins host Jon Eckert to have a transparent and personal conversation about his journey with addiction and recovery and how he's been able to choose joy over addiction. He also discusses his work helping s...

A lot of us are on a quest to fit everything we need to get done into our schedules. But few, if any of us, are ever actually able to fit it all in. Oftentimes, when we can't fit it all in, we feel guilty. But we're all human and can only fit in what we fit in. Today, Jen Pollock Michel joins host Jon Eckert to discuss her new book In Good Time and the lessons she's learned managing he...

Is teaching an occupation or profession? Is it missional or is it professional? Is it exhausting or is it life giving? If we want to build a profession that our students deserve we have to think through what that looks like. Today, Erik Ellefsen and Matt Thomas join host Jon Eckert and discuss their experiences in taking on too much at work and leading to burnout. They share what triggered them to...

We've all struggled with work/life balance but few of us have ever achieved it. How can we integrate our work and life without blurring boundaries in unhealthy ways?  Jackie Villareal is a recent graduate from Baylor's MA in School Leadership, she's recently started an administrative role at a new school all while raising her family. On top of all that, her son has been planning a wedd...

Oftentimes, data and humanity are two separate things. But what if we started to rethink that mindset? What if we were able to utilize data to help us start seeing each student as an individual. Today, English and History High School teacher Katie Fitzpatrick joins host Jon Eckert. She discusses how she has used data to see each individual student and focus on their success. She explains how she&#...

In the moment, micro changes don't feel like they make an impact. But consistently making small, positive changes create habits that are life giving and create joy. Today, three educators from Baylor's MA in School Leadership program , Ryan Denham, Kathleen Peercy and Crystal Chapman join host Jon Eckert. Though they each come from very different school settings they have a lot in common....

Spotlighting individual student accomplishments isn't easy. Most schools don't have the time or structure to be able to do it consistently. But it is so important to keep students engaged and feel like school has a purpose and is life giving. Brad Thornton is an educator outside of Chicago and a master of positive venting. He's become the go to source for friends and colleagues when th...

The foundation to a student's success is their well-being. Sometimes that means taking a step back and focusing on the individual student's needs before focusing on their academic success. Heather Williams is a Baylor doctoral student and won the National Outstanding Assistant Principal award in 2021. Today, she joins host Jon Eckert and shares stories about how she has created a culture o...

"Anything worth doing comes from a lot of effort." We've all heard that before what we don't hear about is all that effort typically results in exhaustion and burnout. But it doesn't have to.  Hannah Kapitaniuk is currently working towards her master's degree all while teaching in an area where most educators spend their entire careers avoiding. She works with eighth grader...

Being vulnerable isn't always easy, especially as an educator. But it's so important. Educators get to walk alongside students to help them become who they're becoming. Through their vulnerability educators can begin to put humans before outcomes and make connections with students as people. In today's episode, Jonathan Pokluda joins host Jon Eckert. Jonathan is our first guest who...

Schools have always been good at serving some students. Then as time passed -- through various federal programs -- they began to serve all students. But the most important thing to do -- to really teach for justice and create just schools -- is to serve each individual student.  In today's episode Elisabeth joins host Jon Eckert. Over her career as a teacher, she's taught in four schools i...

 Making connections, meeting students where they are and treating them as whole human beings.  These are just some of the ways Cierra Nickerson, principal of Hall Success Academy, ensures she is running a just school. In our first full episode of Just Schools, Cierra joins host Jon Eckert to discuss how she contributes to students' well-being – one of the F.E.W core elements – by making connec...

No more, "I am just a teacher." We need just teachers - those who teach and lead for justice. After all, teaching is the profession that makes all others possible. In this introductory episode of Just Schools, Jon Eckert and Erik Ellefsen highlight some of the key elements of how "Just Schools" are supported by "Just Teaching." And we unpack the importance of focusing on th...