Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

This week I was interviewed again by Dr. Jeff A. Springer, Ed. D., Educational Leadership Coach – Spring Strategies, LLC, and 2013 TASSP Texas State Principal of the Year, as we explored the final chapters from my new book, Pause. Breathe. Flourish.: Living Your Best Life as an Educator . Photo by engin akyurt – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com...

This week I talk with Jeff A. Springer, Ed. D., Educational Leadership Coach from Spring Strategies, LLC, and 2013 TASSP Texas State Principal of the Year. In this episode, Dr. Springer turns the table and interviews me about my new book, Pause. Breathe. Flourish. Living Your Best Life as an Educator. In his endorsement of the book, Dr. Springer shares, “Will Parker has discovered many truths alon...

When this pandemic began, many of us were asking what lessons we may learn from something none of us ever experienced before. Dr. Tim Elmore began asking similar questions to survivors of the Great Depression and other crises experiences. The result? He has just published his latest book, The Pandemic Population: Eight Strategies to Help Generation Z After Coronavirus . Dr. Tim Elmore Dr. Tim Elmo...

As you are re-engaging with your school community, what lessons are you learning as you walk through this new journey with your staff, students, parents and community? Photo by Julian Wan – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@julianwan?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit This week, Jen Schwanke joins me again to sha...

This week I reconnected with Principal Jen Schwanke, Principal of Indian Run Elementary, author and education consultant, for reflections on what re-opening has looked like for her school in Dublin, Ohio. Photo by sudama – Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License  https://www.flickr.com/photos/35468150609@N01 Together we explored some lessons she’s already learning that m...

Last week I talked a high school principal who told me she has already referred more students than normal to therapists and counselors for social emotional supports for this time of year. I imagine you are more aware than ever the anxiety surrounding the start of school for so many families. In addition, you have the added stress of trying reach families who may not be reaching back to you or who...

This is the time of year when the green stalks of corn begin to brown and yellow, and the once moist kernels begin to harden into dry grain. Photo by Arne Hendriks – Creative Commons Attribution License  https://www.flickr.com/photos/31774856@N00 If you’ve ever shucked corn, you may know the difference between the sweet smell of corn-on-the-cob versus the drier, dusty smell of corn...

Last week I was in a conversation with a principal from South Carolina, a member of a Mastermind for Reopening Schools that I have been leading. Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@lunarts?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit Each week more than a dozen principals join me from across the U...

Especially during difficult times, leaders need support from other leaders. Photo by Clay Banks – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@claybanks?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit Each week this past year, I have been hosting virtual one-hour conversations with select groups of school leaders through Principal Matte...

Jenny is a returning student at her high school. She has a part-time job which keeps her up late most nights.  Photo by JESHOOTS.COM – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@jeshoots?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit When her school opens this fall, she knows remote-learning is the option until her building opens agai...

This week I did my first in-person meeting with a group of fellow-school leaders as they plan for the beginning of a new school year. Photo by Brad Barmore – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@bradbarmore?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit The team of administrators sat in a room with tables at appropriate distances, a...

One of the biggest challenges for the a new school year is deciding how to mitigate concerns for safety while ensuring ways to still actively engage, support, and reach students. Photo by Kelly Sikkema – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@kellysikkema?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit In this week’s podcast...

As you think about your own leadership, I’m curious if you give yourself the kind of scrutiny you may give your own team members? In other words, are you allowing the kind of self-reflection where you first identify your own areas of needed growth before asking others to grow? These are the thoughts and questions I had in mind as I finished Dr. Muhammad’s book, Transforming School Cult...

On March 17, 2020, many schools across the U.S. began responding to the global pandemic of COVID-19 with school closures. Most school leaders were scrambling to figure out how to keep school communities safe while adjusting to a new norm. Jen Schwanke, Principal of Indian Run Elementary in Dublin, Ohio, was no exception. While her school community swung into action, she put everything else on hold...

Now that the dust has settled from distance learning, school leaders are asking: what worked, and what didn’t work? Photo by frank mckenna – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@frankiefoto?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit How did you stay connected to people, or what important milestones did you miss? In this wee...

Last week, my guests William Stubbs, Marlena Gross-Taylor, and Don Parker shared feedback on their personal and professional reflections around equity, racism, and inequalities. Panelists share powerful feedback on equity and racism. See YouTube version here. They each gave suggestions to help you decide how to respond in your own school community. In Part 2 of this discussion, they dive even deep...

No community has been immune to conversations surrounding equity, racism, and inequalities. Panelists share reflections and ideas for school leaders. Go here for a video version via YouTube. As Marlena Gross-Taylor, one of the guests on this week’s podcast episode explains, these conversations have been going on for at least four hundred years. It seems this time, however, communities have r...

Starting a new school year is like preparing for a marathon. Photo by Nadine Shaabana – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@nadineshaabana?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit The journey begins with training long before the race begins. And once the race starts, you need a lot of endurance for the road ahead. School lead...

Even in uncertain times, it is good to remember that positive ideas can come from even the most difficult situations. Photo by Júnior Ferreira – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@juniorferreir_?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit Juan David Campolargo, a seventeen-year-old high school student from Chicago, is no strang...

During school closures and remote learning, maintaining connection with students has been an enormous puzzle to solve. Photo by kenteegardin – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License  https://www.flickr.com/photos/26373139@N08 When 8th grade teacher Jena Nelson, from Deer Creek Middle School in Edmond, Oklahoma, switched to online delivery, she looked at this new difficulty as a new...

School leaders share a common bond – whether you lead in an urban, suburban or rural setting. Photo by ChrisGoldNY – Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License  https://www.flickr.com/photos/34325628@N05 During the last two months, I’ve also been thinking a lot about another common bond all school leaders now share: caring and serving from a distance. Whether your school...

I don’t know about you, but it seems like every waking hour has been spent adjusting to a new normal, and the idea of relaxing almost seems unkind when you think of all the sacrifices people are making during times like this. Photo by Tadas Mikuckis – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@tadasmikuckis?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_camp...

When storms roll across my home state of Oklahoma, residents here have a few common reactions. Clouds over Owasso, Oklahoma, April 28, 2020 by William D. Parker First, we listen to the weather station. Oklahoma has the best storm-tracking radar systems in the world. Second, we check our storm closets or shelters to make sure we have a good place to hide if severe weather turns to tornado warnings....

If you’re like me, you’re probably still adjusting to a new normal. Photo by Andrew Neel – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@andrewtneel?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit Each morning I still wake up, walk the dog, or go for a run around the neighborhood. I login to my email and check my calendar for...

This morning I was running a three-mile track around my neighborhood. Photo by Tikkho Maciel – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@tikkho?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit As I passed the houses and occasional drivers, I felt a sudden kinship to my neighbors I’m not sure I’ve felt before. We don’t just share the s...