The Assistant Principal Podcast

Show Title: Coaching and a Culture of Learning with Elena Aguilar Power Quote: “To normalize growth, we must normalize making mistakes.” Description:Before we get started, I need to give a shout out to Dr. Pam Buskey. Today is our anniversary and though the years have flown by too quickly, every one of them has been filled with special moments, big and small. Marriage is a partnership and I am so tankful and blessed to be walking this journey with you. Okay, now we can get started. Today we continue my conversation with Elena Aguilar. We will briefly discuss transformative coaching and then talk about how we change the narrative of coaching from being something for struggling teachers to something that we should all be craving. Guest Bio:Elena Aguilar is a writer, leader, teacher, coach and podcaster. She is the author of eight highly acclaimed books: The Art of Coaching (2013), The Art of Coaching Teams (2016), Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators (2018), The Onward Workbook (2018), Coaching or Equity (2020), The Art of Coaching Workbook (2020), The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development (2022), and the forthcoming Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching (August 2024). She has also been a frequent contributor to Edutopia, ASCD’s Educational Leadership, and EdWeek Teacher. Elena is the founder and CEO of Bright Morning Consulting, an organization committed tohelping individuals and organizations create the conditions for transformation. She has taughttens of thousands of folks how to have conversations that build a more just and equitable world. Elena can be heard demonstrating these conversations on The Bright Morning Podcast. Warmup questions:● We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?● Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Part 2: Developing a coaching culture ● I come from an athletic coaching background. I have this dream that teachers would have access to highly targeted and technical coaching, just like the world’s premier athletes. Yet, many teachers don’t see coaching as an important tool in growing. What happened? Is there a way to flip the narrative? ● Do you see unique needs among teachers at different career stages that should inform how leaders engage in coaching with a given group of teachers?● Is there such thing as a “culture of coaching”? Does it make sense and is it possible to build a school around the idea that teacher growth is the priority and that coaching is the core way we help teacher perfect their craft?● How has your understanding of coaching grown in the past ten years from the release of The Art of Coaching in 2013 to your revised volume this year? Closing questions:● What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?● If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?● Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?● Where can people learn more about you and your work… Wrap-up· Begin cultivating a culture of learning by making your learning goals, and you work on them, transparent. Model the way of being you want your teachers to embrace. If you have a coach (and you should), brag about it and explain to teachers the link between what you are learning and what you are doing.· Remember, coaching is only one tool we have for helping teachers to grow, but it is a powerful one.· We need to align teacher and student needs in our coaching· And I love this one: Know how the 8-year old you is powering who you are today. The better you know yourself, the better coach you will be.· We will wrap this with a personal note related to knowing yourself… Close● Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.● You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/● I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.● My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html● Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.● Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.● Cheers! Sponsorship:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast… Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easi

Show Title: The Coaching Relationship with Elena Aguilar Power Quote: “We are social beings.” Description:In 2013 Elena Aguilar wrote The Art of Coaching. I came across the book soon after and it has shaped the way I view and do coaching. Today’s show is part 1 of my discussion with Elena in which we focus defining coaching and identifying the foundations of coaching. There are some great pieces of wisdom in today’s show, so please pay close attention. Guest Bio:Elena Aguilar is a writer, leader, teacher, coach and podcaster. She is the author of eight highly acclaimed books: The Art of Coaching (2013), The Art of Coaching Teams (2016), Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators (2018), The Onward Workbook (2018), Coaching or Equity (2020), The Art of Coaching Workbook (2020), The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development (2022), and the forthcoming Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching (August 2024). She has also been a frequent contributor to Edutopia, ASCD’s Educational Leadership, and EdWeek Teacher. Elena is the founder and CEO of Bright Morning Consulting, an organization committed tohelping individuals and organizations create the conditions for transformation. She has taughttens of thousands of folks how to have conversations that build a more just and equitable world. Elena can be heard demonstrating these conversations on The Bright Morning Podcast. Warmup questions:● We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?● Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Part 1: Coaching 101 for school leaders● “It’s all about relationships.” Is this true for coaching? What is the foundation of a coaching relationship?● Can we define what constitutes coaching? What is coaching and what isn’t?● Your framework includes different models of coaching (directive/instructive, facilitative, transformational). This framework has been foundational in helping me to better understand coaching and the coaching relationship. For leaders who are trying to grow their coaching skills, is there a specific model, or specific techniques they should focus on?● "Fast-food" coaching for administrators who have very little time, is it possible? What is most essential?● Many administrators feel the need - and have been specifically taught - to provide feedback to teachers outside of a coaching relationship. I am not a fan, unless the teacher has asked for the feedback. Can we talk about the value or harm that comes from unsolicited and unsupported feedback? (Maybe my view on this needs to be reconsidered?) Closing questions:● What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?● If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?● Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?● Where can people learn more about you and your work… Closing points:· Foundations of coaching are trust, listening, and asking· Coaching is building, not fixing· Let go of “a grow and a glow” – It doesn’t work.· We can help teachers grow more by emphasizing what they are doing well· We’ll be back next week with part 2 in which we look at transformative coaching and discuss a culture of coaching.Close● Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.● You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/● I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.● My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html● Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.● Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.● Cheers!Sponsorship:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast… Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started. Elena’s links:Elena’s new book: Arise: The Art of Tr

Ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the pain?) Show Description:Last week you listened to Chad Dumas and I discuss PLCs. When we began talking, I had in my head the idea of a PLC being a discrete thing – group of teachers collaborating around honing their teaching skills. I suspect that most of you listening also had similar ideas – that PLCs were things we could drop into schools and have teachers “do.” However, as the conversation unfolded, Chad reminded me of some things I had forgotten, foremost of which is that PLCs are a culture, not a practice. In today’s episode, I’m going to briefly recap a couple of the main points from last week and then do a deep dive on how to implement a change in your school. I will use PLCs as an example, but the process will apply to any change you want to support. Celebrations:Watching seeds that have been planted bear fruit:· Garden – peas, greens, strawberries· Relationships – most of the people you hear on this show become friends. The show isn’t an end, it is a beginning for those relationships, but also, I hope, for your own practice· Growing my speaking, slowly over timePatience brings piece, helps me stay focused on process, not product The Big IdeaRecap from last week:1. PLC is an ethos, the school is the community part of PLC, the team is just one feature.2. Within a PLC school, teachers use multiple forms of evidence to hone their craft.3. The first two critical questions that teachers ask are:a. What do I want students to be able to do?b. How will I know if they can do it?4. To change beliefs, we need to change behaviors5. “It starts with us! We can’t lead a change until we look in the mirror.”6. Three years to implementation7. Begin by asking reflective questions What does a three-year implementation look like?· Train analogy:o The engine plants the seedso The cars provide the momentum· Must be driven from the people who will be implementing the change (teachers)· Role of leaders:o Plant seedso Support (organization)o Grow (teachers) Fall 1: Plant seeds with teachersSpring 1: Form a pilot – if teachers want it. No desire, no project (examine the alternatives)Fall 2: Expand the pilot slightly, refine practices, gather evidenceSpring 2: Big expansion, still piloting, completely voluntaryFall 3: Whole staff training and supportSpring 3: Anchoring (structures, language, processes, priorities, consistency) and expectations Dissecting challenges to PLCs:· Org levelo Schedule and lack of collaboration timeo Competing demands, esp. other initiatives (e.g. resources)o Priorities and clarity of purpose· Teacher levelo Skill to reflect deeplyo Disposition to be vulnerableo Knowledge of specific practices (that second question is scary)· The challenge of alignment and the Six Dimensions· External forces and why it must be teacher-driven Strategic Action Cycles as a way to pinpoint problems and drive incremental change Summarizing (The big takeaway)Wrap up:· Big change is hard: complex, messy, resource intensive· Sans drive from teachers and enough resources, don’t do it· The way you impact your school, is to support and grow teachers, whether it is PLCs, MTSS, PBIS, improving teaching, the process is the same. Sponsorship:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast… Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started. Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strat

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Will the Real PLC Please Stand Up? with Dr. Chad Dumas Power Quote: “Clarity precedes confidence” Description:I’m giving you fair warning – today’s show is loaded with both big ideas and small techniques. The discussion will feel like it is meandering a bit but stay with us because it all comes together into a powerful conclusion. As your thoughts are being stimulated and questions and ideas are firing off, be patient and just enjoy learning. At the end of the show we will point you towards resources and give you some simple concrete steps. I hope you have as much fun listening as I did recording. Guest Bio:Dr. Chad Dumas is a Solution Tree PLC at Work, Assessment, and Priority Schools associate and international consultant, presenter, and award-winning researcher. His primary focus is collaborating to develop capacity for continuous improvement. With a quarter century of successful leadership experience, Chad has led significant improvements for both students and staff. He shares his research and knowledge in his three books on PLCs, and his upcoming Teacher Team Leader Handbook, Chad’s consulting and training includes research, stories, hands-on tools, useful knowledge, and practical skills. He most recently was the executive director of elementary education in the Ames Community School District, a preschool thru grade 12 district of 5,000 students in central Iowa. Before this he was the director of learning for Hastings Public Schools in south-central Nebraska for nine years. With 3,700 students and 60% poverty, the district had five buildings recognized as national models for improving student learning. Dr. Dumas' career has also involved being a vocal music director at a middle school, school improvement chair, professional development coordinator for an intermediate service agency, and a high school principal. Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts· Why is “PLC” one of the despised edu-talk words?· What are the core differences between PLCs and meetings that masquerade as PLCs?· Are there elements of PLCs that can be grafted onto other types of events?· For APs who want to nurture a culture conducive to PLCs and other collegial work, what do you suggest?· Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… OutroThere is so much in this episode that next week I will be releasing a follow-up that specifically focuses on how you can use change processes to begin sowing the seeds for teacher-driven PLC. We’ll dig a bit deeper into my train analogy, the Six Dimensions of Organizations, and the specifics of what it mean to support and grow teachers. For this week, I encourage you to begin asking your teachers these two questions, about a lesson, a week, or a unit:1. What did you want students to be able to do? 2. How did or will you know if they learned it? You could incorporate one these into 5-minute coaching like this:· What went well?· What did you want students to be able to do?· Were there any surprises?· Is there anything you would do differently? We will dig deeper next week, fir now focus on asking reflective questions! Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· My book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Sponsorship:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast… Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with

Show Title: Celebrating 200 with Frederick and Mara Power Quote: People are the purposeGuest Bio:Frederick Buskey helps school leaders reclaim their purpose! Building on 33 years of k-12 and higher education leadership experience, Frederick provides simple frameworks and practical tools to help leaders make immediate incremental improvements. His new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, helps leaders master six stages to move from spending time putting out fires to investing time in growing teachers. Frederick hosts The Assistant Principal Podcast, writes a daily leadership email, and develops short powerful courses for teachers and those who serve them. Learn more about Frederick on his website at frederickbuskey.com. Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts· Why celebrate episode 200 this way, looking back and forwards at the same time?· When you began consulting in 2019, what core ideas did you have?· How have those ideas changed or evolved?· What do you want to achieve with the podcast?· You just finished the book, your academy has been quietly launched, what’s next? Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… Sponsorship:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast… Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit IXL.com to get started. Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3aThe Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Are You Okay? With Jamie Brown Power Quote: “Connection before correction” Jamie’s Student Debrief Protocol:1. Are you okay?2. What was the trigger?3. How did the behavior impact others?4. What could you have done differently? Description:Are you okay? Of course, your answer to that question may vary depending on the circumstances, but what does it signal to you when I ask that question? Are you okay? Today we’ll begin with this simple question and then build on it to create a simple process for helping break cycles of destructive and disruptive student behavior. Guest Bio:Jamie is a champion of Student Leadership and Character Education. His passion for promoting student-driven leadership led to the development of the 1st District-Wide PEER Leadership program in NJ Public School education. Jamie earned a National Promising Practice from Character.org for ACCEPT University, a three-tiered Character Education assembly series promoting inclusion, acceptance, empathy and citizenship in schools. Jamie’s career includes working at a State and National School and District of Character, where he earned Teacher of the Year. He has served as both a building and District-Level Administrator, collaborating with the New Jersey Department of Education. Jamie is a proud author for Road Awesome Publishing & Assistant Principal at Bluffton High School, SC. Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts· In moving from a “traditional” approach to discipline to a more restorative approach, how has that impacted students, teachers, and you?· You have a wonderful protocol for having a conversation with a student who is “in trouble.” Could you take us through the basics and explain your rationale behind each step?· I think teachers could also use this protocol. How might you adapt it for them and how would you teach them how to use it? Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… I’ll include the student interview questions in the show notes. Copy, print, and try them out. If you try nothing else, begin your next discipline conversation by asking, “Are you okay?” Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Guest links:www.JamieBrownLeadership.comLinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube: (@JamieBrownLeadership) Twitter: @leadership_jb Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3aThe Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

This is a bonus episode done while I was hiking and reflecting on my own training facilitation.Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3aThe Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

Show title and release date: Who Should Drive Change? With Frederick Power quote: Lighter = faster and easier with less risk of injury Show Description:In a few weeks you will hear my discussion with Dr. Chad Dumas in which we dig into PLCs. We begin by noting the “PLC” is one of the most despised buzzwords by teachers and dig into the why. In my conversation with Chad, we move from 40,000 feet to ground level multiple times. I don’t think the episode is confusing, it’s more that there are so many powerful ideas in the one episode that some of them will get lost. One of the parts I’m afraid will get overlooked is our discussion on implementation, which is fleeting and incomplete. So, I’ve recorded a follow-up – a sequel in TV jargon – that uses PLC implementation as an example of how we should – and should not – implement change. That takes us to today, the prequel to main episode in a few weeks. I want to frontload some thoughts about change, so when you hear my discussion with Chad, you will better follow what we are talking about. I also want some key ideas bouncing around in your head as you begin discussions in your leadership teams (hopefully) on what next years will look like. Celebrations: As I record this, I’ve just been hired for the first time to lead a book study of A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose with 20 assistant principals in the western region of North Carolina. I’m so excited and want to give a big shout out to Candie Sellers at WRESA. Candie, it has been a pleasure working with you and your passion for education throughout WNC inspires me to keep growing and becoming better. Disclaimer: You don’t have to agree with me, if you don’t agree with me, that doesn’t mean you are wrong. There are different ways t approach things. What I describe here is well-documented in the research and is my loved experience, but different people create different outcomes. If some of what I say does create dissonance, I ask that you analyze why and then make a conscious decision to disregard what I’ve said, withhold judgement and continue evaluating, or embrace it. The Big Idea Backpack:· Lighter = faster and easier with less risk of injury· I must pack my own pack and decide on my own gear· Sharing some gear makes things easier for everyone Corollaries:· Fewer initiatives mean better implementation with less burnout (every yes is a no to something else)· Teachers should drive the focus of PD. Three examples:o ECT struggling with CR managemento Mid-career teacher who wants more student participationo Late career teacher who is overwhelmed caring for aging parents· It is a collaborative effort When someone attempts to implement something new, there two critical variables:· Can they grow?· Will they be supported?· Growth:· Support: Four dimensions: align to the practice· Example: Restorative practices Challenges· Teachers choose the wrong thing:o Change requires trust§ Trust builds when we listen§ Trust builds when we help people decrease paino We aren’t very good at identifying “the thing”o M=V/Eo If the house is burning down we put out the fireo We can plant seeds!· Teachers don’t want to grow:o Acknowledge the traumao Acknowledge the stigma of coaching and “improvement plans”o Acknowledge the lack of resourceso Acknowledge the flavor-of-the-montho Ask, “If you could get your students to do one thing differently, what would it be?” Getting them to do “the thing” is where they want and need to grow.· Mandates and new thingso Four approaches: ignore, delay, deny, find the overlapo Leading edge versus bleeding edge· Our reading scores sucko Every teacher’s students’ scores don’t suck for the same reasono Fidelity matters, if you can’t implement with fidelity you won’t get results. Resistance and overload undermine fidelity.o A teacher who can’t manage their classroom will not be successful, no matter how good the strategies areo If a teacher wants to get better at teaching students to read, the teacher needs this training! If the teacher is more concerned with math or classroom culture, the training will be less effective. Summarizing (The big takeaway)· Change requires support (aligning purpose, structures, and resources)· And growth (knowledge, skills, dispositions and health)· The less alignment, the less effective the PD· M=V/E· Small changes, driven by teachers’ needs and desires, are more likely to have an effective implementation that has a positive impact Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpo

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Mastermind! With Dr. Nick Davies Power Quote: Be willing to fail Description:When I say the word “mastermind”, what thoughts spring into your head? Do you picture the head of a shadowy criminal enterprise, or the 1980’s colored-dot guessing game (think WORDL with colors). Or maybe you think about a special club for people in similar roles to come together and help each other grow. Of course, it is this third option we dive into on today’s show. So stick around as I and my special guest share our mastermind experiences and how to build one yourself. Guest Bio:Dr. Davies is an associate principal for Vancouver Public Schools and an adjunct Faculty Member at Pacific University. He has a Ph.D. in Education and Leadership and wrote his dissertation on curriculum implementation. Dr. Davies was named the 2024 Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year for the state of Washington. He has previously held roles as an associate principal/athletic director and was a high school math teacher and head track and field coach. He was a two-time state coach of the year in Oregon. Dr. Davies also served as a reservist in the U.S. Coast Guard. March 19, ep 192 Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts· Let’s discuss what a mastermind is· What inspired you to set up a MM for APs?· What was the value for APs?· Tips for APs interested in setting up their own MMs? Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Remember, if you are interested in starting a mastermind, reach out to Nick. If you’d like to be part of a mastermind but feel like you are on your own, reach out to me and we’ll see what we can do.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Guest links:Nick’s website: www.drnickdavies.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-davies-education/ Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3aThe Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

Outline and Show Notes Show Title: Three questions with Dr. Brandon Beck Power Quote: “Our ultimate goal is to unlock unlimited potential in others” Description:Today’s show is going to inspire you. It will take you deep into yourself, maybe places you go every day, but also to places within that you haven’t visited in a while. I guarantee after today’s show you are going to want to invest some time in reflecting. Today you will hear three questions you need to ask yourself – three questions to help you unlock your unlimited potential. And please understand – this isn’t “rah-rah” let’s get excited. Today we will look at some substantive steps you can take right now to find more joy in your leadership each day. Guest Bio:Dr. Brandon Beck epitomizes multi-faceted inspiration. As an Award Winning Teacher and Coach, Speaker, Leadership Coach, and Author of "Unlocking Unlimited Potential," his keynote speeches and storytelling mirror authentic activities, all aiming at one pinnacle: unlocking unlimited potential. Hosting the "Unlocking Unlimited Potential Stories Show" amplifies his passion for inspiring tales. With a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and 19 years of teaching, including bilingual education, he embodies diverse expertise. A National Board Certified teacher, leadership coach, and college professor, he's a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences. Beyond education, he's a Mutt-i-grees National Trainer, merging social-emotional learning with shelter dogs. Beck's entrepreneurial spirit extends to professional soccer coaching, achieving numerous state, regional, and national triumphs. Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts1. Your manta is “unlocking unlimited potential” Let’s talk about that specifically in the context of school leadership. I’m an assistant principal, or maybe a coach or even THE principal. I work hard every day – very hard. But I spend big chunks of my day in urgent mode and I don’t feel like I’m really moving my school forward and not doing enough to help my teachers continue to grow in their craft.a. What does it mean for me to “unlock my untitled potential” b. And how do I do that?2. Optional: I can imagine some listeners thinking “This is great Brandon, but this isn’t me. I’m not a high-energy extroverted bundle of hoorah. How can I be authentic and be unlimited in my potential?” Closing questions:1. What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?2. If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?3. Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?4. Where can people learn more about you and your work… What a powerful interview. As I refenced at the top of the show, please find time to invest in reflection and consider these three questions:1. What are your defining moments?2. What was school like for you?3. Who are your role models and what did they do that inspired you? Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Guest links:https://brandonbeckedu.com/ Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Interview Tip: Tell the Story that Drives You! The Big Idea · Interview tips for aspiring APs (Dos vs. don'ts, or any stories of a successful interview or an interview that did not go well)o Remember you are interviewing themo Be authentic – if you compromise in the interview you can never get it backo Tell what you have done, not what you would doo Tell the story that drives you · What catches the attention of an interview committee that makes them say "we got our person?" I know a lot is influenced based on needs and fit. What do you look for?o When they tell you it wasn’t the right fit…o The story; what you have done already; lighthouseo If you don’t “fit the part” educate them · What questions should aspiring APs ask in an interview? o Ask “what are you looking for in terms of complimenting the team which already exists?”o What are your expectations of the AP for instructional leadership?o What opportunities are there for me to grow?o “If you hired me, and I did a great job, what would that look and sound like? How will you determine if I did a great job?”o What is your approach to discipline? · What are areas in which first-time APs tend to struggle? o Taking other people’s monkeyso Doing what others can doo Missing small opportunities for instructional leadershipo Getting caught in urgent leadershipo Failing to be a lighthouseo Focusing on tasks instead of people (forgetting your purpose)o Not nurturing your ECTs · Discussion on staying positive when getting rejected or not finding that first AP job. I have moments feeling this, but fortunately, I have a supporting wife and dad (former educator, and administrator). I've seen this topic being posted a lot on Facebook groups recently. o Fit, fit, fit, and it goes both wayso “When you put a good person in a bad organization, the organization wins” (Mary Hemphill, Limitless Leader)o Build your support network now (leader, peers, advocate, mentor)o Ask for feedbacko Every “no” is one step closer to a “yes.”o Life doesn’t run on your time or plano My experience applying to WCU Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3aThe Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

A Human Approach to Schooling with Dr. Faiza Jamil Power Quote: We lose our ability to see the whole Description:You can think of today’s show as a bit of a thought experiment. What changes if we make relationships, at every level of the school, THE priority? It is a thought experiment, but we also have lots of experience that tells us how that experiment could turn out. Guest Bio:Faiza M. Jamil is a former K-12 teacher and currently serves as Associate Professor of Education and Human Development in the area of Learning Sciences at Clemson University. Jamil is the Founding Director of the Contexts of Learning and Development Lab, where she conducts interdisciplinary research with a focus on educational equity across learning contexts. She is the author of Public Education in Turbulent Times: Innovative Strategies for Leadership and Learning. Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts· Talk about importance of being colleagues and investing time together· School purpose => individual purposeo How do we prioritize the relationship pieceo Task v persono CIRCLE model· Mindset shift· Mental health Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… Close· We covered a lot of ground today. I encourage you to do three things:o Monitor your own inner dialog – when you say you don’t have time to listen, to build relationships, what are you actually doing instead?o Begin asking people – teachers and students – “what would make school better for you?”o Use your expertise to ask powerful questions instead of goving powerful answers.· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Guest links:My Book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-43237-8 Research Lab: https://www.clemson.edu/education/programs/labs/clad.html Twitter: https://twitter.com/eduprofjamilLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faiza-m-jamil/ Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Power quote: If you don’t have a relationship, you aren’t coaching… your telling. Show Description:The foundation of coaching. That’s today’s topic, although it wasn’t what I had planned. This episode was scheduled to be about coaching fundamentals, but as I began working on the first part of the show – I realized the foundation needed more than a couple lines. So, once again, we will be talking about relationships on this show. Why? Because relationships are the vehicle that allow us to grow people, and if people are our purpose, relationships are the path to that purpose. And now I will give away the entire show – if you only take one thing away – coaching without relationship isn’t coaching, it’s telling. If you genuinely want to coach teachers, you must invest in building relationships. Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Link to episode 192 on five-minute coaching: https://theassistantprincipal.transistor.fm/109 Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3aThe Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

Investing in Growth with Dr. Nick Davies Power Quote: Control What you can Description:If you don’t grow, how can you get better? Yet, in a job where you can’t ever get everything done, how do you find time to grow? Today we have the 2024 Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year here to help us figure out how to prioritize growth. Guest Bio:Dr. Davies is an associate principal for Vancouver Public Schools and an adjunct Faculty Member at Pacific University. He has a Ph.D. in Education and Leadership and wrote his dissertation on curriculum implementation. Dr. Davies was named the 2024 Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year for the state of Washington. He has previously held roles as an associate principal/athletic director and was a high school math teacher and head track and field coach. He was a two-time state coach of the year in Oregon. Dr. Davies also served as a reservist in the U.S. Coast Guard. Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts· You have a passion for learning – what fuels that passion?· Committing to your own growth requires strong priority management. How do you structure your life to invest time into your own growth?· How has your trajectory as an AP accelerated as a result of your commitment to learning?o In a general way…o In specific ways…· How have you worked to create learning opportunities for other APs?· As you invest time into your own growth and pour into others in your school, how do you keep your roles as a husband and father central to your life? Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… Recap· Do what only you can do· More is not better· Reflection is as important as learning· Systems (four ourselves, our teams, and others) make it possible Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· If you haven’t grabbed a copy of my new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, please consider jumping on to Amazon or heading to my website and purchase a copy. The book covers so many of the things we talked about today and includes a systematic approach to escaping the gravitational pull of urgency so you can be that strategic leader Nick and I discussed today.· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Guest links:Nick’s website: www.drnickdavies.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-davies-education/ Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Description:Today’s show is guest hosted by Mara Buskey, the Inclusion Strategist at Strategic Leadership Consulting. Frederick’s new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is out and we thought it would be fun to celebrate by turning the tables and having Mara be the guest host to interview Frederick about the book. Enjoy! Guest Bio:Frederick Buskey helps assistant principals live and lead better. Building on 32 years of k-12 and higher education leadership experience, Dr. Buskey provides simple frameworks and tools to help school leaders spend less time putting out fires and invest more time in growing teachers. Dr. Buskey hosts The Assistant Principal Podcast, writes a daily leadership email, and hosts courses for leaders at his Strategic Leadership Academy. He has recently released his first book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose. Read more about Dr. Buskey on his website and connect with him on LinkedIn. Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts· What inspired you to write this book? · Who is this book for?/How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?· What is the most difficult part of your writing process? · What is the best way to read this book? · What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft? · How do you celebrate when you finish your book? · What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?· What has helped or hindered you most when writing this book? · Has writing and publishing a book changed the way you see yourself?· When a reader finishes this book, what is your desired outcome? What do you envision they do with your words/lessons? Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520 Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Guest: Andrea Bitner Show Title: We Are the Ticket with Andrea Bitner Power Quote: “Lack of language does not equal lack of intelligence” Description:I love doing shows where you, my colleague, can walk away with concrete steps to use in making immediate incremental improvements. The only thing better than those shows are the ones offering a transformative shift in perspective – where you can see an issue or topic from a radically different point of view that changes how you perceive and think. Today you will get both – some practical steps to begin taking and a transformative shift in perspective. Today we are diving into supporting students, and their families, who are English Learners. Guest Bio:Andrea Bitner is an educator, author, and speaker. She lives in Philadelphia, PA. and has worked with students in grades K-12 and from all around the world throughout her twenty-two years in public education. Her first book, “Take Me Home,” was published by Austin Macauley in July of 2021. "Take Me Home" is the true story of 11 of her former EL students who give a first-hand account of what it's really like to become bilingual in America. She is also a co-author of Chip Baker’s “The Impact of Influence-Volume 3” and Dr. Rick Jetter’s “100 No-Nonsense Things ALL School Leaders Should STOP Doing.” She teaches EL’s daily, and travels the country speaking and teaching educators how to teach and reach EL students, and effectively communicate with EL families! Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/PromptsWhat should APs understand?What should they know?What should they do? Students Families Teachers Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Andrea’s links:www.andreabitnerbooks.com Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Show Title: Run to the Complexity with Jason McKenna Power Quote: STEM is a mirror of our world” Description:STEM has been around for awhile, but I’ll be honest – I don’t actually know what stem is. It is a process? A product? A package? And who can do STEM? And, as school leaders, how do we know if STEM is worth encouraging and, if it is, how do we support teachers who wade into the STEM arena? I’m so excited to have today’s guest on to help me, and I hope you, answer some of these questions. Guest Bio:Jason McKenna is an experienced educator and author of What STEM Can Do for Your Classroom: Improving Student Problem Solving, Collaboration, and Engagement, Grade K-6. As the Vice President of Global Education Strategy for VEX Robotics, he specializes in curriculum development and global educational strategy, focusing on STEM integration and 21st-century learning. His work involves engaging with educators and policymakers worldwide. Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Questions/Topics/Prompts· Quick definition of STEM· How do needs of STEM teachers differ?· (How can admin put teachers in a position where I can support them?)· How do we foster a culture where teachers can initiate the conversation about their needs?o Teachers driving their own needo What is admin looking for? · How do admin support?o Doing it for awhileo New to it? Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Guest links:Website: jmckenna.org X (Twitter): McKennaj72 Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Description:Today’s show is completely different from anything I’ve done in the past. Our guest took my free course on building a positive classroom culture and reached out to share how he used what he learned and to pick my brain about next steps, so what you are going to hear today is a coaching call of sorts. Before we dive into the call, I need to set the context for you by providing an overview of the course. The free course (link in the show notes), serves as….· Frameworks around using different forms of power to have different kinds of influence on students· Constructive ways to respond to safety events· Overview of the elements of good classroom procedure and the process for teaching, rehearsing, and supporting procedures. In the call, we talk about:· The value of beginning class routine, even in small group pullout class· How intentionally teaching a procedure for doing group work helps kids work better in groups· Mitchell is teaching the group process in his pullouts but it is spilling into the regular classrooms – how powerful is that? Imagine…· You will hear me reference “Reteach, rehearse, and supports” – those are specific concepts I share in the course· What I model is how an AP can have a discussion with a teacher about creating a better classroom culture, specifically though creating a procedure for group work. Notice how having a common framework, language, and expectations for procedures makes this conversation so much easier and more collaborative! Guest Bio:Mitchell Hall is a certified Gifted and Talented Education Specialist with Garrett County Public Schools in western Maryland. He has been recognized at the state level for his role as a teacher leader in the field of Gifted and Talented education. Mitchell is also an aspiring school leader, and recently obtained his school administrator licensure. He is currently in his 17th year of teaching, and has had a broad range of roles; he's taught history, special education, and gifted and talented, and has served as administrator-in-residence. In his current position, he teaches in multiple buildings each week to deliver Primary Talent Development and GT lessons in grades pre-k through 5.Course link: https://app.heartbeat.chat/theassistantprincipal/invitation?code=JE6E76 Links to examples: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/appodcast.html Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

The Solution Starts with Us with Charle Peck Power quote: “The solution starts with us” Show Description:Is your school community thriving? How do you know? More importantly, how do you – how can you – be a powerful agent for building a thriving school community? The wonderful thing about the answers to these questions is they are so, so simple. We are joined today by a wonderful soul and I guarantee you will leave the show feeling uplifted and inspired. Charle Peck is the co-creator of Thriving School Community, a revolutionary program designed for schools to improve the mental health of staff and students. She holds an MS in Education and an MS in Social Work and is a 20+ year veteran in education (K-12). As a global keynote speaker, she delivers powerful messages of hope to educators and facilitates meaningful professional development to equip adults with tools that integrate into everyday practice. Her unique lens as a high school teacher turned clinical therapist who has worked closely with adolescents and families in crisis makes her stories relevant and captivating to those struggling in today’s system. Questions/Topics/Prompts· What constitutes a “Thriving School Community”?· How can we understand/evaluate the current state of our school community?· What are the building blocks for TSC?· What is the role of the AP?· What is one thing APs can begin doing immediately to support a TSC? You can purchase her book “Improving School Mental Health: The Thriving School Community Solution” on Amazon. You can also listen to Charle’s podcast “Thriving Educator” and connect with her via email [email protected], on TikTok + X. Charle’s links:Website: ThrivingEducator.orgFREE School Mental Health Audit ThrivingEducator.org/auditEmail: [email protected] “Thriving educator”https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thriving-educator/id1677382954 Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

“Let’s do this together” with Dr. Nate Regier Power Quote: Conflict has a purpose Description:One of the most frequent things I’m asked about is how to have difficult conversation. I have some thoughts, but I’m not an expert. That’s why today’s guest is here. What if we looked at conflict as an opportunity? What if accountability was something we did with people instead of to them? And what if through the process of helping people be responsible, we were also helping them be authentic human beings, increasing their agency and self-worth through the accountability process? Sound too good to be true? It’s not, and Nate Regier is going to help us learn how to do it. Guest Bio:“Nate Regier, PhD, is the CEO and founding owner of Next Element Consulting, a global leadership consulting and training firm helping build cultures of compassionate accountability. Dr. Regier is a former practicing psychologist and expert in social-emotional intelligence, interpersonal communication, conflict skills, and leadership. Recognized as a Top 100 keynote speaker, he is a Process Communication Model® Certifying Master Trainer. Nate is the author of four books: Beyond Drama; Conflict without Casualties; Seeing People Through; and his newest book, Compassionate Accountability. He hosts a podcast called “On Compassion with Dr. Nate,” writes a weekly blog, contributes to multiple industry publications, and is a regular guest on podcasts.” Warmup questions:· We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?· Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do? Welcome back! We last heard from you back in July in episode 143 Outline· Difference between empathy and compassion· Helping people be accountable versus holding them accountable?· Accountability as a relationship, not an action· New teacher struggling, but sometimes leader doesn’t know how to support?· ORPO for a struggling new teacher Closing questions:· What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?· If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?· Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?· Where can people learn more about you and your work… Close· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.· Cheers! Nate’s links:https://www.next-element.com/ Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Show Notes, Episode 184: The Power of Presence with Kelly Scarbrough It’s always fun to sit down with another consultant or author and dive into their field of expertise to find powerful ideas and tools you can use to improve your life and leadership. However, some of the best ideas come, not from experts, but from you, and our other colleagues who are still in classrooms and buildings. Today’s conversation meanders like a pleasant stroll alongside a slow-moving stream, and like any fall time hike in the Smokey Mountains, it possesses its own beauty and splendor.Kelly Scarbrough has been an educator of 17 years. She has invested her career teaching primary grades and building a foundation and love of learning. In January, she opens a new chapter in beginning her doctoral studies in educational leadership. Kelly has a passion for servant leadership and believes that leading with empathy and a genuine desire to serve others fosters authentic, deep relationships and cultivates positive change. While Kelly is a full-time teacher, she is also excited to continue her journey as she continues to grow as an educator and leader!Notable Quotes Kelly:“People’s beliefs in me have helped mold me into believing I can do it.” “There’s a lot that’s going on and teachers want to feel supported through it.” “I know how to sit quiet and listen.”“There is trust amongst our team and it makes such a difference in how we work together.”“He was okay saying ‘I don’t know’ and that impacted the staff greatly… we appreciated that in him.”“As I am developing myself as a leader, I am finding much more appreciation for the diversity in knowledge others bring about.” “Presence makes all the difference”Frederick:“We can all lead no matter where we are.”“Clarify to people, ‘What do you need out of this today?’”“When there is so much going on, the power of presence actually increases.”“Presence is the gift – you don’t need to fill the space you create.”“If we are going to do something, that means there is something else we can’t do!”“What are the pieces in this new initiative… that align with where we are already going?”“When I’m vulnerable, I’m saying, ‘I trust you.’”“That focus on you as a person actually made a difference on you as a teacher.”‘Here’s what the tip looks like, but what’s happening underneath the water?”Kelly’s Contact InfoLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-scarbrough-776175266?trk=contact-info Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Outline and Show NotesGuest: Tomeka LoveLinks and promo stuff?Preferred name/title?Relax and laughWill be video recording and may use small or big piecesSmall things won’t be editedIf there is a gaff – long pauseIntro-interview-outroQuestions for me?FB hit recordShow Title: South Carolina Assistant Principal of the Year Tomeka LovePower Quote: “I choose joy”Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Originally aired as episode 125 on May 16, 2023.This is one of my all-time favorite episodes. Enjoy!Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a Tequila's Links:Website: https://www.tequilalamar.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tequilalamar/

Description:Back in episode 141, Dr. Helen Kelly and I talked about burnout and the things school leaders can do to help recover from work and avoid burnout. Helen noted in that show, that recovery was only 20% of the antidote, because the problem of burnout is not an individual problem – it is an organizational problem. So, if 80% of burnout is due to factors within the organization – your district or your school – what can you, my school leader colleague, do to change your organization? It is messy, but thankfully the incomparable Helen Kelly is back with us today to help us get dirty.Episode 141 link: https://theassistantprincipal.transistor.fm/141 Helen’s links:Website: www.drhelenkelly.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-helen-kelly-65996919/Facebook: Dr Helen KellyTwitter: @drhkellyBook: School Leaders Matter: Preventing Burnout, Managing Stress and Improving Wellbeing Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: hhttps://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Today’s show begins with a 40,000-foot view of student voice and then takes us right to ground level to break down implementation of a specific practice for elevating not only student voice, but also teacher voice. Are you ready?Connect with Lyndsay:Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.comYouTube: www.youtube.com/@lindsaybethlyons LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaybethlyons Podcast: Time for TeachershipResources (I'll add a staff meeting series with agendas + slide decks plus a Circle Planning Template and anything else we talk about to this link, which will be live by the time you air): https://extras.lindsaybethlyons.com/appod Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

Hello Colleagues and welcome to this week’s 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Actually, this will be our last episode of 5fF and instead of recapping… explain how I reached this decision.Lens of 3 epiphs:123Here’s the story:MM complaining too much to do…Jeff asked, I said…Daily em2 pod episodesLdr programCourse devCourses on building CRC1st Epiph: too much to doJeff suggested ways to streamline – time managementBut I was trying to do it all2 epiph: I get to chooseJeff asked purposeMy thinkingBut…Jeff… why are you still doing it: no fun, not serving a purposeHard answer: egoQuittingNumbers3rd Epiph:My own ego over developing things that will be useful to othersOr what’s best for my business?Too often, we operate on auto, and our actions and values come into misalignment.Still do Tuesday:High value for you (I hear from you)I enjoy doing the interviewsHelps me growPod is integral to my business startI want everything to be educational – to add value, I hope you can look inside at your own actions…That’s it for Five for Friday. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. If you will miss the 5fF you can always subscribe to my daily email…I look forward to seeing you again next TuesdayI’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Have a great weekend, get outside, laugh, and live! Cheers!Resources:Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Culture, specifically, organizational culture. It’s part cliché, part elusive whale, and part obsession. We all work (or have worked in my case) within schools or educational organizations which have a culture and we all know how powerfully that culture influences what happens within the school. The cliché: Culture is the key to a great school The elusive whale: What is school culture? The obsession: How can we create a culture of learning? Today, I will unpack for you the secrets of school culture. I guarantee after you listen to this show, you will have a clearer understanding of what school culture is, why it is so powerful, and – best of all – how you can build a better school culture. It isn’t easy, but it is, I promise you, simple.Summarizing (The big takeaway) If you want to improve your culture: support and grow your teachers. For example:· Stop telling them how to get better. Change the culture by revamping your teacher evaluation and PD systems. Facilitate discussions in which teachers identify their pain points and they tell you about their goals for creating a stronger classroom. This change hits every aspect of your organization:o Changes the purpose of leadership from controlling to servingo Changes the structures around the evaluation process from compliance to critical o Changes the structures of observation and post-conferencing o Reallocates resources as we focus on meaningful coaching and PD I’m not saying your current purpose, structures, resources and teacher improvement strategies are a dumpster fire. I know how hard you work and how much thought you put into helping your teachers grow. What I am saying is this:· If you are telling your teachers where they need to grow, instead of helping them address pain points they want to treat, there is friction.· If your evaluation system is not part of a long-term systemic approach to helping teachers improve their craft, then evaluation creates friction.· If teachers are required to attend PD they see as irrelevant, at the cost of attending PD they want, that PD is creating friction. I know there are many things you do not control, and the evaluation system is probably one of them. However, can you:· Ask teachers “If you could get students to do one thing differently, what would it be?”· And then help them define what that would look like and sound like?· Could we then, in our formal observation, make sure we were capturing some of the data related to the thing we want students to do differently”?· Could we, in our formal post-observation conference, map a plan for how we can help that teacher create that change?· Could we, follow up consistently in our future observations and PLCs? Yes, we can do all those things. It is simple, but it is not easy. You can hear me unpack that question about students doing one thing with 2nd-year AP Alex Auriemma in episode 177 from last week. So, now you know what school culture is. You know what makes it worse and what can make it better. What are you next steps? What do you do with this ne understanding? I don’t actually suggest that you revamp your entire evaluation structure. That is an A-Z change. Here are two simple things you can do starting today:· Ask that question, “If you could get students to do one thing differently, what would it be?” Informally of your teachers, and listen to their answers.· Do more 5-minute coachingo It reinforces that the purpose of leadership is to support and grow teachers.o It creates an informal structure that makes that work easier for both leaders and teachers.o And by going your full time and attention, even only for five minutes, it communicates to teachers that you are willing to invest important resources in their growth. Honestly, I’d like to dig into this even more – we are just scratching the surface. The 6D framework is the foundation of so much of the work I do and the practices I promote and teach about.Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsultingDaily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to… Those of you reaching out to me via email and LinkedIn! It inspires me to keep going. Specifically, I’d like to thank:Darius CoulibalyKelly ScarbroughValerie JonesAnnette BrownAnd a special thanks to Tammi Barker who wrote:I listen to your podcasts on my way to work as I just promoted to a VP in July. Your podcasts motivate and reinspire me when I’m feeling overwhelmed or defeated. This is the first position that I’ve never been able to complete all of my work before going home. I’m am learning quickly that it will consist of many more of those days. I am working on changing my mindset and trying to rebalance my work and home life.Tammi dm’d me on LinkedIn on a day I was feeling very low and was questioning whether or not I even wanted to record a five for Friday (last week’s, not this one). She turned my whole day around in a text that took two minutes to compose.This s a great example of how simple and easy it is for us to exert positive power by lifting up others.And… Tammi heard about the show via her supervisor. I do not have a strong social media presence and most of our growth comes from word of mouth, so if you don’t have time to be present with someone and nurture them, consider forwarding this show to them instead.Okay, let’s get to the week’s emails.Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of November 13-17, 2023. The week’s emails:The takeaway: Obvious takeaway for this week: ASK PEOPLE REFELCTIVE QUESTIONS!Sometimes I think I repeat myself too much, that it is so simple. But then I think about my own leadership, how I am dialed into presence, how I know the questions by heart, and how my sone Colin walked into my office this morning and I barely acknowledged him and did not ask any questions at all. We all fall down on this stuff, we are all too busy. And so I keep emphasizing the power of presence and of asking the right questions. It’s as much for me and those of us who know and try as it is for those of you who are just hearing this for the first (or second) time. Collin edits our Five for Friday episodes, so I can say here Collin, I’ll do better being present with you next time. And you my dear colleague, who do you need to commit to being more present with? A peer at work, your partner, or maybe even – yourself.That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. I look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday when I dig into the six dimensions of organizations. The six dimensions framework is foundational to so much of what I talk about. Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. As I record this, we have 21 ratings and 6 reviews – we are inching forward! Remember increasing those numbers helps others find the show and I really appreciate hearing from you. If you can’t rate the show, at least help others find it by forwarding the show link to a colleague. Please! You’ll be helping leaders like those mentioned at the top of the show find a PD source that improrves both life and leadership.I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Have a great weekend, get outside, laugh, and live! Cheers!Resources:Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

177: Leaning In and Listen with Alex Auriemma About this show (Teaser from outline) I am keeping this teaser short because I cannot wait to get into today’s conversation. Back in August I encouraged listeners to ask their veteran teachers three questions. The questions were designed to help you learn more about your teachers and to help them feel listened to and valued. Today’s guest, a practicing assistant principal, used those questions and she’s here to share how it went, what she learned, and what her next steps will be. Notable Quotes Guest: Alex Auriemma“It’s not just something I did with my 22 teachers, it’s something we, collectively as a cabinet, have done with all our teachers…”“It was so great to hear teachers gloat about what makes them awesome!”“The sequencing of the questions is the magic to the sauce”“It was so much of me not leading; it was them just sharing.”“It’s not a me conversation, it’s an us conversation.”Having theses conversations… I just was present. My commitment is to stay that present.”Frederick:“It was something very important because it said, “I hear you, I see you, I value you.”“Any time we can take a practice and do it as a leadership team collectively, it just amplifies the benefit.”Guest Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-loredo-auriemma-94286991/ Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to… my incredible book reviewers. My book on how to move from spending time on tasks to investing time in people id tentatively scheduled for publication in March. One way to tell if people really care about you is to ask for critical feedback. People who aren’t really invested with say things like, “great job” or “looks good.” People who care about you will make specific suggestions about how to improve and why they are making those suggestions. So thank you to the following people for helping me create a better book to help people on their leadership journey:Dr. Justin Nutter, assistant superintendent of Lexington 4 SD in Lexington, SCMaria Werner, Founding Principal of Green Charter School, Simpsonville, SCDr. Heidi Von Dohlan, Associate Professor and Program Director of the NC School Executive Leadership Program (NCSELP) at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee NCEleanor MaCauley, Principal, Fairview School, Sylva NCKatie Joiner, AP, Mid-Carolina Middle School, Newberry SCDr. Efraín Martinez, Princcpal, Conrad Fischer Elementary School and host of the Wisdom and Porductivety podcast, Elmhurst IllinoisDr. Sam Sircey, Prinpal (retired), Buncombe County Schools, NCWhat a stellar group of leaders – thank you for helping me be a better leader!Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of Nov. 6-10, 2023. The week’s emails:The takeaway: I think the common thread this week was assumptions.I may assume that what happens this time will be the same as what happens next timeI assume you aren’t in trauma, or there is nothing I can do to support you.I assume I have the answers to helping you become self sufficient.I assume you see the same value in something as I do.I think what’s really happening here is that we are operating on patterns. Our brains are great at creating patterns to guide our behavior so we don’t become paralyzed with decision-making. But those patterns can lead us to making assumptions and those assumptions can have negative impacts on our leadership.So, what can you do?What’s not working?Who needs your support?Your own condition?That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. I look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday… Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. As I record this, we have climbed to 21 ratings and 6 reviews! What if we could reach 50 ratings by the end of the year? How cool would that be? Increasing those numbers helps others find the show. I love hearing from you. So please consider emailing me at [email protected] a story, a reaction to the show, or a request or suggestion. I do respond to every suggestion.I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Have a great weekend, get outside, laugh, and live! Cheers!Resources:Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

For years I have done management and discipline trainings for new teachers. For years, those trainings changed little. Recently though, by approach has shifted. I’m now focusing on helping teachers build positive classroom cultures, by attending to three elements:1. First and most importantly are relationship2. Second is classroom management3. Third is classroom safety, which is more accurate term than discipline. I’m in the process of developing a series of virtual courses for teachers, but also for leaders, because there are some things I think we need to change.

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!The week’s emails:What makes a good hike?The impact of alignment on cultureThe 3-day pocket door seriesMade a mistake – what should I do?The importance of information, especially opportunity costWe must know others to understand their opportunity cost (e.g. new teacher who is struggling with what to focus on)

Today’s show will touch on a number of important things:· Why do great teachers leave their schools, or education? What makes a great leader? If you don’t trust a teacher to manage their own growth, what can you do about it? What do teachers want?If any of those sound interesting to you, then you should definitely enjoy today’s show!Notable Quotes Guest: Caitlin Mitchell“But I wasn't getting a ton of support from my admin and about three and a half years into being a teacher, I left”I knew that I had to do something differently because the system of education was not going to change. So I needed to show up differently as an educator in order to allow myself to be insulated, if you will, from this larger system of education.what we hear from our teachers all the time is a lack of trust and a lack of autonomy in their decision making.If you really step back and take a look at what actions are you showing are your actions aligning with the beliefs and the values and the words that you're saying?“Let's remove the ‘me’ in this equation as the assistant principal.”“The quality of our life is determined by the quality of the questions that we ask.”A players don’t want to work for B leadersWith great leadership comes belief in self Frederick:one thing we want assistant principals to get better at is aligning those systems to make it easier for teachers to do the work they know how to do.we get so accustomed to thinking we have to have the answers, right? We help people because we have the answers. And that is the absolute reverse thing that we need to be doing with our veteran teachers. Well, any of our teachers, our teachers have the answers. So instead of asking, we need to be, instead of Telling we need to be listening.The value is not in that telling it's in the listening. Cailin’s Links:Website: https://ebacademics.com/Instagram: @ebacademicsFacebook: EB Academics for TeachersYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EBAcademicsPodcast: Teaching Middle School ELABook: The Empowered ELA Teacher https://www.ebteacher.com/book Dr. Becky Good Inside: https://www.goodinside.comFrederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to Matthew Downing, host of the DivingDeep EDU podcast. Matthew was recently promoted to the role of Supervisor of elementary Instructional Technology wih the Upper Darby School District in Pennsylvania. Matthew has also been having other great adventures and in the midst of all that was kind enough to have me on Episode 58 of the Diving Deep EDU podcast where we talked about the journey from urgent to strategic. I’ll put a link to the podcast in the show notes.Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of October 16-20, 2023. If leadership is influence, as leadership guru John Maxwell states, how do we influence people?If you read this week’s emails, you already know the answer is power.Embracing the power to lead is critical for several reasons:All forms of power are not created equal. You need to know the benefits and liabilities of each form.Because you hold power to influence others, you have an ethical obligation to use your power wisely and to care for those whom you influence with your power.Understanding the sources of your power allows you to cultivate and increase your power.Most forms of power are not hierarchical, meaning you can exert power – LEAD – regardless of your hierarchical position. You don’t need to wait to lead. Use your power to lead NOW.Instead of recapping each day, I want to run through the forms of power and provide examples of how each one can be used by different members in your school.Five forms of power:LegitimateT to SP to TS to PLeads to compliance “Because I said so”InformationalT: information on college applicationsP: classroom and teaching assignmentsDO: rubric for the grantSome people withhold information as a way of keeping control which has a two-edged impact on their influence (increases and diminishes at the same time)ExpertChemistry teacher to future MD; reading teacher to future authorAP who can teach others to ask engaging questions of students, OR ask reflective questions to teachers to get them to their own answers“You can help me get to where I want to go”RewardT to S: A, gold star, praise, note homeAP to T: promotion, coveted teaching assignment, responsibilities, input/voice, sticky notes, social media recognition, Friday jeans day, donuts“Look at me”CoerciveT to S: F, referral/write-up/detention, silent lunch, note/call home, expressing disappointmentAP to T: Contractual hits, “write ups”, teaching assignments, scheduling, isolation, intimidation, threats“Do this or else!”Creates resentmentReferent“My favorite teacher” MentorAdmire, respect, care for, Want to emulate and pleaseNot all power types are equal!The takeaway:For all except legitimate:Students hold the same powers over teachersTeachers hold the same powers over adminUnderstanding the types of power, you can be intentional about cultivating itThat is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. I look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday when I review some elements of creating a positive classroom culture.Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. Increasing those numbers helps others find the show. You can find out more about me at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/I love getting feedback, so please consider sending me an email or connecting with me on LinkedIn. Of course, all of those links are in the show notes.I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers!DiveingDeepEDU Podcast link: https://divingdeepedu.libsyn.com/58-frederick-buskey Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

In this episode I discuss three important things I'm teaching a group of teaching interns about building a positive classroom culture.Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to… Krista8967 who wrote in a recent review:I absolutely love this podcast. Frederick Buskey gives helpful tips that you can put into action right away. This show has been a part of my weekly routine since my journey into educational leadership began.Thank you for the kind words Krista, I am so glad the show is helpful.Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of October 16-20, 2023. I was so excited after recording Tuesday’s podcast with Michele Matoon that I rearranged my content for the week and decided to pull five tips from the daily email to reinforce some sound meeting practices. The fifth tip was not on our show and I can’t believe I didn’t mention it as it transformed the way I view meetings.While there is significant overlap between today’s show and Tuesday’s, it might be a bit less overwhelming. I’ll prove Michele’s email address at the end of the show and include it in the show notes as she will send a meeting template to anyone who wants it. If you want better meetings, don’t reinvent the wheel, just email Michele!Five biggest takeaways:Have a clear, actionable goal, in an agenda, ahead of time.Allot time to each item and use a timer to signal the end.Write down who is responsible and what the deadline is.Put FYIs at the bottom and do not read or spend time on them.Calculate the cost of the meeting. The takeaway: Every minute of our day has a price. That price can and should be measured in money, but more importantly in time and attention. Of course, some meetings are necessary. IEP meetings are essential parts of identifying important strategies for working with a vulnerable group of students. However, the value of a meeting should never be measured on its own. It should always be measured against the alternative.Was this meeting as important as developing a support plan for a student in crisis? Was this meeting as important as investing 30 minutes with an early career teacher, listening to their story, and helping him thing through how they want to grow? Was this meeting as important as developing an SOP to help front office staff effectively manage unexpected visitors?In some cases, the answer will be yes and you should absolutely have the meeting. In other cases, it will be no, in which case maybe you should cancel of skip the meeting if at all possible.I know things are pretty hierarchical in most districts, but I can’t help but wonder what might happen, if, coming into a meeting 30-minutes late, you announced, “Sorry I’m late, but I have a third-year teacher who is considering leaving the profession and I needed to do some critical problem-solving with her.” What would be the response to that? Again, that may not be an option in your district, but maybe it is but you don’t know it? Might be worth a conversation. There is a great visual in an article in the Huffington Post in which they monitored brain activity in people attending back-to-back meetings. The increase in stress created by back-to-back meetings with no break is striking.Again, I’m not saying all meetings are bad, but if it isn’t worth have an agenda with a clear goal and actionable outcome, what’s the point?That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. I look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday… Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. As I record this, we have 19 ratings and 6 reviews – we are inching forward! Remember increasing those numbers helps others find the show and I really appreciate hearing from you.I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers!Michele’s Links:Email: [email protected] Website: www.nsrfharmony.org X (Twitter) @TheNSRF: twitter.com/TheNSRF Instagram: @NSRFharmony: https://instagram.com/nsrfharmony Facebook: Facebook.com/NationalSchoolReformFaculty Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/NSRF/ Threads (logs in with FB): threads.net/@nsrfharmonyResources:The NSRF’s website: www.nsrfharmony.org (has libraries of many protocols and activities)Huffington Post article on stress: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meetings-breaks-office-brain-study_l_638e4f82e4b06fdc9d907e03 Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Show Notes, Episode 169: The why and how of meetings with Michele Matoon About this show Have you ever been in a meeting that didn’t go well? I know, silly question. What about this – have you ever been in a meeting that DID go well? And why, if your experiences have been anything like mine, are the good meetings so much rarer than the bad ones? More importantly, what can we do to flip the script – to move meetings from being a waste of time to being powerful tools for organizational improvement? Today’s episode is going to help you do just that!Michele Mattoon is the executive director of the National School Reform Faculty (NSRF). She works with schools and educators across the country and around the world to implement Critical Friends Group Trainings, strategic planning sessions, and other work relating to collaborative learning. Michele is also the president and owner of Coltrain Group, a consulting firm that offers facilitation and mediation services, as well as tailored collaborative trainings to businesses and other organizations outside the education arena. Michele is obsessed with intentionally building healthy, productive communities through specific collaborative structures. As such, she is the primary editor of NSRF’s training handbooks and the author of many articles, protocols and activities dedicated to this topic.Michele and I talked briefly after the show and for our next recording we will dive into how to manage “those people” who can make meetings a nightmare. If there are specific examples or behaviors you would like us to address, please email them to me at fb.com so we can address them on the show. Have them to me by October 31, 2023 for inclusion on the show. Notable Quotes Michele:“That is two hours of my like I am never going to get back!”Bad meetings - “It’s a human being problem. It’d not an education problem, it’s a human being problem.”“Nothing breaks trust faster than a leader who says “we are going to make a decision”.. and then makes the decision themselves.”“The ramifications of not being clear are huge.”“If you are going to give a deadline, you need to keep the deadline” “We are so conditioned to a bell, that we will stop [when it rings].”“We need to know who’s responsible and when the deadline is.”“A big part of leadership is just being clear and organized and communicating just enough.”“If we have to make up a story, because no one told us, then it’s much more likely to be a negative story than a positive one.”“If you don’t have a system for it, it’s not going to get done.”Frederick:It seems like there are two kinds of meetings – one where there is an assumed purpose… and standing meetings, which can be some of the worst ones.“We need specific clarity so people know why they are coming.”“One of the most neglected parts of a meeting is assigning who is responsible and when the deadline is.”“It’s amazing how many people would talk something to death in a meeting, but when you ask them is it worth emailing me over this, they don’t, they are fine.”“When we had none items on the agenda, we just were covering things and not doing meaningful work.”Michele’s Links:Email: [email protected]: www.nsrfharmony.orgX (Twitter) @TheNSRF: twitter.com/TheNSRF Instagram: @NSRFharmony: https://instagram.com/nsrfharmonyFacebook: Facebook.com/NationalSchoolReformFacultyLinkedin: linkedin.com/company/NSRF/ Threads (logs in with FB): threads.net/@nsrfharmonyResources:The NSRF’s website: www.nsrfharmony.org (has libraries of many protocols and activities)Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to… IamBlandon who kindly reviewed the show on Apple Podcasts, saying the following…Thank you! I’m so close to completing my journey on becoming an administrator! Thank you so much for this treasure trove of valuable information! Keep up the good work!And thank you IamBlandon, your review and words mean a lot.Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of October 9-13. The emails: The three epiphaniesMonday: Urgent leaders:Put tasks before people.Prioritize what’s urgent over what’s important.Treat symptoms instead of identifying problems.Mistake action for progress.Tuesday: There is not enough time to do everything.Wednesday: If there is not enough time, I can choose what does and does not get done.Thursday: What I choose to do and not do reflects my values.Friday: Not being intentional dooms you to urgencyThe takeaway: Embracing the three epiphanies is a foundational step for moving from managing time to managing priorities. On the days you do not make intentional choices, like my day battling my computer, you are likely living in urgency.Making intentional choices does not guarantee you will be strategic, but it is a prerequisite.I’m including a simple visual in today’s message. If you find the 3 epiphanies compelling, consider printing it off and posting it somewhere as a reminder.Today’s intention: Reflect on your week. In retrospect, what is one to-do/not do choice you made intentionally and feel good about? What is something you reacted to, that got in the way of something you valued more? It is Friday, and I would love it if you share with me your biggest takeaway or story from this week!That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. I look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday when we feature my interview with Michele Matoon. We take a practical look at how to run a meeting. This is one of those episodes you will want to follow up on because Michelle has some great tips and tools for you.Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. You can find out more about me at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/I love getting feedback, so please consider sending me an email or connecting with me on LinkedIn. Of course, all of those links are in the show notes.I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers!Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Show Notes Show Title: Tech as a tool for supporting teachers with Jessica Preisig Show Description:Talking about technology in education elicits a range of responses from enthusiastic embraces to gag reflexes, and on either end of the spectrum technology can be problematic. However, with some mindful planning and intention, technology can be a powerful took in helping you to facilitate teacher growth. Today’s wonderful guest is going to help us look at the role of technology being a partner for teacher growth. Guest BioJessica Preisig serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services in the School District of Pickens County. During her 20 years as an educator, Jessica has served as a classroom teacher, instructional technology coach, school administrator and district leader. Jessica earned her initial undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of South Carolina prior to moving to upstate South Carolina, where she obtained an EdS in Administration and Supervision from Clemson University – where I might had she had some amazing professors(!) – and she is now back at Clemson working on her doctorate. Quotes Jessica· “Every time technology is working it’s a celebration!”· “I got to see k-12 education with teachers through all the levels.”· “The way I approached evaluation was more as a growth opportunity.”· “Intentionally integrate instructional technology that teachers would use in their classrooms, in out instructional work with teachers.”· “People hear what they want to hear.”· “When you can link to the things they want to learn, they are more receptive to feedback.” Frederick· “How do we provide resources to teachers that help them have agency over their own learning?”· “We sometimes miss opportunities to piggy back onto that [formal evaluation] and ask, ‘How do we want to grow?’”· “Because you were asking the questions, you were listening.”· “You can feel like the processes are confining you, but you can leverage them.”· “If I know you are here to help me get better in the ways I want to get better, then I’m invested.” SummarizingAs we wrap up, I have two important questions for you. First, what part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at? If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be? Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners? Show Outro As the one big takeaway, Jessica pointed to “leaning in and walking beside people.” And if you think back to what you have heard throughout the episode, that was the constant theme. In a sense, this episode wasn’t about technology – it was about partnering with teachers and helping the grow. The technology is simply a tool to help us do that. I hope you’ll reflect more on that today and think critically about how technology can help you support and grow your teachers. Thanks for walking your leadership journey with me. You can learn more about the other ways I support APs and other school leaders on my website at fb.com I look forward to seeing you again on Friday when we play with the week’s daily leadership emails. Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. Rating the show helps others find it, and if you want to be a superfan, consider leaving a review. I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers! Jessica’s Links:Twitter: https://twitter.com/PreisigJessicaLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicapreisig/ Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today I’m celebrating fall! The leaves are beginning to turn color, the nights are getting crisp – which means better sleeping for those of us who like being buried under a mound of blankets – and everything is flavored with apple or pumpkin! Fall also means the end of my garden-grown cucumbers, but we can’t have everything, can we?Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of October 2-6, 2023. The emails:Sometimes you can have a bigger impact by working with the willing.Accepting that to be human is to be imperfect opens a world of possibilities.We should think about playing more. We should play more.Be mindful of over-investing in tasks you enjoy doing.Lack of presence leads to messes, with food and with humans.The takeaway:Another week of seemingly unrelated topics provides me with another opportunity to look for the bigger meaning. I didn’t plan it this way, but each post has an element of play to it:Working with competent people who trust you and want to get better can feel like play.Over-investing in things we are good at is a version of play.Accepting the imperfection of being human gives us permission to play.Playing helps cultivate presence.And of course, there was Wednesday’s message all about the need to play more.Play takes many forms. We can play physically – at the Buskey household one of our backyard favorites is CanJam. We can play games, like Horrify, a really cool strategy game in which the players collaborate to win. We can play with ideas, which I often do while journaling in the mornings. We can play in the kitchen – but maybe not with quesadillas.As I write this, it strikes me that the line between creativity and play is very thin, and maybe that’s a bit of insight into why play is so important.Let’s wrap this up with a call to action, and if you can’t guess what it is, you either don’t know me very well or you haven’t been fully present to the episode.This weekend, go play! Throw a football around, pull out your watercolors, scribble some poetry, walk in the woods. Do something for yourself, and I turn you’ll be better at serving others on Monday. Oh, and Legos. How did forget Legos?That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. I look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday when we begin our October emphasis on building a positive classroom culture.Anyway, tune in on Tuesday for a great episode.Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. As I record this, we have 17 ratings and 4 reviews. Increasing those numbers helps others find the show. I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers!Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Being a human is being imperfect with Dr. Efraín Martínez, No. 165 Show Description:We all have stories about where we came from, how we grew up, and the people we’ve walked our journeys with. We have joys and traumas that inform how we see out world, and how we see others in our world. Today we’ll go beneath those stories and look at what it means to lead, as someone who has their own stories, and what it means to lead people who have their own stories. Guest BioDr. Efraín Martínez is a father, husband, principal, and podcaster, who is always in search of wisdom and he has found productivity, to be a great tool for success. He's the host of Wisdom & Productivity: The Podcast of an Imperfect Educator. And I will add, he is an incredibly deep and soulful human being. Highlights Efraín· “Everyday that I am on this earth I want to be grateful for what I have…”· “This is a web of stories... life only makes sense when you look back and connect the docks.”· “I am the adult who still thinks he is the kid who is trying to get the most out of life.” · “Build a monument with the rocks people throw at you.” (citing Siddharth Sood)· “When you run your school like a business, you are doomed to fail.”· “Connecting with the humanity of the people you are leading … is the best that we can do to move our schools forward.”· “When you tell people they need to do something they will want to do the opposite!”· “The best teacher in the building is not the principal.”· “Being human is being imperfect.”· “Teachers know their own answers, they just need someone to listen to them.”· “You can fool the world, but you cannot fool yourself.”· “Meditation is like a workout.. that is so unique.. but when you take a moment to focus only on your breath… you start realizing how powerless you are… you start focusing on listening to others.” Frederick· “In my arrogance, I thought if I just could mold people to be like me, would be good… because I thought I had all the answers.”· “When we truly care for other people, then we help them grow in the direction they want to grow in, not the direction we want them to grow in.” (citing Milton Mayeroff)· “You need to listen to people’s stories in order to know how to support them.”· “As soon as we understand that to be human is to be imperfect, we can let go of that idea of being perfect, and when we can do that… we stop talking so much and we listen more.”· “When we decide to give grace, a lot of judgment can roll off of us, and then I can be more present.. and then we can meet them where they are.” · “When we forgive others, the gift is to ourselves, because we give ourself permission to put all the crosses down.” Dr. Efraín Martínez’s Links:Email: [email protected]: wisdomandproductivity.com Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/EMLink13YouTube: https://youtube.com/@WisdomAndProductivity?feature=shared Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to… Now + Next Cohort 2. Valori, Lisa, Paige, Gail, Jen, Kayla, Michelle, and Emily, thanks for making the program so wonderful. It is a testament to what can happen when inspired leaders prioritize working together, being vulnerable, and fostering interdependence. Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of September 25-29, 2023. Review the emailsTakeawayAs I’ve shared before, when the week’s messages aren’t specifically built around a theme, like this week’s, I’m always intrigued to come back after-the-fact and think about what the big takeaway is, and this week is no different.In fact, wow. There is a profound message here. It’s not me being profound, as this wasn’t purposeful, but it is right here in front of us. Here are the five MVPs for each day’s message:Sometimes making the same old thing better beats doing something new.Sometimes something BIG doesn’t actually matter.What makes one training more powerful than another?Together, transformation, vulnerability, and interdependence can create something specialBeing fully present is more valuable than having answers.Time and attention are the scarcest resources. While the urgent – quadrant 3 – tasks are a big consumer of these precious resources, so are change initiatives. And too often we focus on the initiatives instead of the people. Nothing against Salesforce or LETRS, but how many lives have the transformed? We can lose focus on people. Improvement can become about ”the thing” instead of about people. And the changes and improvements we are trying to make can actually stop us form impacting people. The busier we are, the harder it is to be fully present. The harder it is to be invested in helping people grow in the direction they want to grow in. The harder it is to be vulnerable. The harder it is to be interdependent.Do less, impact more. Create transformative moments by focusing on others as humans, not as cogs in a machine or rungs on a ladder.And then think about your own leadership and what being present does for you. Here’s the rest of the story about the group hug episode…I am not the perfect trainer, but sometimes I am able to help a group come together and do something magical, especially when I focus on serving them, not converting them into the leaders I think they should be. And when that happens, I am also rewarded in a way that cannot be measured.My wish for you next week is to go forward and be vigilant about finding opportunities to be present, to learn how others want to grow, and to then be able to create the opportunities for them to do that.That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. I look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday when we feature my interview with Dr. Efrain Martinez on what it means to be a human leading humans. This is an inspiring and emotional episode and I’m so excited to share it with you.Anyway, tune in on Tuesday for a great episode.Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. As I record this, we have ZZ ratings and XX reviews. Increasing those numbers helps others find the show. I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers!Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Show Description:I will lead off this episode with a couple apologies:1. I’ve got a cold and am low energy, so I’m admittedly not bringing my A-game this week. Paraphrasing BB King…2. I know this episode’s title has a click-bait feel to it, but it is the best I could come up with today (see apology 1 above). The premise for today is that most of you are 4-8 weeks into your school year and should be falling into a routine at this point. It seems like a good time to do some poking around and get some vital signs for your school and your leadership, so we’ll discuss four things you can do to give you insights for your focus for the next month of school. Celebrations:I’m celebrating two things:1. Monday’s email about my mom’s new Porsche generated a lot of reaction, like “this is your best email ever!” Thanks everyone for letting me know, it helps me keep going on those days when I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and have a cold.2. I’ve just been offered a publishing contract on my book! It has been a long road and I’m excited to be moving forward. Lest you’ve forgotten, the book is about the 6-steps to escaping urgency and becoming a people-centric leader. I imagine as a publication date gets closer I’ll be sharing more and more. The Big IdeaAt this point in the year it is easy to get into a groove. Now, grooves are good, but how do you stop that groove from becoming a rut? More specifically, how do you make sure you aren’t stuck in the urgent rut? Are you getting into classrooms like you promised yourself you would this year? Or are the discipline referrals already undermining your plans? Have you been there for your ECT’s? Or are you relying on mentor teachers to take care of them? Guess, what? Your mentor teachers are as busy as you are! Without further adieu, four things you should do this week:1. Check in with your ECTs2. Dig into your discipline data to look for patterns to tell you who, where, and when to focus on.3. Use the 5-minute coaching tool to conduct an informal culture check4. Reflect. Okay, that’s today’s episode of…. Just kidding. I get goofy when I’m feeling sick and overwhelmed so just laugh with me. Let’s go into a bit more depth:1. Check in with your ECTsa. Why ECTs and not just first-years?b. Why aren’t mentors enough?c. 3-point check in i. Relationships ii. Management iii. Curriculum2. Dig into your discipline data to look for patterns to tell you who, where, and when to focus on.a. Who are your high-flyers (you probably already know) and is there a flight pattern? Do you have a morning check-in set up for them?b. Where and when do you have spikes? E wing restroom at the beginning of 4th period? Then ask why?c. What teachers are sending the most referrals – check their classroom management.3. Use the 5-minute coaching tool to conduct an informal culture checka. Walk down the hall and catch people in or by their rooms, position yourself side-to-side to lessen power differential, go through the pattern: i. X-weeks into the school year, I can’t believe it! ii. What’s going well for you so far? iii. Have their been any surprises? iv. Is there anything you would do differently? You could also ask, “Is there anything WE should do differently?” to focus more on the building. v. I appreciate you sharing. I’m looking forward to all the great things you are going to do with kids this year!4. Reflect. a. Carve out an hour. Maybe Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon, or Friday night. Whatever works for you. Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted, turn off your phone. Use an old-school paper notebook or journal and your favorite pen. If you are too techy, at least use a pad and stylus. The kinesthetic action will help in reflection.b. Just begin writing whatever comes into your mind. Be unfiltered. If you need an outline, you could do: i. Celebrations ii. Things you would do differently iii. Frustrations iv. Questions v. Answers vi. List actions that can have impact vii. Identify patterns for important things viii. Play with your priorities ...

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to… Mitchell Hall, Gifted and Talented Education Specialist, Garrett County Public Schools, Maryland who emailed me about the relationship matrix we featured on our August 30th daily email:Hi Frederick,I enjoy the relationship matrix! As I looked over the different categories on it, I realized why my most effective leaders have taken an interest in my life outside of school. I forwarded this email to three who have coached me, as opposed to simply advising or teaching me, and thanked them for making that investment. I just earned my administrator credential here in Maryland, and I really appreciate your podcast and online resources because they help me plan ahead for how I will lead when that opportunity arises. Thanks for sharing your experiences and your expertise! Mitchell, thank you for your encouraging words and I’m happy to be supporting the important work you do.Insert introToday’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of September 18-22, 2023. This week I’m sharing five strategies helping me be a better leader right now.Identify the next day’s priorities.Block off time in your calendar for important things and capture in your calendar what you do each day.Use a timer to create urgency and keep you laser focused.Morning routines are essential.Have strategies for ending your day.That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. As I record this, we have 17 ratings and 4 reviews. We seem stuck on those numbers so please help us move the needle! Increasing those numbers helps others find the show. I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers!Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

You make it what you want with Sean Olson Show Description:It would be a trope if there wasn’t so much truth to it – become an AP and spend countless hours “doing” discipline. It’s hard to support and grow your teachers if you are handling discipline all day. But what if we could change this narrative? Would if we could invest some front end time in order to spend less time doing discipline AND flip the script so the “doing “ discipline actually helped kids? Today’s guest is going to help us learn how to do just that! Today’s guest, Sean Olson, was born and raised in Southern New Jersey. He holds an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education (Mathematics) and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and Curriculum and Instruction. Sean is a husband, father, educator, coach and is always excited to learn and share new things. Currently, he’s the Assistant Principal at Cedar Creek High School in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, which is part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. Sean has been in education since February 2010. Key Quotes Sean· “You make it what you want – it’s about how you want to write your own story.”· “I want to understand where the problem is.”· “As a new AP, this wasn’t something I had to ask permission to do. I was just dining into data.”· “Now I feel like I can manage this goal because I’m looking at 2 ½% of the population.”· “It was important to clean up our own house before addressing problems that weren’t caused by us.”· “We wanted to get to the point where the punishment fitted the crime.”· “Ultimately you [the kid] are writing your own story and I can help you do that.” Frederick· “The real work happens afterwards.”· “Urgent leaders … deal with problems… taking the pause let’s us figure out the root problem.”· “Using the data is always a two-step process. Using quantitavie data we can see the connections and trends of what is happening. Gathering qualitative data we can understand the why behind the what.” Show Outro One thing we didn’t get to in our discussion was how to use data to identify other ways to get maximum gain with minimal pain. In addition to using your data to identify the students most in need of your support, you can use it to identify other variables related to discipline events. For example, maybe it is the boys’ restroom on the north hall at the beginning of 4th period, and by stationing someone outside the door, or talking with the three teachers who are releasing students to the bathroom, we can cut referrals. Alternatively, maybe it is one or two teachers, or a specific combination of students. Using the data is always a two-step process. Using quantitative data, we can see trends and connections in what is happening. Gathering qualitative data from teachers, students, and families, we can understand the why behind the what, and at that point we can move towards supporting our students instead of punishing them. I look forward to seeing you again on Friday when we recap the week’s daily emails. Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. Rating the show helps others find it, and if you want to be a superfan, consider leaving a review. Again, you’ll be helping others find the show and you’ll be making me smile. And maybe you will even find yourself getting a shoutout at the top of the episode. I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers! Sean Olson’s email: [email protected] Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to Caitlin and the whole team at EB Academics. Caitlin was kind enough to interview me on episode 243 of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast. Caitlin is a wonderful interviewer, and we had a powerful conversation about the four essentials:Your support networkHealthy morning routineTransition from workReflectionI’ll put a link to the show in the notes. Again, Caitlin, thanks for a wonderful discussion.Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of September 11-15, 2023. After several weeks of themed messages, I was back to my more usual pattern of diverse thoughts. Maybe this is a good time to provide a peek into my processes. When I began the daily email in April 2020, and through 2021, I wrote a daily message whenever it came to me. In 2022 I began writing a week at a time, which led to an increased number of themed weeks. As this school year kicks off I’ve booked time every Monday to do the following week’s emails so that we can be further ahead in case something happens and to give Mara more time to schedule things as her schedule has become more intense.These changes have led to more themed weeks as it is easier to write five messages around a central theme. It also makes for an easier podcast episode, but I do miss capturing an idea that I get during the week and expanding it into a meaningful leadership lesson and intention.Over the past two weeks I had multiple things stimulate thoughts and I was able to plan ahead and come up with this week’s random thoughts. The fun thing about doing it this way is that when I record the podcast, I challenge myself to find some central them or message and often times there is something unexpected which pops up.Okay, let’s roll through this week’s messages…Is there a central theme in these messages? Remember, I didn’t plan a theme this week, but what emerges as I write this script is the importance of beginning with ourselves.It may sound selfish at first, especially as much as I advocate that people are the purpose, but you cannot take care of others without taking care of yourself. This week you received five lessons about caring for yourself:When breakdowns occur, pause and reflect.Check your purpose as a first step to checking your school culture.As part of working hard, attend to your own revery – that’s where you will nurture greatness.Tap your creativity and avoid the prescriptive, rut inducing approach to leadership.Clean out the mental clutter which takes up space without serving you.Take care of yourself this weekend. Engage in recovery and feed your soul.That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. You can learn more about what I do on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. Rating the show helps others find it, and if you want to be a superfan, consider leaving a review. Again, you’ll be helping others find the show and you’ll be making me smile. And maybe you will even find yourself getting a shoutout at the top of the episode.I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers!Link to my interview on the Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teaching-middle-school-ela/id1458448897?i=1000626080589 Danny Bauer’s LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielevanbauer_fundamentals-education-blbs-activity-7100109406238830592-pGxN Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Assistant Principal Podcast Content Episode Outline Show title and release date: Presence Show Description:Ask 100 school leaders for their best piece of wisdom and the majority of respondents will likely tell you that it is all about relationships. That’s great, but how do you turn “its all about relationships” into a strategy you can execute every day? It is surprisingly simple, and if you are a regular listener, you may already know the answer. I’ll be sharing some experiences from my summer hiking trip and if you make it to the end you’ll hear three specific techniques for executing this simple strategy. Inset Show Intro Celebrations:A wonderful podcast with Efrain Martinez’s Wisdom and Productivity Podcast. Efrain asks some great questions, beginning with “Who are you?” which is one of those questions that is like an onion. The podcast episode isn’t out yet, but I’ll put a link to the YouTube broadcast in the show notes. The Big IdeaThe past week has been bumpy here at Strategic Leadership Consulting and I’ve had trouble choosing a topic for this week. I’m now recording this on Monday afternoon, which means I am way behind schedule, and so I have had to make a decision. I’m not sure if I made the best choice, but regardless of the timing this should be valuable. · Recap PW· Highlight that I keep sharing· Being fully present· Malham Cove· High Cup to Garrigil via Cross Fell, Great Dunn Fell, and Knock Fell, 20 miles, 3000 meters· The moors· Contentment· The power of presence:o See and hear what is thereo Appreciate the small beauties· When we can see and hear people… we can serve them· When we appreciate the small beauties… we can celebrate them· Without any other interventions, growing others, and celebrating the numerous wins we have every day, will have powerful positive impacts on teaching. Learning, and your building culture.· Simple, but hard· Practices to sustain presence:o Morning grounding and intentiono Asking the second questiono 5-minute coaching Show Outro Thank you for being present with me. You can learn more about walking your leadership journey with me at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ I look forward to seeing you again on Friday when we recap this week’s daily emails. Remember to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode. I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers! Wisdom and Productivity YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y717xIQNf0I Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

Hello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast!Today’s shout out goes to AJ Bianco, Vice Principal at East Brook Middle School in Hillsdale, NJ. AJ also was a contribute rot last week’s episode on veteran teachers. You may recall at the end of that show that I asked for some feedback and AJ kindly responded with these words:I just wanted to let you know that I DID think your episode from last week was GREAT! Not only did I appreciate hearing from others, I thought you did a wonderful job breaking down the information into buckets and explaining what needs to be done to help veteran teachers. Well done my friend! Keep up the great work, and I will be checking out todays episode later tonight.Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of September 4-8, 2023. Guest introCelebrationsMy storyPam’s storyLessonsThat is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. You can learn more about what I do on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. Rating the show helps others find it, and if you want to be a superfan, consider leaving a review. Again, you’ll be helping others find the show and you’ll be making me smile. And maybe you will even find yourself getting a shoutout at the top of the episode.I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers!Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

We assume that being an educational leader revolves around making deposits. What I mean is that we invest our time supporting and growing others. When we help others, we are, usually, making deposits. There will come a time however, when we need to make a withdrawal – when we need to have someone do something they don’t want to do or have a conversation they don’t want to have. This pattern of making deposits and withdrawals applies to our interactions with parents, students, teachers, and likely other leaders. I’m getting ahead of myself because the actual topic of today’s show is supporting teachers in their 3-5 years. However, the theme that will emerge, is about banking.Notable Quotes Lisa Parry:“There is a lot school leaders can do to sand the rough edges of life for students and teachers” “It’s really hard to make a fundamental change… its way easier to take something that is a habit and refine it.”Frederick:So many gold nuggets today; apply to AP’s work with teachers, but also to our own work; consider holding onto one these:1. Four career stages2. Incremental changes add up (e.g. 11-second pause)3. Deposits before withdrawals4. It’s not about us! + we fill in the blanks – usually wrongly and based on how we see the world.5. Working with teachers: blank to coloring book.Lisa Parry Links:Email: [email protected]: www.principalparry.comLinked In: www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-parry-pk-12leader/ Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840

TodHello Colleagues and welcome to another 5 for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast! Today’s shout out goes to the instructional coaches of Lexington 4 school district in Gaston, SC. Emily, Mary Beth, Kari, Katie, and Amanda, I appreciate you taking time to give me critical feedback on the virtual leadership courses we’ve been talking about and helping me understand micro-credentials. The great thing about education is how willing people are to share their time and expertise – Thank you! Today’s episode of Five for Friday recaps the strategic leadership emails for the week of August 28-Sept. 1, 2023. A horse story and the three options for change:Go backPress onAdjust course That is this week’s Five for Friday rendition of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. Thank you for including me on your leadership journey. If you’d like to walk more with me, I have a couple simple ways to do so:Invest $9 a month and about 20 minutes of your time to become a supporting member of our community. You’ll get early and unfettered access to our free courses, a discussion area, a library of past content, and the occasional webinar. You will also be helping me to continue investing both time and money in producing this podcast, writing the daily email, and producing free content.Finally, you can become a full member of our APEx community and join me for monthly group coaching and lots of other perks. You can get the details and links for all of these on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ I look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday for my discussion with Lisa Parry, a principal of a K-12 school in rural South Dakota. Lisa works with the state’s support program for teachers in years 3-5 and we discussed what APs could to help those teachers grow. Tune in on Tuesday for a great episode. Please remember to subscribe and rate this podcast. Rating the show helps others find it, and if you want to be a superfan, consider leaving a review. Again, you’ll be helping others find the show and you’ll be making me smile. And maybe you will even find yourself getting a shoutout at the top of the episode. I’m Frederick Buskey and thank you again for joining me on this episode of the Assistant Principal Podcast. Cheers! Frederick’s Links:Email: [email protected]: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/ff61713840