Dr. Nick Davies is an elementary 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. Nick has previously held roles as a high school associate principal/athletic director and was a high school math teacher and head track and field coach. He was a two-time state track and field coach of the year in Oregon. Nick also served as a reservist in the U.S. Coast Guard and currently serves on the Emerging Professionals Board at the Blanchet House, which supports people experiencing homelessness.Key Takeaways:Leadership FRAMEwork. F - Find Opportunities R - Relationships A - Align your values, goals, and passionsM - Master your craftE - Execute and take actionEveryone is in a different place and time and therefore we have to model our expectations as leaders. A great place to do this is in faculty meetings by being vulnerable and asking for feedback on what you are currently learning and working on to get better?The best way to build relationships is by adding value to other people's lives.Aligning your values, goals, and actions as an exercise is incredibly valuable.It's not about knowing all the answers, but instead knowing how to leverage people and positions to get to systems to get to the answers.Stay in Touch:LinkedInEmailSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Rachel Archambault, M.A. CCC-SLP is speech-language pathologist who specializes in trauma-informed care (TIC). Rachel found TIC after experiencing a traumatic event at work on 2/14/18. She was looking for ways to help her students who had just undergone trauma as well as herself. She realized that not only would this help for those specific students, but that TIC could be applied to any setting, any population, and with any age group. As an SLP, she offers a unique perspective to how trauma informed care falls under her professional scope of practice as well as for other healthcare professionals and educators.Key Takeaways:It takes a relationship t truly help heal someone.Even when they have the best intentions, leaders who make decisions unilaterally are not trusted or supported because of a lack of collaboration.Voice is easier to give an opportunity to than taking action on choice.Voice and choice build trust. Lack of either erode it due to negative thoughts.Active listening includes fostering the other person's ability to speak by not inserting your own story into theirs.Validating emotions is the easiest way to avoid causing harm. We should never say we understand.It’s important to ask the specific question of how can I make this a more safe environment for you.Language and actions make a large, often unseen difference in how much a person feels safe or as if they belong.You should always be asking "who am I harming with this decision".Don’t make your job career, or role your identity.Stay in Touch:Website with all social media linksSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book! Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Rachel Archambault, M.A. CCC-SLP is speech-language pathologist who specializes in trauma-informed care (TIC). Rachel found TIC after experiencing a traumatic event at work on 2/14/18. She was looking for ways to help her students who had just undergone trauma as well as herself. She realized that not only would this help for those specific students, but that TIC could be applied to any setting, any population, and with any age group. As an SLP, she offers a unique perspective to how trauma informed care falls under her professional scope of practice as well as for other healthcare professionals and educators.Key Takeaways:Trauma based practice should be something practiced before visible trauma occurs. It’s a mindset. The six pillars should be proactively practiced to reduce the impact of trauma when it occurs. It is much more effective when used to prepare rather than heal.The 6 Pillars of Trauma Informed PracticesSafetyTrustworthiness & TransparencyPeer Support & Mutual Self HelpCollaboration & MutualityEmpowerment & Voice and ChoiceCultural, Historical, and Gender IssuesSafety needs to be an ongoing, two way communication between teachers, staff, and admin to make sure that the individual needs of people are met. If someone does not feel safe, they are unable to learn or work.Transparency is what builds trust because it lends a feeling of control and minimizes the feeling that information is being withheld. The examples of unannounced fire drills and welcome back bands  show us how to keep from triggering unknown past trauma.We need to continuously balance the phrase "who would this harm if I acted in this way or didn’t share this information".Turbulence on an airline example shows how some outside organizations handle trauma inducing events.Traumatic experiences make peers rather than age, physician, or title.Be wary of the pitfalls of labeling Big “T” trauma and Little “t” traumaStay in Touch:Website for all social linksSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book! Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan is the founder of Dr. Karen, LLC, a company focused on empowering educators to support language, literacy, executive functioning, and cognitive wellness. She currently offers professional development focused on helping K-12 teams develop programs and services that support students in the areas of leadership, language, literacy, and executive functioning. Dr. Karen is a licensed SLP and has a doctorate in special education, a special education director license, and an assistive technology graduate certificate. She spent 14 years in the school systems before starting her online education company in 2015. She's currently the host of the De Facto Leaders podcast.Key Takeaways:It is important to step out of your current situation to think about where you want to be 5 years down the road because it is natural to change.There are cracks in everything, but the cracks shine the light in.People can't take the first step towards progress if they can't see the staircase.Sometimes people don't move not because they are unwilling, but because it's an issue of clarity.The most difficult tasks or projects can be overcome when they are chunked, broken down, an explained in small sections.The "automatic skills" versus "learned strategies" discussion we have is very powerful and circles back to the idea of seeing the whole staircase.You can take the person out of teaching, but not the teacher out of the person.People need to know the systems and the processes to get those smaller wins.Stay in Touch:LinkedInWebsiteSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Kelly Chase is a high school history teacher and middle leader. She is the creator of the History Detective Podcast and more recently the History Detective YouTube channel which is a classroom ready teaching resource that teachers can use in both their classroom and online learning environments. Kelly started her teaching journey as an English as a Second Language teacher in Japan and eventually made the switch to high school where she fell in love with teaching history. She has a passion for both First Nations Australian history and women’s history. Kelly is just about to release her first book "History, Her Story, Our Story: Inspirational Women Who Shaped Our World."Key Takeaways:Podcasts represent a "choose your own adventure" medium from which students are able to learn.Podcasts can offer a higher level of accessibility to a higher number of students.Podcasts are very useful in the classroom for students to create as well. However, if teachers want to create their own to use in the classroom it can be a lot of work.It's not just about teaching the perspective of underrepresented groups, but doing so in a fashion that it creates allies for those groups moving forward due to a new perspective.It's important to realize that there are different perspectives even within the same group and that needs to be highlighted.There's a lot of merit in sharing instructional practices and utilizing people in your building for professional development.You can't continually teach the same way year after year based on the diversity that you have in your class each year. You have to continually adjust and tweak the strategies you use.Stay in Touch:TwitterLinktr.eeYouTubeSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Mary Howard is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher and teaches 6th grade ELA and Science in Grand Island, New York.  She has found success using digital tools that not only make learning fun for her students, but encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and create a life-long passion for learning.  Whether the digital experience is related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics or promotes literacy, Mary believes passionately in the potential that technology has for reaching and engaging ALL learners. In pursuit of this passion, Mary has spent the past 15 years presenting at dozens of technology conferences including NYSCATE, STANYS and, ISTE among others.  She has become a globally recognized speaker on the topics of augmented reality and virtual reality and the Next Generation Science Standards and shares her strategies through her blog, yoursmarticles.com.  She has published numerous educational technology articles and has provided webinars on Virtual Environments, Virtual Reality, 3D Design, QR codes and digital engagement strategies.  Mary’s accolades include recognition as the 2018 International Society for Technology in Education’s Virtual Pioneer of the Year and 3 Silver Presidential Volunteer Service awards.  She was a New York State Teacher of the year finalist for 2018 and 2020 and is a New York State Master Teacher.  When Mary isn’t elbows deep in her technology initiatives, she is a mother of 3 boys and devotes her free time to refereeing youth hockey and volunteering within the hockey community.  She is an avid runner, Adirondack 46er and recently cycled across New York State on the Erie Canal. Mary is a newly published author with her new release, Artificial Intelligence to Streamline Your Teacher Life: The ChatGPT Guide for Educators.Key Takeaways:AI is a tool that will help give teachers more time, reduce burnout, and improve teaching.Technology is about amplifying teachers' ability to reach all students.Reluctance to integrate technology doesn't come from a place of fear rather a place of this is, "one more thing".The more we streamline teachers' everyday tasks, the more we can get them in front of students and spending more quality time facilitating student learning.ChatGPT still needs to be checked once the product is finished.We need to make sure we follow age and privacy concerns because ChatGPT is collecting data on the users.Education still has to focus on thinking rather than retrieval of information. This will help the integration of ChatGPT as a useful tool rather than a tool used to get good grades.The perfect classroom still has a teacher that is helping guide rich discussions through Socratic method and collaboration with AI helping streamline that in the background.Leaders need to celebrate every little success individuals have to continually build positivity.Stay Connected:Artificial Intelligence to Streamline Your Teacher Life: The ChatGPT Guide for EducatorsYour SmarticlesTwitterSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

I was lucky enough to be a guest on The Authority Podcast, also a member of the BE Podcast Network, hosted by Ross Romano. In this episode, we discussed my book, SEEing to Lead, published by Code Breaker, Inc.Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomanoSome of Ross' Key Takeaways:The problem with education traditions: “One of the biggest problems in education is tradition. One of the biggest traditions is top-down leadership,” says Danny Bauer.SEE = Support, Engage, EmpowerHow Chris realized teachers can’t support, engage and empower students if they’re not feeling their leadership doing the same for them.You don’t become a leader and then realize you need to support others first. You become a leader because you’ve realized this.Empowering vs. EnablingStay in Touch:Subscribe to The Authority to get more deep-dive interviews with education authors. It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit https://bepodcast.network to learn more about the Be Podcast Network for educators.SEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book! Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Laurie Guyon is the Coordinator of Model Schools at Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).  Her role focuses on professional learning around technology integration for over 31 school districts across five counties.  Laurie is the Capital Region Director and a trainer for New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education (NYSCATE). Laurie is also the author of the book SMILE Learning: Leveraging the Power of Educational Technology. Key Takeaways: Educational technology should be used as a tool to open up more doors if it's integrated into the classroom properly. We need to recognize and pay attention to those who are successfully implementing new ideas, just not in a loud manner. We need to inspire with guard rails to make sure people enjoy responsible, appropriate things. The smile framework lays out what technology integration looks like in practice. S = Shine It's about seeing where people may not be their best and buffing out those rough patches. This comes from a poem called "The Star Polisher" M = Motivate  We need to motivate students in our classrooms by taking an approach that works for them rather than one that works for us.  I = Inspire If we are going to inspire students we need to have them using both the technology they have at home and school. We need to  how to use technology appropriately and the opportunities that lay in the career field potential. L = Learn Learning is very important in all subjects not because there's a specific use for it in the near future, but you never know when new knowledge will come into play to help you. E = Elephant  It's not always about overcoming what we see as obstacles, but sometimes learning to live in harmony and adjusting to them. The elephants and bees story from Africa. The Canterbury Tales example. It's important for us to learn alongside our students with new technologies as they emerge. Stay Connected: SMILE Learning: Leveraging the Power of Educational Technology Twitter SEEing to Lead Extras! Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJones Have you taken the time to order and read my latest book! Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position! Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact." Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it! Subscribe to My Newsletter! We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here! Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation! Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Allyson Apsey has been an educator for more than twenty-four years; a school leader for nineteen of those years. She is passionate about having a serendipity mindset, looking for the beautiful lessons that every experience holds. She tries to be transparent, vulnerable and supportive, and she doesn't ask questions unless she wants the answers. Despite the fact that she never wanted to set foot in a school again after high school graduation, there is nowhere else she'd rather spend her days than in classrooms. In fact, she doesn’t even have a chair at her desk because she is moving around the school all day long. The challenges and delights of being a principal fill her days with joy. She enjoys nothing more than helping others be the very best they can be. Recognizing the significant impact trauma has had on many of our students, staff and families, Allyson is a Certified Trauma Practitioner in Education. The supports that students affected by trauma need are beneficial to all students because they are grounded in a foundational core of strong, positive relationships based on trust. Allyson is the author of a blog called Serendipity in Education (allysonapsey.com) has written five books: a middle grades chapter book called The Serendipity Journal, a picture book called The Princes of Serendip, and two professional learning books for educators called The Path to Serendipity and Through the Lens of Serendipity. Her most recent book, Leading the Whole Teacher, is an Amazon best-seller. She loves speaking to passionate groups as they work to be happy and effective people for the benefit of themselves and everyone around them. She is married to Jim, that man she met at the Orbit Room dance club all those years ago, and she has two amazing sons with him, Lain and Tyson. Key Takeaways: You do not have to deny there are hardships present to have a positive mindset that helps you move forward in a joyous manner filled with hope. Self awareness is about realizing the power that we have through our mindset to get what we need to make the changes around us for an improved situation. We are not responsible for what is. We are responsible for taking action based on what is. Teachers need to focus on taking care of the students because if they don't no one else will. Leaders need to focus on taking care of teachers because if they don't no one else will. The 6 pillars of Leading the Whole Teacher. Leaders need to make sure they're taking care of themselves. Stay in Contact: Leading the Whole Teacher Twitter Website SEEing to Lead Extras! Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJones Have you taken the time to order and read my latest book! Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position! Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact." Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it! Subscribe to My Newsletter! We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here! Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation! Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Victor Nixon is originally from South Carolina, but calls Texas home. He graduated with a BA in Psychology from The Citadel (Military College of South Carolina). He earned a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. Victor also earned a MA in Counseling from Amberton University. He earned an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University. Vic has over 20 years of public school experience in Texas. He was a behavior adjustment teacher in the elementary level before becoming an administrator. He has experience as an Assistant Principal at both the elementary and secondary levels. He is currently an Assistant Principal of attendance for North Mesquite High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Vic is a veteran and was in the Army for six years earning the rank of Captain. Vic is happily married (for 33 years) to a second grade teacher and he has a daughter who teaches fourth grade writing. Vic also has a son who works in logistics. He is an avid football fan and follows the New England Patriots. He has presented and taught at the campus and state levels. His most recent presentation reviewed differentiated instruction. Vic also has an article published addressing successful school leader traits. Key Takeaways: Have a word set up to keep students engaged and help them feel as If they belong. You can't give awards to everyone or else they lose their meaning. Stickers, pizza, and lollipops. Oftentimes adults don't try things because they are uncomfortable with them, not the students. Small extrinsic incentives are not about the award, but instead about the intrinsic feeling of being valued and admiration from the teacher. Leaders need to give specific feedback to students after observing a class to make them feel more of a sense of belonging or encouragement. You need to go out of our way to include student and teacher voice and choice. Leaders need to increase engagement by setting the example and ensuring there is follow through on what they are asking for. Make sure you are leading by listening and delegating. Stay in Touch: Twitter SEEing to Lead Extras! Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJones Have you taken the time to order and read my latest book! Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position! Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact." Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it! Subscribe to My Newsletter! We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here! Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation! Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jethro Jones, is a national award-winning former school leader, podcaster, and author of the books How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for the people right in front of them! He is also founder of the BE Podcast Network, the best educational podcast network out there. Jethro currently consults school leaders on strategies to help them save time, lead more effectively, and overcome their own weaknesses. Jethro has worked as a principal at all K-12 levels, including a prison school, a district coach, distance learning team lead, and English teacher. Key Takeaways: People don't always know when they're ready to move up so they need to find a way to discover their true ability and readiness Showing up in leadership means showing up as yourself but also allowing others to show up as themselves. We need to make sure we learn how to not only lead down, but also lead up and lead around. Self awareness is the bridge between showing up and leveling up. Hope is the bridge between leading up and showing up The bridge between leading up and leveling up is mindset. High hope in people has a greater impact towards positive outcomes than low hope has a negative on high hope. We often try to oversimplify things and make them too basic to arrive at a clear answer in education. Ryan Gottfredson's Four Mindsets Fixed versus growth Closed versus open Inward versus outward Prevention versus promotion We learn by taking academic risks. We have to test things to see if they works and adjust. Safety shouldn't be a goal, but instead a baseline. Stay In Touch: Leadership Inventory Move Up Registration BE Podcast Network Jethro's Website SEEing to Lead Extras! Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJones   Have you taken the time to order and read my latest book! Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position! Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact." Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it! Subscribe to My Newsletter! We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here! Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation! Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

As a chronically late student, Danny Bauer once told his Chemistry teacher a fib about saving an entire girl scout troop from a burning building to get out of a tardy.Danny is not sure if it was the very made up story, the very real cookie he offered his teacher, or a combination of both that got him out of a detention that day …That experience taught him it pays to develop your storytelling skills.Danny has been telling stories since then, most recently on the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast, ranked in the TOP 0.5% of 3 million global podcasts, and via his latest book, Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader, co-published by Corwin and the National School Superintendents Association (AASA).His mission is “to connect, grow, and mentor every school leader who wants to level up.”Key Takeaways:Work with other people help you define your superpower because they typically offer perspectives about you that you don't have.Danny's live event is like none other.Recovery and recuperation is an essential part of being an effective leader.Danny's Ruckus Maker Mindset ToolStart small to make larger gains on what you are doing.What works for some doesn't for all because nobody can tell you exactly what you need to do to improve your personal situationDanny's eliminate your email toolTo be successful, you need to be focused and clear on what impact you want to have on the worldDanny's 3 rules for staying focused on what you want to do in life and being more productive.If it isn't a hell yes it's a hell no.It's the most important thing to honor health and relationships over everything elseOnly those who have a bias for action are able to make real change.We need to ask propelling questions if we are going to figure out the larger issues.Stay in Contact and MORE!:Facebook Live Denver Event!LinkedInSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and  read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact." Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Jen Schwanke, Ed.D., is a longtime educator, teaching and leading at all levels. She is the author of three ASCD books, including the just-released, The Teacher's Principal: How School Leaders Can Support and Motivate Their Teachers. She has written and presented for multiple state and local education organizations, and has provided professional development to various districts in the areas of school climate, personnel, and instructional leadership. She is an instructor in educational administration at Miami University of Ohio. Dr. Schwanke currently serves as a Deputy Superintendent in Ohio.Key Takeaways:Effective leadership is at the center of a Venn Diagram between courage and responsiveness.Leadership is something you get better at over time and through experience, but there is an innate component that some people have causing them to initially step forward.Organizations require a variety of leadership styles if they are going to work well.Leaders need to be open, honest, and clear about expectations  so that people can be comfortable and the best version of themselves.All leaders need to learn how to be good followers and aspiring leaders need to make sure they find someone to follow and learn from to be their most effective selves.Stepping up into a leadership position is about finding where your skills and talents match a need.People will not be interested in leading unless they find value in it. It's not about competence, but instead confidence.We would never step into positions of greater responsibility and accountability if we waited until we were ready. You should step in before you're ready because the fact that you're wondering if you can means that you are. The only reason you pause is because you aren't sure of yourself and need a little boost of confidence.Teaching viewed as a tree analogy when looking to support teachers.We need to focus on what people bring as strength rather than their weaknesses so that we understand their value to the overall team.Don't be a hammer looking for nails.Stay in TouchTwitter WebsiteSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and  read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Crystal Frommert, M.Ed, has over 20 years’ experience as an educator in middle and high school. Crystal has taught math, computer science, and social justice in public, parochial, and international schools. Beyond teaching, she has served as an instructional coach, school board member, adjunct college instructor, technology coordinator, and assistant head of middle school. She has presented at local, national, and international educational conferences on topics ranging from social and emotional learning to technology integration. She currently teaches middle school math in Houston, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and fluffy dog.Key Takeaways:Students spend most of their time from an early age with their families. The more we can Involve parents the better we can understand our students as individuals.Leaders need to know what style of communication works best for teachers by listening to teachers and being present and then helping by coaching.It's critical for leaders to show with their personality and their words that they are open for people to come to them without being judged.Leaders need to ask what it is you need from me?Email should be used to facilitate phone or face-to-face conversations.We should never be giving parenting advice because we do not know people's situations.Leaders need to model staying curious and being non judgmental by asking questions and digging deeper into what appears to be occurring.We need to communicate if we are going to offer each other grace and understanding.The ability to have difficult conversations needs to be taught in teacher preparation programs.Stay in Touch:About MeTwitterSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and  read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

I share some of the insights from my book around how to better support those we serve. The second part of this double episode covers the areas of:Modeling PathwaysBuilding a BridgeGiving Feedback on ProgressThanks for taking the time to listen!SEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

I share some of the insights from my book around how to better support those we serve. The first part of this double episode covers the areas of:Strategies for Building TrustCoaching Instead of MentoringCommunicationThanks for taking the time to listen!SEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and  read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Lindsay Lyons is an educational justice coach who helps schools and districts co-create feminist, antiracist curricula that challenges, affirms, and inspires all students. A former NYC public school teacher, she holds a PhD in Leadership and Change, and is the founder of the blog and podcast, Time for Teachership. She believes the secret sauce of educational equity is student voice.Key Takeaways:Inaction for just causes harmful.We need to go from being the sage on the stage to making content relevant to unlock students natural curiosity and passion for learning.Learning in schools needs to move away from just being performance based (grades).We want students to be able to take their learning outside of the classroom.If we want to move education towards understanding and meaningfulness, there needs to be a stronger and ongoing connection with parents.Teaching action through choices allows us to move forward without worrying about being perfect.Use Glaser's BASE model to facilitate conversations.Take your time with difficult topics to make sure you can speak to them properly.Stay in Touch:Bonus MaterialTwitterWebsiteSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and  read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Dr. Erik Youngman is an education leader who is passionate about topics such as homework, growth mindset, grading, and leadership.  Published books he has written include, "The Magic of Growth Mindset," and "12 Characteristics of Deliberate Homework," as well as a chapter for, "100 No-Nonsense Things That All Teachers Should Stop Doing." Erik has also written numerous blogs about growth mindset and grading.This is his twenty-second year in educational leadership.  Erik is the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning for Libertyville District 70 in Libertyville, Illinois.  Previous education experiences include being a principal in Libertyville as well as an assistant principal and teacher in Gurnee, Illinois. Erik earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Education Specialist Degree, and Master of Science in Education from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts from Augustana College.  You can learn more or contact Erik via his website ErikYoungman.com  or via Twitter: @Erik_Youngman.Key Takeaways:Having a growth mindset is about being able to control your own future.Embracing uncertainty is about figuring out how to ask questions and the why of what you're doing.Growth mindset is about embracing the process instead of relying on the outcome.We have to take risks to get the best answer.Chat GPT is going to make us rethink how we not only assign homework, but also assessments.Two very important questions we should be asking ourselves. How did what I learned today apply to life? How would I take this further if I had more time?We need to ask how we can help students use modern tools better instead of blocking them. We also need to be curious about how we can leverage the power of these tools.Stay in Touch:TwitterWebsite12 Characteristics of Deliberate Homework...and more!SEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and  read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

As a Digital Learning Coach in Walpole, Massachusetts, Jed Stefanowicz provides job-embedded professional development and instructional coaching for academic technology. Through conferences, workshops, and coaching, Jed aims to engage and build staff/student digital learning capacity, keeping the focus on practice over product. As a 25 year elementary educator, speaker, blogger, and former Massachusetts Teach Plus Policy Fellow, Jed shares his passion for effective tech integration to transform teaching and learning, creating engaging and equitable digital learning environments and experiences that activate, innovate, and motivate digital learning. He is the author of  Take AIM at Digital Learning: Activate, Innovate, Motivate and  Impact to Influence. Check out his blog at [email protected] Takeaways:We need to recreate the structures to teach rather than just expecting it to happen.Leaders are facing a blank slate as they work to stretch people past their comfort zone because people have been out of their comfort zone for the last two years.Learning something on YouTube is going to teach you how to do it, but not understand how to apply it.We need to find ways to create and support teacher agency.It's essential to be aware of circumstances, surroundings, and how to apply the requisite skills to excel in a situation. Moving people from motivation to commitment is the only way to make progress forward. Education at any level has to go beyond a transactional experience by starting with what people are passionate about. You can't be a coach and equipment manager at the same time. You have to respect where people are to engage them in growth.Leadership isn't about implementing an agenda, but instead finding what the goals of those you serve are and then helping them achieve them.Stick to the A,B,Cs = Always Build CapacityIt's about process/project not product.Stay in Touch:Twitter Take AIM at Digital Learning: Activate, Innovate, Motivate Impact to InfluenceBlogHave you taken the time to order and read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Bryon Carpenter is an online and blended learning teacher in Abbotsford BC Canada. Bryon just entered his 15th year of teaching. Being your former research scientist, Bryon teaches chemistry and math online, and digital literacy and media design with students in his building two days a week. Bryon served as a helping teacher for technology in his district which really enhanced his game in leadership and digital tools. Bryon is the host of the FreshAirAtFive podcast. He is a husband and the proud dad of 3.  Bryon has been an elder in his church community for a number of years and department head leader in his school. He’s creative and a problem solver.  Bryon has been a leader since his high school youth group days. Bryon is a man of hobbies. He is a fly fisherman, outdoor enthusiast, enjoys food, and traveling locally. In case you couldn’t guess, Bryon is rarely bored.Key Takeaways:Be sure to share your journey with others.We need to have a desire to be excellent at the outset. We need to strive for excellence instead of perfectionism.Reflection needs to occur as close to the original event as possible for it to be as meaningful as possible.The only way to improve is to know yourself.Empathy is working to understand people where they are and helping them improve instead of sympathy, which is feeling sorry for them.Remember to offer people grace.We need to pay attention to and utilize the various levels of compliance.Stay in Touch:Twitter: @bryoncar and @freshairatfive WebsiteYouTubeSEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and  read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Bob Silveira is currently the principal of Joseph Case Junior High School. He has been there for 13 years and this caps off almost a 30 year career in education. He was named the 2014 Massachusetts Principal of the Year and I personally and this is one of the reasons I’m excited to talk to Bob today because he’s first of all a fantastic leader, but I’ve personally presented a couple of times with him at Ignite presentations at a state conference. One of the things I really need to mention about Bob is that he’s currently the Principal at Joseph Case Junior High School, which is the first ever nationally awarded junior high school for the Special Olympics. That just goes to show how Bob focuses on relationships, inclusion, and giving everyone a sense of belonging in his organization.Key Takeaways:There's no better way to share what you love than to teach.It's important for us to create a memorable learning experience that students can bring outside of the classroom.We need to model the environment we ask our teachers to create.If people are engaged and having fun, they will attend to the important things.We say it, but we need to act on and understand that relationships are the most important thing in education.When you have good relationships and build trust, you can have honest conversations about how to improve.There is a difference for students between liking and respecting teachers.Meetings are secondary to what is going on in the classroom.Stay in Touch:Twitter SEEing to Lead Extras!Like the content, want to be a guest, or know someone who would? Reach out to me on Twitter at @DrCSJonesHave you taken the time to order and  read my latest book!Seeing to Lead is filled with practical resources and personal stories to help you support, engage, and empower those you lead no matter your position!Jimmy Casas said, "If you are a leader who is looking to support, engage and empower your staff, then SEEing to Lead, by Dr. Chris Jones, is a book you will want to pick up and read. Dr. Jones reminds us that building capacity and helping others achieve personal success is the key to elevating your organization and leaving a lasting impact."Get your copy here! Don't forget to leave a rating and review for others. I would appreciate it!Subscribe to My Newsletter!We are all busy, often unsupported, and struggle to stay engaged! Here is a weekly resource that has something to support, engage, and empower you. Not to mention it saves you time by getting to the point! Increase your focus and become a better leader; no matter your position. Check it out here!Get in touch to schedule me for a workshop or presentation!Don't forget to hit the subscribe button on this podcast and leave a rating so others can benefit! We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Rae Hughart is a Middle Level Math Educator in Illinois, creator of the Teach Further Model, Instructional Assistant Professor at Illinois State University, and the Director of Training & Development for the Teach Better Team. Rae continues to facilitate rich discussions with educators around mastering personalized learning, providing targeted student-focused feedback, and the impact of incorporating purpose into student daily learning. Through building partnerships with local businesses, Rae continues to support educators in designing dynamic, impactful, effective, and connected content - showing the impact of teaching beyond the four walls of a classroom and altering a community into an authentic resource for developing leaders.After being inducted into the Illinois State University Hall of Fame in 2017, Rae was awarded the 2018 First Place Henry Ford Teacher Innovator Award for her innovative educational impact through the Teach Further Model. Additionally, Rae serves on several Educational Boards including the Association of Illinois Middle Schools (AIMS).Key Takeaways:You always need to immerse your students in the why of the content before actually teaching them a content.The teach forward model allows teachers to create themed internships for students.Leaders can help teachers transition to focusing on the why instead of content by helping them network, getting the community into the school, allowing teachers the time and space to turn their lessons around and put the purpose first  and facilitating community contacts.There must be a clear connection between all the parts of the whole so that's systematic scalable routines are created.There are small specific strategies that can be employed for teachers to gain respect and all of the other things they deserve.Generic and organic conversations are excellent opportunities to create, explore, and cultivate new habits that improve us as people.Stay in Touch:TwitterWebsiteRemember:Don't forget to subscribe to the show, rate it, and share with others! Stay in touch with Chris Jones on Twitter or check out his YouTube channel We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Alex Isaacs is an 8th-grade math teacher at Red Bank Middle School with seven years of full-time teaching experience. He is passionate about providing engaging content for students and teachers and specializes in multiple edtech platforms/tools. He believes in forming strong connections with his diverse learners first to foster a caring classroom community where students feel safe to be themselves.Key Takeaways:We need to remember and take what we didn’t like as students and do better for our students.All students need to know they have a place where they know they are cared for and heard.Administrators need to “keep it real” for those they lead.Specific recognition and appreciation helps teachers stay motivated.There are times that encouragement works much better than exerting control when offering new tools or initiatives.EdTech needs to follow three rules and be something well received by both teachers and staff if it is to take hold. Not too difficultA platform that offers professional developmentSomething that gives resources teachers can immediately useEdTech tools can help personalize learning and communication with the diverse families and students we find in our classrooms and schools.Leaders need to build time into schedules, offer ongoing learning and exploration of tools, and provide certifications to incentivize participation if they want teachers and students to effectively implement new tools.We need to focus on creating caring classroom communities.Stay in Touch:Twitter: @mr_isaacs_mathWakelet: https://t.co/d8Id3aDvvC We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Dr. Carla Leejay is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana. She is a two-time graduate of Capella University where she obtained her Doctor of Education degree with the emphasis of Educational Leadership and Management in March of 2016 as well as an MBA. In addition, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Dillard University (HBCU), a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. She currently works at UNT in Denton, TX as an Adjunct Professor in the Educational Psychology Department and is a Curriculum and Instruction Director for a local charter district Dr. Leejay also works as a Real Estate Agent for eXp Realty, LLC. Carla is a member of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Incorporated as well as the Order of the Eastern Star. She serves as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, Girls Scouts of Texas, and a Deputy Voter’s Registrar for Denton County. Dr. Leejay is the author of Creating a Training Manual for Technology Integration in the Secondary Classroom. She has also authored, Unicorns, Affirmations, and Writing Coloring Book for ages 4-10. Lastly, Carla is the CEO of two businesses: Above All Publishing, LLC as well as Keys in Hand Realty Group, LLC. Dr. Leejay is a woman of many talents. She currently resides in Lewisville, TX with her two daughters, Chloe and Janiah.Key Takeaways:Connections are everything. Making sure you are in the right circles with people will open the doors of opportunity for you.It's important to mentor students and let them know someone is in their corner supporting them.You work as hard as the person you work for works for you.We need to focus on the idea that culture matters more now than ever.You can feel the climate of any building as soon as you walk in.Leaders have to guide the self care piece.We need to remember what it was like to be a teacher. Educators are there to entertain and teach students by making it fun. We need to stop being fearful of using and integrating new technology into our curriculum. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Bo Ryan is principal of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts Middle School in Hartford, CT. Ryan also served as a Principal for Woodside Intermediate School in Cromwell, CT. He is passionate about building and sustaining professional learning communities; and led both schools to Model PLC status. Ryan has been an educator for 27 years with a background as a teacher, coach, director, adjunct professor, and administrator. His first job was as a graduate assistant football coach for Syracuse University where he was a full time football coach and graduate student. He was a part of 2 bowl victories and 1 Big East Championship with the team. His teaching career began at JC Clark Elementary in the city of Hartford. In the school, Ryan created various before school and after school programs for students in the neighborhood. His daily morning gym program was open for all students an hour before school and served hundreds of students on a daily basis. Also at JC Clark, he started a basketball team in the school to help the students most at-need. The season was from October to May. Ryan also coached football, basketball, and served as director of the National Youth Sports Program at the local college during the summer. In addition, Ryan taught a graduate class at St. Joseph’s College for 4 years on using PLCs as the system for creating interventions.Ryan is a board member for the Connecticut Association of Schools Student Services Team. As a teacher, he was named both educator and teacher of the year. As a director, he led his camp, NYSP, to national recognition. As a coach, he coached and supported athletes at both the collegiate and high school levels. At Woodside Intermediate School, they also were named a model SRBI and PBIS sight and welcomed visitors from all over. The school also served as a Professional Development School with Central Connecticut State University with college students, staff, and interns in the building at all times. A partnership was also created with Wesleyan University athletic department as athletes visited the school during recess and other times to support students. During his time at Woodside, Ryan presented on Professional Learning Communities to educators in CT and Massachusetts, presented on reading instruction to the CT Reading Association, and presented on RTI or SRBI in CT. Ryan helped open at brand new school in Hartford in a renovated factory. During his time, the school was selected a model professional learning community just 4 years after it opened. They were also selected a Solution Tree Success Story and featured on their website. As an educator, Ryan believes in relationship building with students and connecting with the community, as evident in 25 years of home visits. Ryan is currently a Solution Tree associate and certified PLC, RTI, and priority school presenter. He has presented across the United States on creating and sustaining PLCs in schools with the focus on the team.Bo earned undergraduate degrees from Western Connecticut State University, a master’s degree from Syracuse University, and his sixth-year degree from Southern Connecticut State University.Key Takeaways:If you want to create a culture of collaboration you have to be creative in finding time to support it.You have to create templates for teachers to use if you are to maximize the time and coach them up.If you are to track the success of kids you need to break learning up into periods of time that provide data.Good instruction starts with collaborative teams.One of his chapters lines out the whole system for improved teaching and learning.You need to create systems when you don't have certified personnel that are needed.Tight loose leadership allows teachers to place the students where they're needed in a way that teachers can reach them.Reading is essential for students to improve academically.Make sure you hire people that have a high commitment to students and being good teammates regardless of years of experience. CREC calls them Associate Instructors.It’s hard to create interventions when you aren’t teaching skills for success and focusing on grades.Everything needs to be based on mastery of the standard.Its’ critical to constantly be a learner, believe in your teachers, and continually improve.Stay Connected:Book: Brilliance in the Building We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Bo Ryan is principal of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts Middle School in Hartford, CT. Ryan also served as a Principal for Woodside Intermediate School in Cromwell, CT. He is passionate about building and sustaining professional learning communities; and led both schools to Model PLC status. Ryan has been an educator for 27 years with a background as a teacher, coach, director, adjunct professor, and administrator. His first job was as a graduate assistant football coach for Syracuse University where he was a full time football coach and graduate student. He was a part of 2 bowl victories and 1 Big East Championship with the team. His teaching career began at JC Clark Elementary in the city of Hartford. In the school, Ryan created various before school and after school programs for students in the neighborhood. His daily morning gym program was open for all students an hour before school and served hundreds of students on a daily basis. Also at JC Clark, he started a basketball team in the school to help the students most at-need. The season was from October to May. Ryan also coached football, basketball, and served as director of the National Youth Sports Program at the local college during the summer. In addition, Ryan taught a graduate class at St. Joseph’s College for 4 years on using PLCs as the system for creating interventions.Ryan is a board member for the Connecticut Association of Schools Student Services Team. As a teacher, he was named both educator and teacher of the year. As a director, he led his camp, NYSP, to national recognition. As a coach, he coached and supported athletes at both the collegiate and high school levels. At Woodside Intermediate School, they also were named a model SRBI and PBIS sight and welcomed visitors from all over. The school also served as a Professional Development School with Central Connecticut State University with college students, staff, and interns in the building at all times. A partnership was also created with Wesleyan University athletic department as athletes visited the school during recess and other times to support students. During his time at Woodside, Ryan presented on Professional Learning Communities to educators in CT and Massachusetts, presented on reading instruction to the CT Reading Association, and presented on RTI or SRBI in CT. Ryan helped open at brand new school in Hartford in a renovated factory. During his time, the school was selected a model professional learning community just 4 years after it opened. They were also selected a Solution Tree Success Story and featured on their website. As an educator, Ryan believes in relationship building with students and connecting with the community, as evident in 25 years of home visits. Ryan is currently a Solution Tree associate and certified PLC, RTI, and priority school presenter. He has presented across the United States on creating and sustaining PLCs in schools with the focus on the team.Bo earned undergraduate degrees from Western Connecticut State University, a master’s degree from Syracuse University, and his sixth-year degree from Southern Connecticut State University.Key Takeaways:It's important to recognize where we have benefited and give back.Educators have to realize that the student experience isn't always the same as their own personal experience when they were in school.We improve ourselves and make the culture better by realizing and utilizing the importance of teams.Team meetings have to be guided by a process and coached by a leader first if they are going to be effective.Tight loose leadership is key if you are to have effective PLCs in your building.It's important to focus on solutions rather than continue to highlight problems.Implement systems that change mindsets. PLC work has to be research based.Stay Connected:Book: Brilliance in the Building We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Dr. Jones, host of the SEEing to Lead podcast and author of SEEing to Lead, was a guest on the This is Leadership podcast.Join us as we discsuss all things leadership and go over my recent book, SEEing to Lead. Here are three ways you can increase your impact and continue to improve as a leader!Pick up your copy of the 5 star rated  SEEing to Lead: Support, Engage, Empower today! Bulk orders are available at seeingtolead.com. Subscribe to the SEEing to Lead podcast for weekly interviews with teachers, leaders, and students wherever you listen!Get a the weekly SEEing to Lead newsletter delivered right to your inbox with all kinds of resources to support, engage, and empower you!Don't forget to subscribe to This is Leadership and share the episodes.  We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Rick Butterworth is a co-founder & leads engineering and operations at Wakelet. He studied aviation technology at Salford University, obtained his private pilot’s license, and worked as an airport consultant, before joining Wakelet. His interests include UX, product, coding, and Web3.   Tisha Poncio, M.S. Learning Technologies/Instructional Design, has served in education for the last 21 years. She has led students in the classroom teaching English, Web Design, Graphic Design, Business Computers, Programming, and Broadcast Journalism and coached educators and administrators as a digital learning specialist for 12 years. She is a Google Certified Trainer and was named a finalist in 2018 for Instructional Technology Specialist of the Year in Texas. She has presented at numerous educational technology conferences across the nation and in her home state of Texas speaking about student leadership, student autonomy, digital citizenship for all ages, and meaningful technology integration. She currently serves as Wakelet's Digital Learning Specialist.Key Takeaways:Wakelet works for hiring because it works as a CV as well. You can organize candidates into a Wakelet collection.Ideas for use continue to come as you play with the tool.Wakelet can be used for note taking on books for future use or creating your own story.It is a great tool for self reflection and goal setting to show growth.The best way to empower teachers for this or any other tool is by modeling it's use first.Wakelet can be used for districts so that it includes analytics.Wakelet can be a tool to empower students to use technology for good. They are already curating. Let them use Wakelet to do it in a positive way that benefits their education.We now need to listen to students and let them lead the way to advance in technology.Why do we only bring schools together to compete instead of learn? We are all learning the same thing, we should be learning it together.Embrace the evolution of your path.We have to be careful to not be too quick to put our opinion into situations without fully understanding them.If we are going to keep learning we should never be afraid to admit when we change our philosophies.Stay in Touch:Rick: https://twitter.com/r1ck11  https://wakelet.com/@rick  https://www.tiktok.com/@rick.wakelet   Tisha:  https://wakelet.com/@tishaponcio https://twitter.com/TxTechChick https://instagram.com/tishaponcio https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishaponcio/ https://www.tiktok.com/@tishaponcio We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Rick Butterworth is a co-founder & leads engineering and operations at Wakelet. He studied aviation technology at Salford University, obtained his private pilot’s license, and worked as an airport consultant, before joining Wakelet. His interests include UX, product, coding, and Web3.Tisha Poncio, M.S. Learning Technologies/Instructional Design, has served in education for the last 21 years. She has led students in the classroom teaching English, Web Design, Graphic Design, Business Computers, Programming, and Broadcast Journalism and coached educators and administrators as a digital learning specialist for 12 years. She is a Google Certified Trainer and was named a finalist in 2018 for Instructional Technology Specialist of the Year in Texas. She has presented at numerous educational technology conferences across the nation and in her home state of Texas speaking about student leadership, student autonomy, digital citizenship for all ages, and meaningful technology integration. She currently serves as Wakelet's Digital Learning Specialist.Key Takeaways:Weekly open to up a new wave of engagement and empowerment in the classroom among both teachers and students.The ease of wakelet's use helps people address how students learn best and empower them to be autonomous.Wakelet is much more than just a curation tool.  It's an edtech party boss.  It makes time more efficient, has templates, and helps you create a flow with links from various resources experienced.Wakelet creates a system of information for its users in a simple and convenient manner. It becomes a hub for all information.Wakelet helps differentiate levels of support for teachers by creating an efficient system that is easy to use. It is about less clicks and a design that acts as a benefit rather than an add on to the already overwhelming amount of responsibility.There are templates and a ton of resources and ideas on youtube.Wakelet helps change pedagogy because it opens new ways to create and document progress.It helps students become leaders of their own education.If you’re not making someone’s life better than you’re wasting your time.Stay in Touch:Rick: https://twitter.com/r1ck11  https://wakelet.com/@rick  https://www.tiktok.com/@rick.wakelet   Tisha:  https://wakelet.com/@tishaponcio https://twitter.com/TxTechChick https://instagram.com/tishaponcio https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishaponcio/ https://www.tiktok.com/@tishaponcio We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Sarah ReganKey Takeaways:Confidence comes from opportunity.Personalizing instruction makes all the difference when supporting students.Connecting material to a student in an authentic way creates better understanding.Eyes on is more about attention than respect in the classroom.Empowerment comes from recognizing the small successes students have.There needs to be more fun brought into the high school experience.The focus needs to be on understanding more than memorization.Hard work should be expected but rewarded once it's complete.Attending extracurricular activities helps teachers see students in a new light as well as students seeing teachers in a new light and builds stronger relationships. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Matthew Woods has served in various roles within K-12 education. His professional experience includes being a high school social studies teacher, middle and high school assistant principal, middle school principal, and director of student support services. In addition to his K-12 work, Matthew has also served as an adjunct professor and field instructor at the collegiate level for student-teachers. Aside from this work, Matthew hosts a K-12 podcast, Leading Out the Woods, and is the author of the children’s book series, I Wanna Be… , starring his one year old son imagining different occupations he would like to grow up to be. Matthew is currently working on his leadership book, The Sandbox Mentality: Empowering Leadership. For more information regarding Matthew’s professional and educational experience, please visit his LinkedIn page.Key Takeaways:You need to take advantage of every opportunity you can to give back to the community that gave to you.Sometimes we have to just step back to realize how blessed we are.Critical thinking is essential if people are to continuously improve.Create spaces that are safe for people to think critically or practice skills.Effective leaders don't ask people what to do, but instead provide them strategies on how to do it.You have to be proactive instead of reactive.  If you are constantly reacting you are going to fail. Put out the match before it becomes a forest fire.Empowerment is about getting people comfortable to push the boundaries on their current situation.Sometimes when people tell you to take a step back they're saving you from falling down.The 4 principles of the sandbox mentality.Autonomy and empowerment must align with core beliefs.Stay In Touch:TwitterWebsite We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Victor "Coach" Hicks is the founder of the Coding with Culture brand.  He has six years experience teaching Computer Science and Technology and over 20 years experience teaching and coaching in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois and current residence, Atlanta, Georgia!Victor is passionate about closing the digital divide among students of color, more specifically, Black Students. He enjoys using his talents to provide culturally relevant computer science experiences for students in grades K-12 along with professional development and consultation services for K-12 educators.Victor is  a proud product of two HBCUs:  Fisk University and Clark Atlanta University. His experiences at these illustrious institutions inspired him to make it a priority to include the cultural relevance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in his pedagogy across grade levels and content areas.Key Takeaways:We have to listen to all voices when looking to better serve students and teachers.Connect with and meet teachers where they are when engaging them in the process of culturally relevant instruction.Having a clear, authentic intent is the only way to make a positive impactYou have to be vulnerable and show your human side when working with students.We are still struggling to break the industrial age model of school even after the pandemic.The educational system has to change in fundamental ways if it is to improve.We are trying to study and enact diversity equity and inclusion in a system that refuses to recognize diversity at any level.There are too many educators at upper level positions making big decisions about education when they don't know about the field.Creativity comes from the process not the product.Stay In Touch:TwitterWebsite We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Key Takeaways:It's important for schools to focus on the little things to get students engaged.It's really about teachers having fun in order to engage students and bring them in.It's important to be clear about expectations and organized.Engaged teaching is visible through not just cold calling students, but relating those questions to real life events.Present complex concepts simply so that students can pick them up and understand them.Present material as if it's something they want to learn.Pressure on students appears to be more a societal and parental issue than schools.Don't make who you are about the grades that you get. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Brian Aspinall is a former classroom teacher, current educational speaker, and university instructor at York University in Ontario. He's from Ontario but leads workshops and other EdTech-related courses for educators all around North America.Key Takeaways:People need to get their stories out about how to change education.We need to get out of our silos if we are to grow and and take opportunities to improve ourselves.Educators need to get on social media, specifically Twitter.We have made time a constant instead of education and learning.Learning has to be about pursuing your passions.Far too often in education we focus on weaknesses. When students get out of school they will be focusing on their strengths.Going gradeless changes the verbiage from "what did I get" to "can I try this"?Why are we always preparing students for more school instead of life?The only strategy guaranteed to fail is not trying something new. If we fail to change how we educate students we are failing society.Fear is the common thread holding us back at all levels.Leave your ego at the door.Stay in Touch:Twitter: @mraspinallWebsite: http://www.mraspinall.com/ We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

John J. Whalen is a leading Restorative Practices pioneer in both theory and application. He has trained thousands of teachers, staff, and students throughout the United States. He is an innovator in professional development and training.  John has spoken at numerous national education conferences including ASCD Empower, ASCD Leadership Conference, the ESEA Conference, National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Conference, the Music City SEL Conference, and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference.John is the author of the book Classroom Circles: A Toolkit for Building Relationships and Strengthening School Communities.John currently brings his experience to his role as a principal at the Tioughnioga Riverside Academy, a 4th-8th grade building in Upstate New York. He spent 15 years in the classroom teaching both 2nd grade and 6th grade mathematics.  He also spent over three years as a district Restorative Practices Coordinator leading implementation in over ten primary and secondary schools.John resides in Conklin, NY, with his wife and two daughters. He enjoys hiking, skiing, and camping. He is a graduate of SUNY (the beer) Geneseo and Binghamton University.Key Takeaways:Great relationships take come from taking the time to get to know each other.Schools need to change a lot because of all the new digital media.It's important to engage students rather than entertain them.When creating solutions we have to look for effective rather than efficient answers.Let students spin the ruler.To be successful restorative practices must be focused on the community and culture building side.Stay in Touch:Twitter: @johnjwhalenWebsite: edtomorrow.comBook: Classroom Circles We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

John J. Whalen is a leading Restorative Practices pioneer in both theory and application. He has trained thousands of teachers, staff, and students throughout the United States. He is an innovator in professional development and training.  John has spoken at numerous national education conferences including ASCD Empower, ASCD Leadership Conference, the ESEA Conference, National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Conference, the Music City SEL Conference, and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference.John is the author of the book Classroom Circles: A Toolkit for Building Relationships and Strengthening School Communities.John currently brings his experience to his role as a principal at the Tioughnioga Riverside Academy, a 4th-8th grade building in Upstate New York. He spent 15 years in the classroom teaching both 2nd grade and 6th grade mathematics.  He also spent over three years as a district Restorative Practices Coordinator leading implementation in over ten primary and secondary schools.John resides in Conklin, NY, with his wife and two daughters. He enjoys hiking, skiing, and camping. He is a graduate of SUNY (the beer) Geneseo and Binghamton University.Key Takeaways:Circles are important in the process of bringing everyone together by building relationships, and creating a positive culture.Amazing things can happen in your building when faculty work from a lens of respect.Schools with positive cultures where staff feel as if they belong do not experience the shortages seen around the nation.Consistency is key when building circles into your schedule.Check out the 1st 5 email for quick ways to connect, interact, and check in with students or staff.Greeting students at the door results in a 20% boost in engagement and a 10% decrease in behavioral issues.Stay in Touch:Twitter: @johnjwhalenWebsite: edtomorrow.comBook: Classroom Circles We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Key Takeaways: The biggest part in STEM education is finding the balance between hands on and book work in classes.It's important to create and deliver hands on activities that don't just feel like chores, but as if they're important to the student.Learning becomes engaging when it is not about checking off a list for curriculum, but instead discovering new, meaningful material.Student voice is key to engaging and empowering students.Make sure you empower students by showing them tangible ways how their voice made an impact.Mutual respect is one of the most important things needed in schools.Clubs and Athletics make schools what they are because school is about more than just academics, but where you make your friends and build relationships.It's OK to stand out because there are other people who are waiting for you to take the lead. We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Dr. Darrin Peppard is a leadership coach, consultant, and speaker focused on organizational culture and climate, and coaching emerging leaders. Darrin is the best-selling author of Road to Awesome: Empower, Lead, Change the Game, and is the host of the Leaning into Leadership podcast. Darrin was named the 2015 National Educator of the Year and was the 2016 Wyoming Secondary School Principal of the Year. In 2019, Darrin was inducted into the Jostens Renaissance Educator Hall of Fame. As a ‘recovering high school principal’, Darrin shares strategies and lessons learned from 26 years in public education to help leaders gain clarity, find joy in their work, and walk in their purpose.Key Takeaways:Being a Principal is the best, but toughest job you can ever have.School culture is the single most important thing we do in our schools.Every child and adult should have the opportunity to be seen, heard, and loved every single day in our schools.Culture is saying this is how we do things here and saying this is not how we do things here.We need to focus on highlighting what people are doing right rather than what people are doing wrong.Culture begins and is strengthened by giving opportunities for ownership.Make sure you schedule "balcony time" to take a step back and look where you are.Walk your school hallways with an objective eye concerning what you see.Stay in Touch:Twitter: @DarrinMPeppardWebsite: linktr.ee/darrinmpeppard We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Amy Matthews-Perez is Texas-born & raised. She is currently in her 30th year of serving public education in Texas where Amy has served as a General Ed. Teacher, an SLP, a Diagnostician, a SPED Specialist and a Director of Special Education. Amy has also worked in the private sector as an Education Coordinator at a JJAEP and in both home health & nursing home settings as an SLP. She currently serves as a Director of Special Programs which includes SPED, 504, Dyslexia, MTSS and being the Liaison for students/families experiencing Foster Care and Homelessness. Her passions are communication, laughter, inspiring & empowering others. As a learner, she considers herself an "Experience Expert." Life is short but our influence is never ending, so she seeks joy and creates smiles through learning, sharing, and highlighting the best in other people. Key Takeaways: Life is short, but our influences never ending. There is a need to consistently model the positivity of any progress or event. Use the 2 filters of, everyone has positive intent and what can I learn from this. It's important to know your people, but even more important to act on the knowledge that you have. Empower others to bring positivity to your culture by being transparent in your process of supporting and engaging others. Try throwing out bad suggestions to get better suggestions from those who may not normally contribute. You need to forget about your ego if you are to find the most success as a leader. It's critical that you not only communicate your priorities, but why they are your priorities. Setting goals and priorities is messy because they have to all mesh with each other. Practice makes progress. Stay in Touch: Twitter We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Kari Pitstick is a 7th grade English Language Arts and math teacher in Illinois. She also coaches track and field. She is the Director of Digital Content for the Teach Better Team. She graduated from Illinois State University in 2015 with a bachelor’s in Middle Level Education, and American College of Education in 2018 with a master’s in Curriculum & Instruction. Kari has known she wanted to teach at the middle level since she was in middle school herself. One of her main missions is to provide a safe and friendly environment for students to explore their passions as learners and as people. Kari is an avid reader, spending most of her free time reading and writing, and she hopes to share that passion with all those around her - students and adults, alike! Key Takeaways: Making mistakes and learning from them is critical to the learning process and lowering anxiety. Modeling and being present in the classroom is key for leaders. It's not just about being visible, it's about being active in what's going on around you. Start the year off right by getting to know those you lead as people. It's never too late to go back and build relationships. Leaders need to make time for the specific thing you want those you lead to embrace. Hold Ed Camp style staff meetings. The best way to become comfortable in your own skin is to know the why behind everything that you do. Stay in Touch: Twitter Website We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Joël began his career as a science and chemistry teacher in 1997 and for the past 15 years has served as a principal, guiding improvement initiatives, and providing instructional leadership to staff and students in elementary, middle, and high schools.  From 2014 to 2018 he coached French Ontario principals as an Instructional Leader with the CFORP. He supported the development of leadership skills of principals and accompanied school board educational teams on the issue of teaching and learning in the era of global competencies. Joël is currently Principal / School Efficacy Leader in his school board (at Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est (CSPNE),) as well as a Provincial Leadership Coach within his professional principals association (at the Association des directions et directionsassistantes des écoles franco-ontariennes.) He is the founder of Inspire Leadership Coaching , and the host of  Inspire Leadership Podcast as well as the podcast This Is Leadership . Key Takeaways: Everyone can be a leader so it's important to make sure you are adding value to those who step forward. Look for and develop opportunities to help others improve their leadership skills. Create masterminds for administrators and teachers. This will help create collective efficacy. One on one meetings are difficult to schedule but incredibly valuable for individual development. Collective efficacy is three times more likely to have a positive impact on student learning than any other factor according to John Hattie's research. Successful leadership development results in leaders developing others into leaders. Leadership development is working when leaders are improving in the process of improvement. Effective learning cycles are key to the improvement and development of leaders. Stay in Touch: Twitter Website We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Dr. Cindi Burnett is the director of possibilities for creativity and education. Like her creativity Focus curriculum for students and teachers, Cindy embraces the creative Life Style that she teaches. You will often find her trying on new ideas, exploring resources to stretch your thinking, and being an advocate for playfulness and humor. Although she loves to research and write about creativity, Cindy is a firm believer in field service. She has 20 years of teaching experience as an academic at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State where she instructed classes in creative thinking and creative problem-solving. Cindy is the co-editor of the big questions in creativity book series and co-author of the books weaving creativity into every strand of your curriculum, 20 lessons for weaving creativity into your curriculum, and my sandwich is a spaceship: creative thinking for parents and young children Some of her projects include: working with Educators to bring creative thinking into the classroom, connecting communities of creative thinkers via social media, and designing and running a massive open online course on everyday creativity. She's the recipient of the president's medal for excellence in teaching in 2018 by SUNY Buffalo State, was Buffalo business first, women of influence 2018 for her work in creativity, and was featured in The New York Times article titled “creativity becomes an academic discipline.” Cindy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater, a master of science in creativity and change leadership, and a doctorate of Education in curriculum, teaching, and learning, all of which she uses to help ignite creativity and education around the world. In her spare time, she can be found singing and dancing with her two children, propagating plants, and trying to find the world's best slice of pizza. Key Takeaways: Don't ask what you want to do with your life, instead ask what do you want to learn about. The science of creativity is just as important as the art of creativity because it helps teach others the strategies to become more creative. Creativity is the generation of novel and appropriate ideas. Leaders can help educators infuse more creativity into their classroom by reframing what creativity actually is. Educators by definition are creative because they are problem solvers. Creativity cannot be treated as an add on it must be infused into the curriculum. Creativity isn't always about the feel good emotion of success because because there is ambiguity in the process. Give people a mistake quotient when trying to get them to take risks or be vulnerable with their creativity. Use creativity boards. Use teacher superhero capes. Stay in Touch: Twitter Director of Possibilities: http://CreativityandEducation.com Fueling Creativity in Education podcast: http://fuelingcreativity.podbean.com We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Alex T. Valencic is an educator, former small business owner, Boy Scout leader, volunteer drug prevention specialist, and geek of all things. Alex has worked as a substitute teacher, fourth grade teacher, and curriculum coordinator Since July 2021, he has been serving as the Professional Learning Coordinator in Freeport, Illinois, organizing summer institutes, new teacher academies, and supporting ongoing professional learning for all staff through a variety of differentiated learning pathways. Key Takeaways: Professional development needs to change from one size fits none to one size fits all. Opportunities to educate others are all around us every day. Professional learning needs to be all encompassing because education is about so much more than just a teacher in the classroom. The branch and growth model and method for individualized professional learning. Leaders need to be in classrooms as often as possible on a consistent basis. Find a way to get out of your office and be among your teachers and students as much as possible Stay in Touch: Twitter Website We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Joshua Yeager is a servant leader who strives to be compassionate and loyal while holding a high level of integrity. With fifteen years of dedicated service in the areas of business, education, and leadership, he feels that now is the time to collaboratively be a catalyst of change by providing a high level of quality leadership that increases principal and teacher capacity. Joshua has held many leadership roles in K-12 schools such as teacher, coach, literacy coordinator, assistant principal, special projects, principal, and director of schools. He is currently a PhD candidate in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in Leadership, at the American College of Education in Indianapolis, Indiana. Joshua has a continued commitment to ensuring that all students and teachers are  competitive at the highest level in a global society. Currently, he resides in Hattiesburg and has one daughter who's a freshman in high school.  Key Takeaways: Teachers will perform to the level that they believe they can perform at if supported. You have to become uncomfortable if you are going to continue to grow to your greatest potential. Professional development needs to be teacher centric, engaging, and relevant. Whole school improvement becomes second nature when teachers are being coached. Regular ceremonies to champion teachers and students is essential to building a successful culture. Don’t use existing policies as an excuse not to change. They were meant to be adjusted. Being visible all day every day is a key to leadership. Leadership isn’t about the leader, but instead those they lead. Practicing humility is essential. Stay in Touch: Twitter Website We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Brian Martin is the host of the Teaching Champions Podcast, but much more than that. He is a Teacher/Student, Speaker/Listener, and Failer/Achiever. Brian’s continuous positive messaging about mindset, learning, gratitude, and how to improve education through twitter is truly inspiring. Brain is consistently lifting educators up. Personally, I found him through that very platform and after reading through his feed knew he would have a ton to offer the listeners of this podcast. Key Takeaways: We need to make a point of both observing and absorbing the good in life. Clear messaging and explicit modeling of expectations is how you create a positive atmosphere and culture. Make recognizing gratitude a daily practice. If you're not making mistakes you're not trying. We need to create an environment where risk taking is supported and encouraged. It's critical that administrators are more consistently in the classroom to support teachers. Stay in Touch: Twitter: @bmartinreal Teaching Champions Podcast We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Shelli Ann currently works as a Librarian/Media Specialist for both a primary and elementary school in Texas. She began her library career working in a public library and moved to teaching for two years at a private school before returning to college to become a school librarian where she has been for the past 6 years. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing poetry, photography & spending time outdoors.   Key Takeaways: School libraries should be hubs for school activity. They should be facilitators of information. Not just the information, but how to access a world of information Make sure you include librarians whenever you are making plans for professional development or the improvement of the library. Libraries have the ability to tie what is being taught in the classroom with the broader world. Libraries are evolving at a faster pace than the perception of the purpose libraries serve. It's important to tie your library and all it has to offer with other events that occur in the building. Stay in Touch: Twitter: @ann177345 Website: Unspoken Thoughts We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Henry J. Turner is an award-winning high school principal, author, and nationally renowned speaker.  He is most proud of the collaborative community he works within to empower students to fight hate and bigotry in their school. Pointing to his unwavering commitment to equity and a student-centered culture, Henry was named 2020 K12 Principal of the Year by K–12 Dive. Henry is the author of the newly released book, Change the Narrative: How to Foster an Antiracist Culture in Your School, published by DBC inc. As a national speaker, he shares his experience as an innovative instructional leader, passionate advocate, and committed antiracist educator with educators and organizational leaders. Henry works with educators, leaders, and communities on how to create a culture that commits to diversity, equity, and inclusion empowers students’ voices and addresses economic and racial disparities. He has a biweekly newsletter, “Lessons on Social Justice Leadership” that can be found at HenryJTurner.com.   Key Takeaways: It's important to let students know that the school they are in is their school. It's about helping students to explore who they are and the world around them and then think about the legacy they will leave so they are truly change makers. Schools are the center of communities so it's our job to share our value system. School is the place where students will interact with people who are different than themselves and need to learn from that experience. It's our not our job to teach students what to think, but instead how to think. It all starts by teaching respect. It's critical that schools have a value statement that includes equity and standing up for others who are different or marginalized. Not talking about or hiding incidents against marginalized groups further marginalize them. In order to make progress we have to sometimes admit that we were part of the problem. Stay in Touch: @turnerhj HenryJTurner.com We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Matthew Rhoads, Ed.D. is an expert and innovator in educational technology and instructional strategy integration within online, blended, and traditional in-person classroom settings. As a practicing technology leader, trainer, integrationist, and coach in Adult Education, K-12, and Higher Education, he develops EdTech tool integrations with research-based instructional strategies to drive instruction. He also has expertise in instructing teachers and educational leaders on how to utilize data to make data-driven decisions to drive instruction as well as has developed a data literacy curriculum for K-20 educators. Dr. Rhoads publications focus on integrating instructional strategies with EdTech tools to amplify student learning within in-person, online, and blended learning classrooms. His latest books include Instruction Without Boundaries: Enhance Your Teaching Strategies with Technology Tools in Any Setting, Amplify Learning: A Global Collaborative - Amplifying Instructional Design, and Navigating the Toggled Term: A Guide for K-12 Classroom and School Leaders. He also has his podcast, Navigating Education - The Podcast, which discusses all topics related to education and instruction. For more information on Dr. Rhoads and his work, visit his website at www.matthewrhoads.com. Key Takeaways: Technology integration is about building strategies and tools that are effective in multiple situations. Technology integration is about building capacity for change to our curriculum in the future. You must be focused on research based strategies for instruction prior to inserting technology to deliver that instruction. Learning needs to be available to students at any time on multiple platforms Clear simple messaging and focused support on a few strategies is the best way to support teachers with new technology integration. Creating a platform and environment for teachers to share what they're doing is key to building engagement and empowering. The priorities need to be teacher agency and instructional coaching to build capacity. Stay in Touch: @MattRhoads1990 Navigating Education - The Podcast Dr. Rhoads' website --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.