As a school leader, you’re facing lots of stressful situations on a daily basis. And as in any leadership situation, you’re going to be dealing with different types of people who have certain feelings about your work, some that aren’t always positive.
On top of that, you have your own emotion patterns, or what I call emotional “STEAR cycles”. You can’t just instantly react to every emotional outburst of your colleagues, so how do you reconcile your STEAR cycle with theirs?
Last week, we discussed all the reasons why we don’t typically enjoy the last weeks of the school year. This week, I’m teaching you all of the how, and it all stems from the simple solution I gave you at the end of the last episode: planning your future is the key.
When you plan your future, that preparation allows you to experience those moments with presence. When you plan enjoyment, it’s already decided. You have the solutions you need to the problems you’ve anticipated. This is what makes all the difference, and I’m showing you how to make the most of it in this episode.
We are officially in May and you are reaching the finish line for this school year. First of all, congratulations! You have a handful of weeks left, so what are you doing to make sure you enjoy the last weeks of the school year? Or are you just dying for the last day of school so you can put this year behind you?
Last week, I held a webinar all about enjoying the last weeks of school before summer vacation. That training was full of gems and everyone who attended loved it, so in case you didn’t catch it, I’m bringing you a two-part overview of what I shared over there. So, if you want to make sure you have more fun and less stress as the year closes out, you’re in the right place.
Many of you are at the point of the school year where you are now making decisions about staffing assignments for next year. You’re having to hold conversations with your staff about where they’re going to be placed in the next school year, and if you’re experiencing fear, doubt, or worry, you’re not alone.
We want staffing assignment decisions to be a win-win for everyone involved. Unhappy teachers don’t serve anyone, and we need to consider their wants and needs. However, we don’t want these conversations to turn into an us-versus-them dynamic, where you’re stuck in a gridlock with your staff. So, how do we hold space for them while making the best decisions for our school?
Are you ready to be set free from never feeling like you’re in control of your happiness and wellness? Do you want a thriving school leadership experience without feeling burnt out, or like your work schedule is completely dictating your entire life?
For most of us, our school leadership is colored with busyness and chaos. It’s part and parcel of the very nature of the job and it demands a lot of us. Being the visionary for our schools is fulfilling and rewarding, but executing our vision is also frustrating and disappointing, and often clouds our perspective, leaving us wondering, what are we even doing it for and why?
Today, I’m introducing you to one of my incredible clients, Jena Damiani. Jena is one of my longest-serving clients and we have so much fun together, and the work we’ve done over the past few years has really changed everything about how she approaches her role as a school leader.
We’re talking about something a little bit different on today’s show, but stick with us because it’s all relevant. We’re starting a discussion about money mindset, and Jena is courageously sharing her journey in this area with you, and we’ll also be discussing the interview process, and how you can get into the position that is meant for you.
While you’re hearing this episode in April, the conversation I’m bringing you today was recorded in March, which as we know is Women’s History Month. So, in honor of all of the women leaders in our community, I thought I would spend some time interviewing my women clients and have them share their wins, successes, and accomplishments.
Wendy Cohen is no stranger to the podcast. She’s been working with me for over two years, and this will be her third appearance on the podcast. As school leaders, we have so many things we don’t love doing that require a lot of our time and attention, and for Wendy, it’s teacher observation write-ups. But dreading your tasks is not a fun way to experience school leadership, so what can we do to make our jobs feel more meaningful and enjoyable?
Last month, I led a webinar all about leaving school leadership. It might seem like it doesn’t make much sense for me to guide people through the process of leaving their roles in education, but I did it in my own life. Whether you’re hating your job right now, or you’re unsure if it’s what you want for your future, know that I’ve been in your shoes and I know exactly what you’re going through.
We want to enjoy the Monday through Friday of our lives. We don’t want to dread every Sunday evening as it comes to a close, and we don’t want to be consumed day and night by how life isn’t fun anymore, or how we’re not making any progress professionally. So today, I’m inviting you to dig deep as I help you get clear on what you want moving forward.
There’s so much stress and anxiety around standardized tests that creep up at this time of year. I know so many school leaders, teachers, and students spend precious time and energy ruminating about upcoming tests and what it means, and today, I want to offer that living in this test score anxiety isn’t the best way for you to show up for your community as principal.
When educators believe raising test scores is the one and only priority, it’s no surprise we focus solely on the test. Sure, it has significance and I’m not downplaying its importance. However, the truth is that coming at test scores from fear and pressure not only increases anxiety for your entire school, but it also doesn’t make test scores go up.
As a school leader, you see the big-picture vision for your students, staff, and overall community, which mostly involves implementing new practices or instructional topics for your school. But doing this is often met with resistance, and teachers aren’t always 100% sold on your ideas. So, how do you create teacher buy-in?
This is a topic that comes up a lot in my coaching work, and this week, I have a story that comes directly from one of my clients that I’m using for context so you can apply what I’m sharing to your situation. Whether you’re not yet confident in your decision-making as a principal, or you’re unsure of how to sell your teachers on your vision, we’re covering it all on this episode.