Over here in the month of June, we’re discussing the potential and possibility that can come out of this crazy uncertain time we’re living in. We can consider what is possible if we apply ourselves, but we have to be willing to do the thought work that takes our mindset from where it is now to where we want it to be.

I see this especially with new leaders. You want to believe you are competent and you can be confident in your role as a principal from the get-go, but just telling yourself that you can do the job flawlessly is not going to create a true belief in your abilities. And this is where the Rungs of Belief come in.

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We are into the month of June, and because of the uncertain and challenging times we’re facing in our schools right now, I want this month to be all about what is possible. So many school leaders are dreading what the return to campus learning will look like, but I want you to look at this as a time of opportunity and innovation.

Throughout history, society has faced problems, and somebody has stepped up and devised a solution in the face of the seemingly unsolvable. Everything that we value, whether it’s something we use physically or a teaching method, was originally just an idea that didn’t exist outside of the innovator’s mind. So, I’m posing today that now is the time to use your thoughts wisely and make the impossible possible.

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Now that all of my clients have settled into running their schools from home, more and more decisions are having to be made away from campus. And as a lot of my clients are new school leaders or are aiming to become a principal in the near future, they’re dealing with a lot of these decisions for the first time, and the distance isn’t making things any easier.

I want to share with all you listeners what I’ve been coaching my clients through the past few weeks. I’ve had clients interviewing for their first principal position, giving interviews to candidates for teaching jobs, helping new staff settle into their jobs, and even having to fire people. I’ve been coaching on all these things for years, but social distancing has brought a whole new dimension to all of this.

 

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As I’m sure you’re aware, there are many discussions surrounding education at the moment. Everything is changing, so I’m going to use the podcast this month to walk through some of the issues that are coming up in the media and the conversations on social media and offer some more positive and productive ways to approach leading our schools now and into the future.

I was reading one article this week and the theme running throughout it was that, because of the circumstances born out of this pandemic, our schools and students are behind. This is a word that the educational world has always used to describe underperforming schools or kids who are struggling, but does the notion of being behind really help anyone?

 

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Throughout the month of April, I’ve been discussing the coronavirus and its impact on your role as a school leader. Now that the dust is settling and we’re all getting used to what’s going on, I want to start discussing how we can begin moving forward in a way that serves our schools and us as leaders.

It can seem like the realization that we have a total lack of control at the moment is a thought that we are thinking. However, it is actually a circumstance: a true fact that is indisputable. And the sooner we can accept this, we can adapt to our new situation and really start to make the difference we really want to make for our school community.

 

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