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

MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Some Thoughts on AI

Welcome back to another episode of Monday Matters. This week, Will and Jen are discussing a conference Jen recently attended that was dedicated to the topic of AI in schools. Some of what is covered in this conversation include cautions for schools. Schools are currently being sold lots of different AI products, and they need to know that “We use AI” is not the same as “We use good AI”. Schools also need to understand that AI does not mean accuracy; we shouldn’t confuse confidence with correctedness. Next, Will and Jen talk about how teacher grading practices need to change to account for AI usage by students. They also discuss the difference between using AI to make our lives easier vs. using it to transform our work. Listen in to hear the whole conversation and let us know your thoughts on this topic! You can read more of Jen’s thoughts on this topic by reading her newsletters, found here and here. The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Some Thoughts on AI appeared first on Principal Matters.

ENCORE FRIDAY – PMP362: Be the Driving Force with Dr. Don Parker

Happy Friday, Principal Matters Listeners! In honor of Black History Month, I am re-releasing the interviews from some exceptional Black educators that I have had the privilege of interviewing over the years. This week’s encore episode is an interview with Dr. Don Parker. Don is a former teacher and principal who is currently working to support teachers and build trusting relationships with students. You can learn more about the work of Dr. Parker at his website and you can read the original blog post for this episode here. I hope you all enjoy listening to this episode! As always, thank you for doing what matters! The post ENCORE FRIDAY – PMP362: Be the Driving Force with Dr. Don Parker appeared first on Principal Matters.

PMP486: The Cost of Happiness for Education Leaders with Elizabeth Dampf

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before this week’s interview, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is: What Self-Reflection Practices work for you? Listen in to hear their response! You can find the link to the self-assessment questions mentioned here. Meet Elizabeth Dampf: Elizabeth Dampf is a practicing administrator in the Chicagoland area, where she has served at both building and district levels. Her most recent book, Am I Cut Out For This? An Educational Leader’s Guide to Navigating Self Doubt, is available now. She has written several print articles in Educational Leadership and regularly contributes to the ASCD blog. Elizabeth has also spoken on several podcasts, including Leaning into Leadership and Principal Liner Notes. In this week’s episode of the Principal Matters podcast, Jen Schwanke speaks with school administrator and writer Elizabeth Dampf about the systemic issues creating a divide between teachers and administrators. Sparked by Dampf’s ASCD blog post, “The Cost of Happiness for Education Leaders,” their conversation explores the deep-seeded mistrust in education, the challenges of leading in trying times, and the critical need for empathy when working with others. Dampf provides practical advice and frameworks for building a healthier, more trusting school culture from both the building and systemic levels. The “Us vs. Them” mentality as a systemic problem: Elizabeth shared her experiences and belief that the mistrust between teachers and administrators isn’t due to personal failings but is a product of the educational system itself. Teachers face immense pressure and workload, while administrators deal with a lack of job security and constant turnover, creating different priorities and fostering a natural mistrust.  Build Trust by Attending to Feelings, Not Managing Them: A leader’s job isn’t to make everyone happy, which is an impossible task. Instead, Elizabeth, referencing Brené Brown, suggests leaders should “attend to” their staff’s feelings by listening and showing empathy. The focus should be on building an environment of professional norms and high expectations for the collective good, rather than trying to please everyone individually. Empathy is a learnable skill: When dealing with difficult behavior, Elizabeth advises leaders to ask, “Why would a reasonable, rational, and decent person do that?” A practical way to build this empathy is to first ask yourself, “Have I ever done that?” The answer to this might be yes— and this self-reflection helps humanize the other person and shifts the focus from judgment to understanding the root cause of their actions. Prioritize relationships over authority: New administrators often make the mistake of trying to assert authority immediately. Elizabeth stresses that the first and most critical step is to build trust by focusing on relationships. We can show people we care about them as individuals before introducing any new initiatives or change plans. Elevate the Teaching Profession: When asked for one “magic wand” change, Elizabeth pointed out that making teaching a revered, respected, and well-compensated profession would solve many underlying issues. If society valued teachers on par with doctors and lawyers, it would fundamentally improve morale, retention, and the overall health of the education system. Ultimately, this powerful conversation between Elizabeth and Jen emphasizes that bridging the divide in education requires leaders to lead with empathy, humility, and a focus on building genuine relationships. While systemic problems like high turnover and cultural disrespect for the profession require large-scale change, Elizabeth makes it clear that individual leaders can foster a positive, trusting, and effective community within their own schools by listening, understanding their staff’s perspective, and consistently demonstrating that they care. Staying Connected: You can stay connected with Elizabeth Dampf via Linkedin. The post PMP486: The Cost of Happiness for Education Leaders with Elizabeth Dampf appeared first on Principal Matters.

MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Financial Wellness

This week on Monday Matters, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to talk about financial wellness for educators. They talk about the importance of making sure that your financial house is in order in the event that a new or different job opportunity comes up. Finances can either be an anchor that is used to hold one steady when times are hard or an anchor that keeps one’s head underwater if they are mismanaged. They also discuss how maintaining healthy practices benefits you in life and in the choices you have in your work. It is important for educators to manage their resources effectively, as it affects how you show up for your staff. If you are burdened by your finances it is hard to show up for others and support their work. Listen in to hear the whole conversation! If you would like to learn more about this topic, check out this article by Will from 2018: https://williamdparker.com/2018/pmp122-packing-parachutes-why-your-money-management-matters/  The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Financial Wellness appeared first on Principal Matters.

PMP485: Preventing Trauma Before it Happens with Dr. Jan Harrell

A Quick Note to Listeners: Before this week’s interview, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. —- The Question of the Week is supported by Summer Pops Math Workbooks. Principals, when students practice math over the summer, math scores go up. What’s your summer math plan this year? A great way to start is by ordering FREE summer workbook samples at Summer Pops Workbooks.com. —- This week’s question is: It’s very difficult to change one’s mind. When was the last time you were surprised to learn something new? How did this new learning make you feel? Listen in to hear their response! Meet Jan Harrell: Dr. Jan Harrell is the creator of emotional education curricula now used in schools and prisons, with materials also accepted for use in both U.S. and Canadian federal prison systems—programs that help prevent bullying, build empathy, and transform communities. Her curricula bring students and inmates together by highlighting the shared human experience and transcending cultural, ethnic, and racial divides. Passionate about advancing human understanding, Dr. Harrell offers her programs to schools and juvenile justice/corrections at no cost, driven by a vision of preventing trauma before it happens and empowering young people with lifelong emotional wisdom. Addressing Student Anxiety: Jan has a long history in clinical psychology, but she is on this week’s episode of Principal Matters Podcast because of her outreach to schools. When addressing how school leaders should think about addressing the painful anxiety of students in schools, Jan talks about how a revolution in education is missing. Throughout the history of education, schools have focused on teaching human survival, through teaching problem solving abilities and teaching students about physical well-being. According to Jan, what is missing is education on emotional well-being. We are taught how to take care of our body, but not how to take care of our emotional well-being. Jan gives the example of a fire alarm going off. If a fire alarm goes off, we immediately know what to do. If an emotional alarm goes off and we do not know what to do about it, we go into a reactive state. Students need to be given the opportunity to learn what to do when their emotional alarm goes off. Success of the Curriculum: Jan shares that her curriculum originated because of a friend who was the Dean of Students at a local high school. This friend would often talk to her about how her students suffered from anxiety. This friend piloted Jan’s program in her high school, and through this experience Jan learned that the issues of being a human being transcended every difference between us. The students in her program were brought together into an intimate family-like situation in which they felt comfortable being vulnerable and sharing their trauma and anxiety with each other. This same framework has been utilized in prisons with both juveniles and adults, with the same results. Through teaching the concept of understanding the self and learning how to work through issues with other people, Jan’s curriculum allows people to free themselves from the cycle of being in an emotionally reactive state. Helping Students Avoid being Sabotaged by the Emotions: Towards the end of the episode, Jan offers teachers and principals some strategies to help students avoid being sabotaged by their own emotions. She talks about how students often come to school feeling tortured and are filled with reactive emotions. Teachers and principals can try to suppress or judge their reaction, or they can view it as a gift that creates a teaching moment and helps students connect with their own wisdom. It is important to give students the rightness of their own feelings, not the wrongness. Equally important is teaching students that they can figure things out within themselves and between themselves. Helping students learn to guide the worst emotions the mind has to offer provides them with the tools to break out of an emotionally reactive state. Staying Connected: If you are interested in learning more about Jan’s curriculum, she is currently offering it and her consultation for free. The only strings attached are that she wants to know that it’s being used and that it does not get fed into AI. You can reach out to her at janharrell.now@outlook.com or on Linkedin. The post PMP485: Preventing Trauma Before it Happens with Dr. Jan Harrell appeared first on Principal Matters.