Lamar 36: Recent Episodes
Laura
Lamar CISD interviews 36 educational leaders, their choice of 3 questions in 6 minutes. Grow your leadership skills with Lamar CISD. Leading the way!
Jerry Kipping answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. As you step into retirement, what accomplishment are you most proud of during your educational career?
2. What allowed you to continue to be a strong leader for as long as you did? Basically, what’s your secret?
3. What life lesson did you learn while being in education?
Dr. O'Neal answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. In your role, what thing have you learned about education that has been the most eye-opening?
2. Tell us about a defining moment in your career.
3. What are some innovative ways you’ve seen leaders budget for Title 1 programs?
Dan Ward answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. As you step into retirement, what accomplishment are you most proud of during your educational career?
2. What’s the one thing you’re going to miss the most that brought you joy?
3. What’s one piece of advice you have for the future leaders in education?
Dr. Sanzo answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. What is something you learned from your Holdsworth Leadership experience that still has a big impact on your campus leadership?
2. During this time of year, campus leaders are involved in hiring new staff members. What are some qualities you look for in a potential candidate and are there specific questions you ask to discover that information?
3. Also during this time of year, STAAR is the focus. What is something you do to create the same strong desire for STAAR success in your staff that principals have?
Kevin Croft answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. You just made the move from secondary to elementary. What would you say are the key differences and pros and cons of leading at the two different levels?
2. Both campuses you have led have embraced the Ron Clark house system and his high-energy, high-engagement style. What are the advantages you have seen of implementing this style of teaching?
3. How do you hire for and motivate your staff to embrace the high energy/high engagement instruction on your campuses, and what would you advise for an administrator who is wanting to implement the Ron Clark experience?
Dr. Maxwell answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. Because we appreciate your leadership in the PBIS district launch, can you tell us your vision for what you see Lamar CISD looking like in 5 years in regards to the PBIS programs on campuses?
2. You seem to juggle multiple tasks with ease. What are your tips for “getting it all done” since we all have so much on our plates?
3. When you first came to Lamar, you showed campus leaders some rich data collection spreadsheets. Give us an example of your favorite discovery that came from reading data.
Paul Wagner answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. What are some of the best ways you’ve seen classroom teachers utilize technology as a tool for demonstrating learning?
2. What technology tools do you believe are underutilized by administrators?
3. What are some predictions you have about the use of technology in the classroom?
Christi Cottongame answers 3 questions in 2 episodes.
1. What event in your personal journey in educational leadership still has value and impact on you in your current position?
2. What do you think is the most impactful thing a campus can do to improve Tier 1 instruction?
3. What is the most effective system or strategy for intervention and/or extension that you have seen on a campus?
Christi Cottongame answers 3 questions in 2 episodes.
1. What event in your personal journey in educational leadership still has value and impact on you in your current position?
2. What do you think is the most impactful thing a campus can do to improve Tier 1 instruction?
3. What is the most effective system or strategy for intervention and/or extension that you have seen on a campus?
Toshila Darjean answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. Our first question for you is what is something you and your staff do for your students that make them want to learn?
2. Our next question is if you could go back in time, before you became a leader, and learn a skill or read a book or go to a training, what would it be?
3. Our final question today is what’s your process for collecting and studying campus data to decide what changes need to be made?
Dr. Smith answers three questions in six minutes.
1. People say education is a calling. Why did you apply for ALC?
2. Can you please share a little bit about your campus and the supports you are able to provide our students who need some extra care and guidance?
3. How has working with students who struggle in life impacted you as a leader? What would you say are the most rewarding parts of your job?
Mr. Bates answers three questions in six minutes.
1. What’s the most common pitfall leaders run into when filling a position on their campus?
2. Tell us about a memorable experience in your leadership journey that made an impact on you.
3. If there were two hard and fast rules educational leaders should abide by, what would those be?
Toni Scott answers three questions in six minutes.
1. How do get our staff on board to have a strong desire for growth in themselves or in their students?
2. What is one thing you’ve done in your years as a leader that you feel has had the most impact on your campus?
3. How do you handle staff members who aren’t “rowing in the same direction” or seeking the same goals as the rest of the staff?
Randy Donnell answers three questions in six minutes.
1) What is one or two ways administrators can minimize behavior problems before they happen?
2. Research shows that separation consequences aren’t the best way to change behavior. What are some examples of consequences you’ve found that are best at changing behavior?
3) What are some tips for being proactive rather than reactive with parents?
Dr. Hood answers three questions in six minutes.
1. What would you suggest is the number one thing for administrators to be able to do or to focus on?
2. What do you recommend current leaders do to grow themselves in a way that has an impact on their campus?
3. How does one know if educational leadership is for them?
Heather Williams answers three questions in six minutes.
1. What steps do you take when implementing a new initiative whether it’s from the district or something you’ve developed?
2. What is something you do now with your staff and/or students that you wish you would’ve started sooner?
3. What are some things you do to develop talent and grow your staff in ways that impact the campus?
Laura Haugvoll answers three questions in six minutes.
1. What are some tips you have for keeping a level of fun in the work we do?
2. How do you seek and receive feedback?
3. How do you feel that campus culture plays a part in campus instructional success?
Dr. Roberts answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. What do you do to separate and support yourself mentally and emotionally from all of the difficult, often upsetting situations you have to deal with when you leave work?2. How do you approach supporting staff members and/or parents & students in a difficult situation while remaining solution-focused and positive?
3. What are some ways that we as leaders can support the emotional well-being of our staff?
Ms. Dickey answers three questions in six minutes.
- When you are joining a new campus what steps to you take to help you determine the current climate and culture of the campus and the community?
- After getting the initial read on the campus and community culture what are your next steps?
- What do you believe are the keys to getting the staff buy in?
Ms. Cole-Hamilton answers three questions in six minutes.
- How do you keep a positive attitude when having to communicate possibly controversial information?
- What would be on your wish list for campus leaders to know and do when communicating to their stakeholders?
- What are some specific strategies you use when creating a communication plan?
Ben answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. The students you serve have made amazing progress over the past few years. What do you feel contributed to that success?
2. When you are planning for the year and looking for candidates for your campus, what do you feel are the most important things to look for?
3. What do you feel is the most important element of retaining qualified staff?
Stacy answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. How do you schedule your time and stick to that schedule?
2. During an interview for a leadership position, what are some things you look for?
3. What advice would you give to leaders and future leaders who are trying to get more involvement from their community?
Jill Nehls answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
- How do you model and encourage your staff to have a growth mindset and maintain your continuous cycle of staff learning, coaching, and improving?
- What are some strategies you use to maintain energy while doing the work?
- When you move into a leadership position on a new campus, what steps do you take to build rapport and relationships, and how do you determine your areas of focus?
Theresa Gage answers 3 questions in 6 minutes
1. What's your process for planning ahead and long-range planning?
2. What advice would you give to leaders and future leaders if they're thinking about applying for a new position?
3. How do you manage all the different campus needs and needs of all the people you work with?
Vicki Stevenson answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
- During these times of change in our industry, what advice do you have for those who want to be a leader but it hasn't happened yet?
- What are some successful strategies you’ve used to remain mentally balanced and help your teachers keep that mental balance?
- What are some tips you can share about scheduling your day and leveraging human resources to use time wisely?
Heather Patterson answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
How do you work with others who have a different style and perspective than you?
How do you stay on top of using social media and how has it benefitted you?
What energizes you and gets you excited each day to be a leader in Lamar CISD?
Dr. Chad Jones answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
- How do you encourage creative thinking?
- When you decide to implement a new initiative, what are some important steps you take or consider?
- What do you think is an important attribute for successful leaders today and what does that attribute look like?
Mrs. Parks answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. How do you continue to grow and develop as a leader.
2. How do you grow others?
3. How do you keep your team motivated in the face of obstacles and conflicts?
Dr. Nivens answers 3 questions in 6 minutes.
1. What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
2. What is one common mistake you see leaders make?
3. With so many demands on your time and energy, how do you maintain a work/life balance?
Dr. Waites answers three questions:
1. What are your current professional goals?
2. How do you align your team with your vision and mission?
3. Who do you look to for inspiration and mentorship?
Mr. Morren, Area Superintendent for the red track in Lamar CISD answers 3 questions in 6 minutes. Listen for the quote from Denzel Washington.
This is the first episode of Lamar36 where leaders in Lamar CISD answer three questions in six minutes. The three questions answered in this first episode are:
1. What are a few resources you would recommend to someone looking to gain insight into becoming a better leader?
2. What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?
3. What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader and grow others?