The Principal-Matters! Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mark Wilson
The Principal-Matters! Podcast! is here to help school leaders lead schools. Hosted by Dr. Mark Wilson and part of the body of work curated at principal-matters.com
Mark Wilson's New Principal Academy begins it's ninth year. Our summer series to get off to a good start is LIVE each Tuesday in July at 10:00 AM. Here's the link to get register.
https://tinyurl.com/NewPrincipalAcademy
(Register once, you're registered for the series.
The PPT slides from session one can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/NewPrincipalOne
Each session we tackle five essential questions for the new principal. In session one, we examined these:
- Who are you?
- What is your job?
- How do you get permission to do your job?
- Do you understand WHY you can’t make change too quickly?
- How do you “make it” as a principal?
mark.wilson.ga@gmail.com
principal-matters.com
Stephen Peters and Mark Wilson are the hosts and producers of Social Justice Education and The School Leader, a six-session series to support principals, assistant principals, and others as they prepare for the upcoming year.
They are both lifelong educators, nationally recognized for their work as school leaders, and committed to supporting Georgia's school leaders together. They have been friends and colleagues for over two decades and have joined together now to help leaders build schools where equity, justice, and opportunity define the climate and culture.
In this episode, they are joined by special guests Dr. Sherida Habersham and Cicely Lewis. Dr. Habersham is "The Evangelist for Computer Science" and Cicely is the founder of the "Read Woke"movement, and the 2020 National School Librarian of the Year. You can find more about them here:
Dr. Habersham: https://www.weimpacteducation.net/
Cicely Lewis: https://cicelythegreat.wordpress.com/author/mhsponyexpress/
Our guests for episode two of SJE and the School Leader were Jimmy Casas and Baruti Kafele. https://www.jimmycasas.com/ https://principalkafele.com/
Dr. Stephen Peters and I hosted the session, which you can hear in its entirety here!
https://thepetersgroup.global/
Join our community of learners and learning at: https://principal-matters.com/
Here are the three questions that served as a guide for our session. Thanks for listening!
Question One:
In terms of Social Justice Education, how will your school be different because you lead it?
Question Two:
As a school leader, how will you develop organizational structures that align with and support the new realities that our teachers, students, parents and communities face?
Question Three:
How do you develop a culture of equity, justice, and anti-racism at your school?
Social Justice Education and The School Leader is a multi-tiered effort to support school leaders in their work to lead school cultures of justice, equity and anti-racism.
This effort includes a six-part series of web meetings between June 23 and July 28, 2020. The series is produced and hosted by Stephen Peters and Mark Wilson.
This episode is FOUR of FOUR from a recording of the June 23 meeting, and answers the question, " What might I do to be a champion for equity and social justice?"
Guests from this meeting, and in this recording include: Dr. Robbie Hooker, Dr. Linda Lumpkin, Liz Raeburn, and Amy Thornton.
Stephen and Mark are the hosts and producers of these sessions. They are both lifelong educators, nationally recognized for their work as school leaders, and committed to supporting Georgia's school leaders together. They have been friends and colleagues for over two decades and have joined together now to help leaders build schools where equity, justice, and opportunity define the climate and culture.
In partnership with these education organizations: Chattahoochee-Flint RESA, Coastal Plains RESA, CSRA RESA, First District RESA, Griffin RESA, Heart of GA RESA, Metro RESA, Middle GA RESA, North GA RESA, Northeast GA RESA, Northwest GA RESA, Oconee RESA, Okefenokee RESA, Pioneer RESA, Southwest GA RESA, West GA RESA.
Social Justice Education and The School Leader is a multi-tiered effort to support school leaders in their work to lead school cultures of justice, equity and anti-racism.
This effort includes a six-part series of web meetings between June 23 and July 28, 2020. The series is produced and hosted by Stephen Peters and Mark Wilson.
This episode is THREE of FOUR from a recording of the June 23 meeting, and answers the question, " How might I prepare my teachers to effectively discuss social justice and anti-racism with our students?"
Guests from this meeting, and in this recording include: Dr. Robbie Hooker, Dr. Linda Lumpkin, Liz Raeburn, and Amy Thornton.
Stephen and Mark are the hosts and producers of these sessions. They are both lifelong educators, nationally recognized for their work as school leaders, and committed to supporting Georgia's school leaders together. They have been friends and colleagues for over two decades and have joined together now to help leaders build schools where equity, justice, and opportunity define the climate and culture.
In partnership with these education organizations: Chattahoochee-Flint RESA, Coastal Plains RESA, CSRA RESA, First District RESA, Griffin RESA, Heart of GA RESA, Metro RESA, Middle GA RESA, North GA RESA, Northeast GA RESA, Northwest GA RESA, Oconee RESA, Okefenokee RESA, Pioneer RESA, Southwest GA RESA, West GA RESA.
Social Justice Education and The School Leader is a multi-tiered effort to support school leaders in their work to lead school cultures of justice, equity and anti-racism.
This effort includes a six-part series of web meetings between June 23 and July 28, 2020. The series is produced and hosted by Stephen Peters and Mark Wilson.
This episode is one of four from a recording of the June 23 meeting, and is an introduction to the work of Social Justice Education and School Leaders.
Stephen and Mark are the hosts and producers of these sessions. They are both lifelong educators, nationally recognized for their work as school leaders, and committed to supporting Georgia's school leaders together. They have been friends and colleagues for over two decades and have joined together now to help leaders build schools where equity, justice, and opportunity define the climate and culture.
In partnership with these education organizations: Chattahoochee-Flint RESA, Coastal Plains RESA, CSRA RESA, First District RESA, Griffin RESA, Heart of GA RESA, Metro RESA, Middle GA RESA, North GA RESA, Northeast GA RESA, Northwest GA RESA, Oconee RESA, Okefenokee RESA, Pioneer RESA, Southwest GA RESA, West GA RESA.
Social Justice Education and The School Leader is a multi-tiered effort to support school leaders in their work to lead school cultures of justice, equity and anti-racism.
This effort includes a six-part series of web meetings between June 23 and July 28, 2020. The series is produced and hosted by Stephen Peters and Mark Wilson.
This episode is TWO of FOUR from a recording of the June 23 meeting, and answers the question, " As a school leader, what is my role in promoting social justice at my school?"
Guests from this meeting, and in this recording include: Dr. Robbie Hooker, Dr. Linda Lumpkin, Liz Raeburn, and Amy Thornton.
Stephen and Mark are the hosts and producers of these sessions. They are both lifelong educators, nationally recognized for their work as school leaders, and committed to supporting Georgia's school leaders together. They have been friends and colleagues for over two decades and have joined together now to help leaders build schools where equity, justice, and opportunity define the climate and culture.
In partnership with these education organizations: Chattahoochee-Flint RESA, Coastal Plains RESA, CSRA RESA, First District RESA, Griffin RESA, Heart of GA RESA, Metro RESA, Middle GA RESA, North GA RESA, Northeast GA RESA, Northwest GA RESA, Oconee RESA, Okefenokee RESA, Pioneer RESA, Southwest GA RESA, West GA RESA.
In this episode, we look at ways to honor the Class of 2020. Dr. Miki Edwards of Morgan County HS shares the "Secret Senior Sign" project. Dr. Alan Long of Jefferson County HS and his staff have developed a plan to hold graduation on time as scheduled... in a creative way. Finally, Rick Shrewsbury of Herff-Jones shares the resources HJ has developed to help schools deliver a virtual graduation ceremony.
Contact information:
Miki Edwards: miki.edwards@morgan.k12.ga.us
Alan Long: alan.long@gassp.org
Rick Shrewsbury: RShrewsbury@herffjones.com
Rick invites you to join an informational webinar tomorrow (April 10). Here's the link:
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FRIDAY, APRIL 10 – 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET
-
- Click on the following link to download the invite and add it your calendar:
- https://herffjones-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/p/jmwhitt/EUYhIyHwgN9Pp-34NfSBHhAB4621pdS-ipP13L4VOT-Jjw?e=W5iXse
We had a virtual meeting to discuss what everyone is doing in light of COVID-19 in regards to graduation, prom, grades, etc... People from all across Georgia came. This is the recording of our conversation.
Guest Moderators: Dr. Jim Finch, Principal, Mary Persons HS and President of GASSP
Dr. Alan Long, Principal, Jefferson County HS and Incoming Executive Director of GASSP
Dr. Mark Wilson, Principal-Matters
Support Your New Teachers
As we begin the new school year, one of the most important priorities for us as Ps and APs should be the successful introduction of new Ts to our building and especially new teachers to the profession.
You know the data points… that within five years, half of new teachers have left the profession. You also know we are hiring from a deficit rather than from a surplus. Once it was true that effective hiring was one of if not the most important actions a P could take.
NOW, you would do well to consider developing and retaining your Ts as a priority. We can’t continue to work with new Ts as we did in the past. We need a fresh new approach to support, nurture, and encourage our new Ts.
Let’s take a look at several scenarios for you as a P in regard to your new teachers and consider which of those set your Ts up for success and which of them set them up to have a more difficult year.
In this episode, we look at ten different decisions that you as a P make regarding new teachers, and consider what those decisions do to encourage or discourage Ts as they begin their career.
Here we go!
- Assignment of Classes/Courses:
- Mentor Assignment
- Working with Colleagues
- Working with Parents
- Opportunity to Vent
- Feedback for Improvement
- Encouragement
- Duty Assignments
- First-Year Support?
- Appropriate Onboard and Orientation
Thanks for listening!
More resources for you!
- principal-matters.com (website)
- thenewprincipalshow.podbean.com (Podcast)
- Get the Principal-Matters Newsletter Weekly-Register here: tinyurl.com/Get-PrinMat
- @MarkWilsonGA (Twitter)
Announcer for the New Principal Show!: Alex Johnson
Music Licensed via Soundstripe:
Track Title: Little Unexpected Surprises
Artist Name(s): Cast Of Characters
Trust and The Principal.
Q: WHY do we always advise new principals to proceed gradually in bringing about change?
A: Trust.
As Stephen Covey wrote, “change happens at the speed of trust.” In this episode of The New Principal Show! we explore trust and the principal through these questions:
- Trust and the Principal:
- Internal: Building Trust among your Faculty and Staff
- External: Earning Trust of Parents, Community, and Central Office
- Personal: Trusting Yourself to Lead: (Confidence v. Fear; The difference between confidence and arrogance)
- What'd we learn? Wrap up from each of us
Read more about Trust and The Principal here: Trust and the Principal
Your The New Principal Show! hosts are:
Mark Wilson: Teacher and Coach of Principals, (@MarkWilsonGA);
Octavius Mulligan: Principal, Tesnatee Gap Elementary School; (@Dr_Octavius77)
Debra Murdock, Executive Director, Cherokee County Schools. (@Warrior_Pal)
More resources for you!
- principal-matters.com (website)
- thenewprincipalshow.podbean.com (Podcast)
- Get the Principal-Matters Newsletter Weekly-Register here: tinyurl.com/Get-PrinMat
- @MarkWilsonGA (Twitter)
Announcer for the New Principal Show!: Alex Johnson
Music Licensed via Soundstripe:
Track Title: Little Unexpected Surprises
Artist Name(s): Cast Of Characters
How do you build the right culture for your school? Is it important to have a school where students and teachers have a joy for learning? What does 'believing' have to do with school leadership? When do you reflect?
Our guest stars considered those and more questions in this very exciting episode of TNPS.
Dr. Stephen Peters is an internationally-known speaker who, after thirteen years of presentations and conferences went back to school (he had previously been a teacher and a principal). In his return, he was asked by the BBC to be a part of a project called "The American High School" in which he and his school were filmed for an entire year. The series has been broadcast by National Geographic and can be seen at their site and on demand. Click here to watch: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/american-high-school/
Also, you can learn more about Dr. Peters' work at his site, found here: http://stephenpetersgroup.com
Dr. Laurie Barron is the Superintendent of Schools in Evergreen, MT, and was named the 2013 National Middle School Principal of the Year while at Smokey Road MS in Coweta County, GA. She is a published author, having recently released the book, Middle School: A Place to Belong and Become. Laurie is a sought-after national speaker, a recognized thought leader in educational leadership, and deeply engaged with national leadership organizations.
Priorities, Time, Getting Things Done, Balance.
Can you get it all done? How do you know what to do? How do we keep our jobs and not lose our selves?
Episode Six of TNPS dives into those topics with Principals Jamey Moore and Melvin Hugans. Jamey is in his fourth year at North Hall HS in Hall County; Melvin is a second-year principal at Harper Elementary School in the Thomasville City School System.
Whether you're new or veteran, you'll enjoy this engaging conversation about leadership, time, and priorities.
Enjoy the conversation and keep it going by leaving your comments in the appropriate fields.
Our next LIVE show: You do NOT want to miss!
Sunday, October 29 8:00 PM EDT
"Reflection, Joy, Culture and Believing"
Guest Stars: Dr. Stephen Peters; Dr. Laurie Barron
Don't do it alone!
The position of principal can be lonely... but it doesn't have to be, and it shouldn't be! Building networks with other colleagues can help inform your practice, keep you going when things are tough, and give you connections that help you better serve your school.
Our guest hosts for episode five are quick to testify about the power of the principal making connections. Stephanie Johnson is the Deputy Superintendent of the Georgia Department of Education and was the 2017 Georgia High School Principal of the Year (GASSP) and a finalist for National Principal of the Year (NASSP) for the work she led at Maynard H. Jackson High School in Atlanta (Atlanta Public Schools).
Jim Finch is the Principal of Mary Persons High School in Monroe County (Forsyth) and is the Vice-President of the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals (GASSP).
Along with a live chat-audience, Stephanie, Jim, and Mark take time to talk about how and why the effective principal connects and how it's beneficial for the progress of the school.
Enjoy the conversation and thanks for learning with us. Want to join us LIVE? We'll be back in gear on Sunday, October 1 at 8:00 PM EDT. Login at https://www.gotomeet.me/principal-matters and join the conversation with Melvin Hugans from Thomas City Schools and Jamey Moore from Hall County.
This Episode: Instructional Leadership How effective are you in helping others around you grow? We'll examine what it means to be effective in your observations, meaningful in your feedback, and impactful in designing continuing learning with your teachers.
Tonight's Guest Stars! Cindy Saxon, Associate Superintendent in the Division of Teacher and Leader Support and Development for the Georgia Department of Education joins us to talk about the growth process that effective school leaders promote among their teachers.
Casey Bethel served our state as the 2017 Georgia Teacher of the Year. He has recently begun work at CEISMC (Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Math, and Computing).
We're excited to have Cindy and Casey join The New Principal Show tonight! Our next LIVE episode is on Sunday, September 10 at 8:00 PM EDT. Join us at https://www.gotomeet.me/principal-matters
Episode Three of The New Principal Show! covers a topic that is critical to the success of the new principal: Communication.
Simply put, whatever ideas you have to make your school a success rely on your skills as a communicator.
Our special guests in this episode are great communicators.
Kevin Paul Scott (@KevinPaulScott) is the co-founder of ADDO International. Kevin Paul Scott has traveled to six continents and spoken to leaders from more than 100 countries. Kevin co-founded both ADDO Worldwide and the ADDO Institute. The ADDO Institute received the Governor’s International Award for “New Company of the Year” in the state of Georgia. The Institute works specifically in the areas of global leadership, student leadership, and thought leadership.
Jayne Ellspermann (@ellsperj) is the immediate Past-President of the NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals) and also holds the distinction of being the 2015 National Principal of the Year. She has been a principal for 25 years at the elementary, middle, and high school level. During her 12 years as principal of West Port High School in Ocala, FL, Ellspermann developed a college-going culture personalized for students. Under Ellspermann's leadership, lunchtime became "PowerHour," a student-empowerment initiative Ellspermann launched giving students autonomy over an hour of their school day for academic enrichment, open labs, clubs, and other creative opportunities. PowerHour produced remarkable results: course failure dropped from 38 percent to 3 percent, the graduation rate improved from 68 percent to 97 percent, and participation in activities increased seven-fold to nearly 70 percent.
Octavius Mulligan (@Octavius77) Octavius is the principal of Tesnatee Gap Elementary School in White County, GA. Dr. Mulligan previously served as assistant principal at Cornelia Elementary, South Habersham Middle and Habersham Central High School. He left Central in 2013 after seven years to become the Assistant Principal at White County High School. He held that job for a year and a half before being named the director of the White County Ninth Grade Academy.
Enjoy!
In Episode One, we focused on the first moments of being a new principal... the ideas that set the foundation of your work. (Be Yourself, Listen, Take Lots of Notes, and Learn Why Things Are Done The Way They're Done)
Those are important things and the basis for everything that follows... but what follows is the beginning of your work. What do you do first?
During this episode, we talk about the steps to success in four parts: 1) Get Involved; 2) Develop Relationships; 3) Build Bridges; and 4) Develop A Successful Climate.
Our guest stars in episode two are principals Garrick Askew, Principal of Lithia Springs High School and Amy Thornton, Principal of Callaway Elementary School.
In this episode we also feature a visit from Paul Shaw, the Director of the Ethics Division of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. In this segment we discuss what new principals do to build cultures of ethical leadership in their schools.
Enjoy this episode, and make plans to be with us on Sunday, July 30 at 8:00 PM EDT at https://www.gotomeet.me/principal-matters when we will be LIVE with NASSP Past-President Jayne Ellspermann, Principal Octavius Mulligan, and CEO and founder of ADDO Communications, Kevin Paul Scott. We'll be talking about the New Principal and Communication.
But first, enjoy this podcast of the New Principal Show!
Here's what's coming up next on future episodes of the show!
You're a new principal. Now what? Episode one, season one of The New Principal Show! answers that and more. Dr. Mark Wilson (principal-matters.com and @MarkWilsonGA) is your host and guide to this twelve-episode show to help new principals get off to a successful beginning.
In this episode, Mark is joined by Dr. Torian White, the Principal of Southeast Bulloch Middle School in Statesboro, GA and by Debra Murdock, the 2014 Georgia High School Principal of the Year (GASSP) and Leadership Director for Cherokee County Schools.
We discuss four big things that new principals need to know in order to get off to a good start:
1) Be Yourself;
2) Listen;
3) Take Notes (Don't make too many fast changes);
4) Learn why things are done as they're done (before you move the wrong furniture!)
We were joined in this live professional learning event on Tuesday, July 18 by a number of participants, some who shared via chat, others who share their voice to this recording. This is a recording of that meeting! Hope that it will help you in your work!
Join us in the future at https://www.gotomeet.me/principal-matters
Here's the schedule:
The New Principal Show! Online Episodes 8:00-9:00 PM
- Tuesday, July 18 Congratulations! You’re A Principal. Now What?!? Four Things
- Sunday, July 23 Let’s Get It Started: Four Keys to Commence A Great Start
- Sunday, July 30 Communication. Key to Your Success In Leading the School
- Monday, August 28 Instructional Leadership: The Principal’s Work in the Classroom
- Sunday, September 10 Making Connections: Your Role as a Hu
- Sunday, October 1 Priorities, Balance, Time, and Getting Things Done
- Sunday, October 29 Reflection, Joy, Culture and Believing
- Sunday, November 26 Being Innovative and Supporting Innovation
- Monday, December 11 Parents, Community, and Branding
- Sunday, January 21 Serving the Students Who Need You Most
- Sunday, March 4 What Happens Next Year? Planning for Now Through Mid-September.
- Sunday, April 22 Right? Wrong? Not Sure? How Has This Year Gone?
Thanks!
Dr. Mark Wilson
mark.wilson.ga@gmail.com
principal-matters.com
markwilsoneducation.com
@MarkWilsonGA