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

When I was in high school and college, my brothers and I worked part-time diving for mussel shells in the Kentucky Lake area. We would sell them by the pound at local markets, and those shells would in turn be sold to Japanese markets. Apparently, the pearly-white cuts from those shells are unique implants for […] The post PMP:Encore053 How Do You Respond Under Pressure? appeared first on Principal Matters.

Educators are talking a lot about students in trauma. Although you may not always know when students are stressed or facing a crises, research by the American Psychological Association, shows that today’s students have the same level of anxiety as psychiatric patients did in the 1950’s. Some of this anxiety is the result of increased […] The post PMP:127 Why Social Emotional Learning Matters – Interview with Tamara Fyke appeared first on Principal Matters.

One of my favorite college education professors would often start class with a provoking question. As we would grapple with how to answer or support our positions, he would stand there with his large hands lifted in the air, his voice booming, “Disequilibrium is the beginning of education!” It took me a while to figure […] The post PMPEncore046: 5 Ways to Respond to Resistance appeared first on Principal Matters.

Recently, the United States mourned the passing of Arizona Senator John McCain. Before his death, Senator McCain was asked by a reporter what words he hoped to see on his tombstone. He replied, “I’ve been a small bit of American history, so I think if there’s something on my tombstone, it’ll be ‘He served his […] The post PMP:125 Leaving A Legacy – What Will Others Say About You? appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I was a Language Arts teacher, I would walk my students through a series of practices on identifying their surroundings and writing down the details. You could try it right now. Take a moment and pause to consider the following: What are you seeing? Look up, down, around, and behind you. Are you seeing […] The post PMP:124 Six Tips for Investing in Future Leaders appeared first on Principal Matters.

This summer my wife and I enjoyed time away, celebrating our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. One afternoon, we drove to Emerald Bay, a cove nestled a mile below the mountain highway there. We hiked down the trail and rented a kayak. When we pushed away from shore, I was immediately struck by […] The post PMP:123 Rowing Together – Why Your Marriage Matters for Your Leadership appeared first on Principal Matters.

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine who ran track in high school. When he was at his fastest, he could run a mile in 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Even though he was naturally fast, he learned to increase his speed through a strong practice his coach required: wearing a […] The post PMP:122 Packing Parachutes – Why Your Money Management Matters appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I spotted the mud puddle, I thought it would be fun to jump it. The dirt road that ran along the edge of the field by our West Tennessee farmhouse was often traveled by trucks or tractors. And the ruts in the sandy, red dirt would fill with rain and create long stretches of […] The post PMP:121 The Power of Play – 7 Tips for Education Leaders appeared first on Principal Matters.

How are you anticipating the start of a new school year? This week I wanted to share some thoughts from a previous post as reminders for your new school year: Predicting Your School Climate Sometimes my left elbow aches. I have a scar there from when I broke it falling from a horse almost twenty years ago. […] The post PMP:Encore06 – Essential Questions for a New School Year (& Predicting the Weather) appeared first on Principal Matters.

A few weeks ago, I was on an airplane with my oldest daughter, Emily, who just finished her first year of college and is enjoying summer break. Being with her brings back a lot of memories. At the time, she was staring out the window into the landscape of clouds below while we flew to […] The post PMP:120 A Leader’s Spiritual Growth – Four Reasons Your Faith Matters appeared first on Principal Matters.