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

I’ve been on the road (and in planes) a lot the summer, and I have been thinking about issues and ideas I’ve been wanting to share with Principal Matters readers and listeners. This week I was on a long road trip when I was pondering some questions a listener had emailed my way. After stopping […] The post PMP:Bonus03 – Answers to Listener Questions + Thoughts from the Road appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I was in college, I had my first experience in mountain climbing. I was traveling in Guatemala for a summer missions outreach when one morning, we woke up before dawn and rode a bus to the base of an active volcano. About twenty of us had decided to begin our climb in the dark […] The post PMP:119 Your Friendships – Learning to Climb Together appeared first on Principal Matters.

The other morning, I woke up early in a hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was. Then it dawned on me that I was presenting that morning at a Growing Leaders Principal Roundtable event hosted by Dr. Tim Elmore. I dressed, grabbed my laptop bag and headed downstairs […] The post PMP:118 Growing Leaders Takeaways – Crucial Conversations About Students appeared first on Principal Matters.

Balance is a popular word among life coaches and leadership authors. As important as it is to remember to invest in the meaningful areas of your life, too many people place unrealistic expectations upon themselves. Living a life of meaning does not mean being perfect. This is misperception is not only unrealistic, it is also […] The post PMP:117 Your Time – Are you Making the Most of Each Moment? appeared first on Principal Matters.

Recently, Howard Schultz, the owner and CEO of Starbucks announced he will be retiring as CEO of the company. This news comes after several years of stunning success for a company whose stock price rose from $7 a share during the recession to $56 a share this past week. As a part of my commute, […] The post PMP:116 The Starbucks Story – Three Lessons for School Leaders appeared first on Principal Matters.

In 2010, I had the privilege of traveling to China for ten days on an education tour. One morning in Beijing, I headed outside the hotel before breakfast for a quick run. Later as I showered and dressed, I began to feel sick. I thought perhaps I was catching a cold or was just suffering […] The post PMP:115 A Leader’s Influence – How is the Air You Breathe? appeared first on Principal Matters.

Last week I was on the phone with a teacher who will soon be interviewing for an assistant principal opening. Just this past week, I have talked to two superintendents and a principal who have openings for principal or assistant principal positions at their schools. It’s that time of year again for hiring and job […] The post PMP:Encore027 Ten Tips for Interviewing for an Education Opening appeared first on Principal Matters.

My mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s. The condition began about ten years ago when we thought she was simply becoming more forgetful. But as her short-term memory declined, we realized she wasn’t just suffering from old age. Over the years, she has lost the ability to recognize her own children and grandchildren, and she forgets whether or […] The post PMP:114 Reflections on Your Learning: What’s on Your Playlist? appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I drove into the parking lot at East Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I was greeted by bright yellow arrows on the parking lot, pointing the direction for incoming and outgoing traffic. A beautiful flower bed had been built in front of the school. A friendly security staff person met me at the […] The post PMP:113 Building Positive School Communities – Interview with Principal Mike Crase appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I was little, I loved to stand in the garden as my grandparents tilled soil and put out spring tomatoes. The smell of freshly tilled dirt, the sun beating down on my back, the brush of the ground with hoes and rakes—all these memories come back to me each spring. My grandparents didn’t just […] The post PMP:112 Reflections for Education Leaders – How Are You Tending Your Body? appeared first on Principal Matters.