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

Last week I was speaking to a group of Assistant Principals near Montgomery, Alabama, when I noticed a familiar face at a table near the back of the room. I saw a man whom I had met the day before on my ride from the airport to the conference center. Mr. Willie Lewis, a retired […] The post PMP:102 Four Essentials for Advancing in Your Leadership appeared first on Principal Matters.

This summer my wife and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. For some reason, I’ve never thought of myself as older, but I realize now that I’m preparing for this anniversary, my children may categorize me that way. My wife, however, will forever be my young bride. This reminds me of a story: An […] The post PMP:101 Strategies for Messaging with Teachers appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I was ten years old, I had an old tape cassette player. It was the kind that had a built-in speaker and looked like a radio the size of small book. You know, the kind with four square buttons on top: Rewind, Forward, Play, and Record. Sometimes I’d lay on the carpet and tape […] The post PMP:100 Celebrating One Hundred Episodes of Storytelling appeared first on Principal Matters.

This Christmas break, I took the family to see the newest Star Wars movie. If you haven’t seen it, please note the forthcoming spoiler alert. In the opening scene, Jedi-in-training, Rey, has journeyed to the planet where the retired Luke Skywalker, has hidden himself away from the universe and its troubles. She climbs the heights […] The post PMP:099 Collaborating for Results – Interview with Dr. Judi Barber appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I was in high school and college, I spent a lot of time diving for shells in the lakes near my home in West Tennessee. It wasn’t as glamorous as it sounds. Lake diving is work that requires you to spend a lot of time in depths too dark to see while crawling mud […] The post PMP098: Messaging with Teachers – The Foundations, Models, and Framework for Strong Instructional Leadership appeared first on Principal Matters.

Last month I enjoyed some time away with family in West Tennessee. When I was there, my son Jack and I hiked the backwoods behind my parents’ farm. There is a winding creek that runs behind the house. It’s filled with lily pads in the summer, and on the back end of the creek is […] The post PMP:097 Building a Community of Messaging with Entanglement, Engagement, and Mission appeared first on Principal Matters.

Happy New Year! As I look at the past year I am grateful for the connections, relationships and opportunities to grow personally and professionally. I wanted to say a special thank you to those of you who check out posts, listen to podcast episodes, or have read my books Principal Matters or Messaging Matters and […] The post PMP:096 Wrapping up Another Year of Principal Matters + Bonus Takeaways appeared first on Principal Matters.

A few years ago, I sat in a gymnasium with bleachers filled with middle schoolers while I watched high school student Jesse Haynes, one of my own Skiatook seniors at the time, share about his new novel he published that year. “This is one of my teammates and me after winning our first tournament of […] The post PMP:095 Encouraging Childlike Wonder in Learning appeared first on Principal Matters.

Just a few days ago I was presenting to principals in Wichita, Kansas I was a little nervous because I had been having trouble with my voice from some bronchitis in my lungs. The doctor had given me some meds to combat the congestion, and my voice was returning. At the same time, I was […] The post PMP:094 Ten Takeaways on Communication & Lessons in Teamwork appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I was in college I climbed my first mountain which was an active volcano near Guatemala City. We loaded a bus the night before and arrived hours before sunrise to begin our hike in the dark. As we made it up the mountain, the pale colors of morning began to greet us. With the […] The post PMP:093 Why are You Leading? 4 Questions for Refocusing on Your Destination appeared first on Principal Matters.