In this episode, Jethro is joined by Danny Bauer and Glenn Robbins, author of the book Calm In The Chaos: Ancient Stoic Wisdom for Successful School Leadership. We talk about how to be stoic as a leader in schools and apply that wisdom to your daily. Plus, you won’t believe the sign we saw in a school!

• How to get people on the same page when you’re not physically on an island. 
• Community had come together before when they’ve been through something together. 
• Starting from negative emotions doesn’t help you find success. 
• When you come from a place of gratitude, it’s great. 
• This is my roadmap for connecting with people. 
• You’re still a human being, but you still have to rise up and be your best. 
• Your pride sometimes takes away your willingness to share what you’re going through. 
• We often don’t have models showing us how we do things different. 
• Key piece is mentoring, models, and psychologically safe spaces where you can admit that you’re struggling. 
• Expect people to be wrong, evil, tortuous, dishonest.
• Vulnerability can be perceived in many different ways
• Stoicism is constancy. 
• Be the rock, that is immovable. 
• A lot of the expectation is expecting the sea to not rage, but that is not realistic. 
• Mastering what is in your control. 
• How we help people see they can choose what they control.
• How to be a transformative principal? Own your mistakes - Danny
• Psychological safety

About Danny Bauer

Danny Bauer helps Ruckus Makers Do School Different™ which means shifting from old, traditional, and often broken ways of educating to new, different, and innovative ways of educating.

He’s written multiple bestselling books and hosts the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast which is the most downloaded show in school leadership and ranks in the TOP 0.5% of all shows worldwide.

About Glenn Robbins

Glenn Robbins is the proud Superintendent of the Brigantine Public School District in Brigantine, New Jersey. His passion is harnessing a district culture that thrives on positive psychology, design thinking, futurism, innovative digital spaces, technology integration, esports, cybersecurity, Social Emotional Learning Zen Dens, and Maker cultures. In addition, Glenn encourages all students to have a voice, not only in building a school culture, but also in designing student led entrepreneur opportunities.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

• Aspirational Model  
• Shifting Mindset
• Emotional Connection - Research in MESSY started at the beginning of the pandemic. 
• There will always be the next crisis. 
• Expectation of leaders - what’s important? Professional veneer - leave our personal outside our workplace.
• Establishing themselves as larger than life.
• Authenticity - personal and professional are more blurred. 
• Heart, Head, and Hands - Dr. Marvin Berkowitz
• Presence triangle - think about the other person and how you’re delivering your message. Self-other-outside
• Taking a deep breath, thinking about the relationship, moving to the perspective of the other individual. 
• You matter, you’re not alone. Schools need you. 
• Coaching creates a confidential space. 
• Challenges: courage, empowering and coaching others, taken servant leadership too far, influence others to change their practice, lack of confidence, slowing down and not reacting all the time. 
• Pleaser and Martyr
• De-implementation
• Leaders get things done through influence.
• This is a Choose Your Own Adventure style of book. 
• Two voices in our heads - Judge and Pessimist
• How to be a transformative principal? Carve out time to reflect. 

• Meaning Making: Create a shared vision and engage others by collaborating more effectively.

• Emotional Connection: Build deeper, more trusting relationships to give feedback and hold difficult conversations.

• Sensing the Future: Think creatively and tackle entrenched school improvement problems through experimentation and innovation.

• Seizing Momentum: Be proactive, gain control of how you prioritize your time, and embrace new ways of working.

• Your Presence: Build confidence by identifying the barriers that hold you back and learning how to overcome them.

About Alyssa Gallagher

Alyssa Gallagher is the author of the book Embracing MESSY Leadership: How the Experience of 20,000 School Leaders Can Transform You and Your School. She is also the Co-Head of BTS Spark, North America, for BTS Spark, a not-for profit practice focused on bringing executive level coaching to every school leader.  She has extensive experience leading schools and districts to revolutionize learning for students. Under Alyssa’s guidance Los Altos School District became a nationally recognized leader in education innovation with her work featured in Forbes, Wired, The Economist magazine and on CNN and CBS’ 60 Minutes.  After two decades working within k12 education, Alyssa led the global leadership practice for The Wiseman Group, co-designing executive development strategies to enable leaders to become better ‘multipliers’ of their people’s talent.  Alyssa has worked with a wide spectrum of leaders, ranging from early career professionals in her local school district to seasoned executives in Fortune 500 Companies.  Alyssa enjoys working with leaders to design strategies that leverage the capability, creativity and intelligence of everyone on their team. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

Worthwhile Links: 

• Range by David Epstein
• Drip7
• Readwise

About Ryan Palmbaum

Ryan Palmbaum is the founder and CEO of Dabbl Discovery, an educational, bite-sized video learning platform designed to help people discover and follow new interests and career paths through short videos created exclusively by experienced experts and educators in a wide variety of industries. Dabbl combines the engaging, concise, 1-3 minute format of TikTok with the quality content and creators of Masterclass or Ted Talks to sit at the peak of engaging education. 

Before entering the EdTech space, Ryan was a world-traveled, ex-collegiate and professional soccer player having lived in 10+ countries, across 3 different continents, all before he turned 20. Throughout his travels, he decided to become a jack of all trades and a master of some. He was a commissioned painter, graphic designer, and musician–while also studying video game programming, finance, psychology, nutrition and much more. Ryan moved back to the United States in 2019 and obtained his bachelor’s degree in Finance & Management from SUNY University at Albany.

Rather than pursuing a normal finance career out of college, he decided to pursue his passion of making the top educational content in the world accessible to everyone, no matter their financial situation or social status. Dabbl is excited to be a hub for the top educational video creators to share their unique experiences in a more streamlined way without being diluted down with misinformation and dangerous content that dominates conventional social media platforms.

Ryan and Dabbl are focused on learning from the market and listening to their creators and users to develop the best platform for career and interest discovery possible for everyone involved.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

In this episode, we explore the power of purposeful play in education. Join us as we discuss the importance of play in the learning process, the Connecticut legislation about play in elementary grades, and the benefits of purposeful play for students. We also delve into LEGO Education that highlights the positive impact of play on learning in K-8 students.

We emphasize the importance of putting kids in the driver's seat, exploring concepts, making connections, and conducting experiments. We also discuss how building models and using natural curiosity can help students learn effectively. We encourage teachers to allow kids to find their own solutions and provide time for them to share and discuss their thought process.

We believe that purposeful play empowers students and reimagines the classroom experience. It allows everyone to find success and reach their full potential. We acknowledge the challenges of implementing purposeful play, but we emphasize the importance of engaging with the information, discussing it, and using ideas in different ways. We also highlight the need for teachers to experience playful learning firsthand and to receive ongoing professional learning. Finally, we discuss the role of principals in creating a culture of purposeful play in schools.

• Play is about being in the moment. 
• Purposeful play happening when we get to the goal of learning. 
• CT Legislation about play in elementary grades
• Over-engineering vs. open ended play. 
• LEGO Education about K-8 students - play is a great way to help them learn. 
• Students were more excited to go to school when they had play. 
• Play can take so many different forms. 
• Putting kids in the driver’s seat
• Exploring concepts
• Making connections
• Experiments
• Building models
• Use natural curiosity. 
• Allow kids to find their own solutions
• Time to share and discuss how they got there. 
• When we can really interact with the information
• Purposeful play will empower us to reimagine the classroom experience. 
• Everybody can find success with purposeful play. 
• Everybody can reach the bar that is appropriate for them. 
• The challenge is that it takes so long to do these other things
• Engage with the information, discussion, then use ideas in a different way. 
• How we wrap them together really matters. 
• It can feel uncomfortable to do something new. 
• Teachers need the love and opportunities, too. 
• Teachers deserve some playful learning, too. 
• Give teachers that experience first as a learner, and here are tools for you to use as well. 
• Ongoing professional learning.
• How to be a transformative principal? Think about where students are and how can we bring playful learning back to them. 2. Be thoughtful about what engagement really looks like

Dr. Jenny Bio, Headshot & LEGO® Education Logo: 

About Dr. Jenny Nash, Head of Education Impact, U.S., LEGO® Education: 

Dr. Jenny Nash serves as Head of Education Impact, U.S. for LEGO® Education, where she provides leadership in delivering meaningful learning experiences for students. As an advocate for playful hands-on learning, she is focused on instilling confidence in learning in students and teachers to build academic and 21st-century skills that will create active, collaborative, lifelong learners. 

She has worked in various levels of education, including as a middle and high school science teacher, professional development provider, and educational specialist. Dr. Jenny has presented at SXSW EDU, ISTE, CSTA, and NSTA among others; been quoted in publications such as Fast Company, TODAY, and District Administration; and was recognized as an Influential Woman in STEM and Tech.  

Dr. Nash received her doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Florida, along with her master’s in teaching and bachelor’s in accounting from Marshall University. Dr. Nash is based in Wisconsin and enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter and anything Disney. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

In this episode, Jethro talks with James Anderson, who has been on the show three previous times: 

• The Learner Agency Model with James Anderson Transformative Principal 351
• Learnership with James Anderson Transformative Principal 455 
• Learnership: The Skill of Learning with James Anderson Transformative Principal 570 

In this episode, we talk about teaching cultures and learning cultures, take a sidewalk into some deep thoughts about moral development, and finish with a bang. 

• Do you have a sense of power and that you get to choose what you do in your life?
• Agency makes you the master of your circumstances, not the victim. 
• Voice and Choice lip service
• Power to choose vs. permission to choose. 
• Agency is an outcome, not a pedagogy. 
• There are some things we don’t have agency - the student needs to change and be capable over something that they weren’t capable of it before. 
• Learning culture vs. teaching culture. 
• Default ways we go about learning - teaching and performing. 
• Learning is not the product of teaching, but the product of the activity of learners - John Holt
• Teacher doing all the heavy lifting in the classroom. Kids were coming to school to watch her work. 
• Kids had been learning, but hadn’t yet become learners. 
• Diagnostic tool to determine the level of learnership. 
• Where kids are at in their own learning. 
• Clear snapshot of where learners are at. 
• Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
• Two sides of the same coin. Character development or learnership are two sides of the same coin. 
• Where habits of mind fit in the bigger picture. 
• Teaching content, thinking models, within the context of good moral dimensions. 
• How developing disposition is vital and important. 
• Teachers are too busy “saving kids” from the challenges they are facing. 
• Helping kids become creatures of discomfort. 
• Help kids be safe while climbing, not taking away the opportunity to climb. 
• Torvill and Dean - figure skating. 
• So much more fun. 
• If the results aren’t there, the teachers get the blame. 
• It’s not up to me, it’s up to the learners. 
• We’ve each got a role to play. 
• Eduardo Briceño Performance Paradox
• Learnship matrix shows them what it looks like. 
• Expertise has a rich language to describe their area of expertise. 
• Rich language of teaching, but impoverished language of learning. 
• Teachers are expert teachers, but they are not expert learners. 
• People become adequate and then they stop growing. 
• Stop growing, start performing. 
• Teachers may not have needed to be effective learners for a long time. 
• Creatures of discomfort. 

About James Anderson

James Anderson is a prominent Australian-based international speaker, author, and educator deeply committed to enhancing our capacity for effective learning. Central to his philosophy is the "Mindset Continuum," an extension of Carol Dweck's groundbreaking work on Growth Mindsets, providing practical tools to cultivate a profound understanding of ourselves as learners. His notable concept of Learnership, raising the status of learning from an act to an art, offers a powerful framework to comprehend and enhance our engagement in the learning process, ultimately helping schools to create the paradigm shift that is needed.

With a rich background as a teacher and school leader, James has spent the past two decades collaborating with schools to create more thoughtful learning environments. He challenges educators to critically reflect on their own Mindsets and how these beliefs are subtly communicated to students, offering tangible strategies beyond clichés to instigate genuine shifts in learners' mindsets.

James places immense value on the relationships he establishes with the schools and teachers he engages with, providing sustained support and follow-through often absent in professional development. Demonstrating the impact of his approach, a three-year partnership with Asquith Girls High School in Sydney led to students displaying increased persistence, embracing challenges, and teachers setting higher expectations. This comprehensive program was acknowledged as a finalist in the 2022 Australian Education Awards.

As a Certified Speaking Professional and Certified Virtual Presenter, James frequently presents at global conferences, in both physical and virtual formats. His work has gained recognition in prominent publications like The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, as well as in popular educational and parenting podcasts such as Dr. Justin Coulson's Happy Families, Jethro Jones' Transformative Principal, and Renee Jain's Confident Child Summit.

James's diverse body of work includes previous publications like Succeeding with Habits of Mind, The Agile Learner, and The Learning Landscape, alongside various e-books and teaching resources. His latest book, Learnership, raising the status of learning from an act to an art in your school, is set to become the book that every teacher will be talking about. Additionally, he offers online courses like the Growth Mindset Master Class and Learnership - the skill of Learning, which support educators globally. He holds a consulting role with Art Costa and Bena Kallick's Institute for Habits of Mind and is affiliated with the Habits of Mind Profile Tool. His extensive contributions have significantly impacted the field of education, propelling the art of learning and shaping more adept and empowered learners.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

Jethro welcomes Dr. Jayne Lammers to Transformative Principal. Although we're talking about AI tools, we didn't spend a lot of time talking about the mundanity and what other sources are talking about: the how to, which tool does what thing. Really, we give guidance for school leaders about how to think beyond the boxes and the accountability systems that are currently set up to start to reimagine what learning can be  in schools and beyond, and the ways in which generative AI tools might play a role in that. 

• Edmentum has been using AI tools on the back end for a while. 
• Courses products - self-directed learning. 
• Teaching kids how to use the tools as a personalized tutor for them. 
• Badges and micro-credentialing
• Youth engaged in “fandom” not looking for credit.
• Butting up against the expectations and formalization of 
• Disrupt the siloed nature of secondary schools
• Very few learners get the opportunity to see connections between their content areas. 
• The Sims 12000 players - writing the stories - Trying to set that up in classroom. 
• “Slow and unwise” in school vs developing as a writer in her community. 
• Don’t take what Eve does and give her grade for it. 
• Making learning not about jumping through hoops. 
• AI Tools can make more mundane tasks easier
• Tutoring spaces - 
• Need to differentiate. 
• There’s not enough time in a class period to make the content connect to students’ particular interests. 
• The need for a teacher is less important than it has been in the past. 
• There is a need for teacher engagement in the relationship. 
• The human connection can be transformative. 
• Teacher moves into the role of facilitator, coach, and mentor, rather than an evaluator. 
• How to be a transformative principal? Create a coalition of the willing - Do some experimentation - Champion

Dr. Jayne C. Lammers is the Director of Learning Design at Edmentum. She began her education career as a middle and high school literacy teacher and found a passion for supporting teachers in meeting the needs of striving readers. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction at Arizona State University and spent 15 years in higher education, preparing teachers for the challenges of today’s classrooms. Her research explored the intersection of students’ interests and technology’s affordances, aiming to make literacy instruction more meaningful and impactful. Now, at Edmentum, Dr. Lammers helps ensure that their products leverage research-based best practices and consider the realities of teachers’ work and students’ needs. 

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

Topaz Adizes is an Emmy-award winning creator who helps build the space between two people through deep and meaningful conversations. We have one of those for you today. Jethro and Topaz share how to listen better, ask better questions, and have intention in the conversations we have. 

• {The AND} and 12 Questions for Love
• Illuminating the space between
• What 12 questions would be the questions that spark a deep relationship
• Trial and error - what questions work, and in what sequence?
• WHy are these questions and others working or not working? 
• {The AND} is a format
• It’s about holding the space for people. 
• There are as many stories of relationships as there are sands of the sea. 
• It is what is.
• The Skin Deep is an experience design studio. 
• The media suggests that the speaker is important. 
• Questions fall into some sort of societal programming
• Ask questions that go deeper than the simple questions we usually ask
• Intention and well-constructed questions
• They’re asking themselves “How do we ensure that our students rank high?” 
• Asking another question will lead to different behaviors and different questions? 
• How do we make sure that each student feels that this school would not be the same if they were not here? 
• What Learning Looks like
• Coworkers - What values do we not share with our parents? 
• Reframing
• Learning is always individual
• How do I apply that in new formats
• The path to the heart is really listening. 
• Listening with the body, being present to the space. 
• If we’re not listening to the response, we’re not on the path to connection. 
• What kind of conversation are we having? 
• 4 meetings: checkin, brainstorm, social, decision-making.
• Education is high stakes, what is this conversation about?
• Common definitions of what we are talking about. 
• We are all on a journey
• Where do we learn to really communicate?

Please add your bio here: 

Topaz Adizes is an Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect. He is an Edmund Hillary fellow and Sundance/Skoll stories of change fellow. His works have been selected to Cannes, Sundance, IDFA, and SXSW; featured in New Yorker magazine, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times; and have garnered an Emmy for new approaches to documentary and Two World Press photo awards for immersive storytelling and interactive documentary. He is currently the founder and executive director of the experience design studio The Skin Deep. Topaz studied philosophy at UC Berkeley and Oxford University. He speaks four languages, and currently lives in Mexico with his wife and two children. For more about The Skin Deep, visit TheSkinDeep.com. To learn more about Topaz Adizes and his work, visit TopazAdizes.com.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

In this podcast conversation, Tiffany Caouette discusses the role and importance of play-based learning in education. Tiffany Caouette, currently working with the Connecticut Association of Schools, shares her insights on Connecticut being one of the first US states to acknowledge the significance of play-based learning through legislation. She talks about her experiences as an administrator, and her push for the inclusion of play-based learning in schools. She emphasizes the benefits of this learning approach, which not only includes improved executive functioning skills and critical thinking abilities among children, but also incorporates real-world applications into their learning process. The conversation delves into issues such as teacher autonomy, utilizing current resources, and balancing the use of electronics in classrooms. The podcast concludes with a discussion on the role of professional development for teachers and administrators in the successful implementation of play-based learning.

We all struggle with executive functioning skills, and play based learning is a way to help instill those at the youngest ages. 

• Play-based Learning - Second state in the country
• Legislation about play-based learning
• Brought all kinds of organizations to the table to bring legislation to law. 
• PreK and Kindergarten based classrooms should be using Play based learning, can’t be penalized for using play-based learning
• What does it look like to have play-based learning?
• How do you prevent play from being academized and boring? 
• When kids are learning, it’s messy. 
• How electronic devices play into it. 
• What PD looks like. Play! 
• Fiscal implementations, scheduling, etc. 
• Organizing cohorts around the work. 
• Grouping people together. 
• Theme-based cohorting. 
• How to help people get out of their own way and try some different things. 
• If we want kids to change, we need to change as adults as well. 
• Start small and expand your network. 
• How to be a transformative principal? Focus on the 1 or 2 things that will make a change. 

About Tiffany Caoutte

Tiffany Caoutte was an administrator for 18 years, urban and suburban, elementary and high school. Been at CAS for a year and a half 

Tiffany Caoutte is a highly experienced administrator with over 18 years of experience in both urban and suburban school districts. She has served as an administrator at both the elementary and high school levels, and has a proven track record of success in leading and improving schools.

Tiffany is currently the Assistant executive director at Connecticut Association for Schools, where she has been for a year and a half. CAS represents about a thousand schools.

Tiffany is a strong advocate for equity and access in education. She believes that all students, regardless of their background, deserve a chance to succeed. She is committed to creating a school environment where all students feel safe, supported, and challenged.

Tiffany is a passionate educator who is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of students.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

In this episode, Jethro is joined by Paul Thiessen and we talk about a broad range of topics from Podcasting for the school community to AI and Personalized Learning. 

• The Daily - One topic, condensed in a short amount of time.
• Talking about events or different topics in our school (purple up and science of reading)
• Conversations with teachers about perceptions in the beginning, middle, and end of career. 
• Why focus on his specific community - parent coffees, video calls, etc. 20-30 people ended up showing up. Gave more flexibility
• The Puma Pawd
• Use Descript
• Jethro’s TEDxTalk about Attendance.
• Personalized Learning
  • Working with Education Elements
  • 32/40 educators really wanted to dive in to personalized learning. 
  • Synergy Podcast episodes on Transformative Principal
  • It’s about mindset
  • Change in education 
  • What impact can I make? 
• How does AI tie into personalized learning?
  • Embracing AI in education
  • Still need to have critical thinking to determine what is good information. 
  • AI can mark students’ progress in academic standards. 
  • It’s never going to be getting the students on board, it’s always about getting the adults on board. 
  • It’s not always easy to be successful. 
  • The unknown creates more anxiety than the known. 
  • The longer we push off the future, the less connected we will be with our kids. 
• How to be a transformative principal? Get into the classrooms. 

About Paul Thiessen

Paul is a passionate educator who is committed to providing students with a high-quality education. He is also a strong advocate for STEM education and believes that it is essential for students to be prepared for the 21st century workforce.Paul Thiessen is a 25-year veteran of the education field. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Waynesburg University in Southwest Pennsylvania, which he earned in 1999. Thiessen began his career as a third-grade teacher at Rachel Carson Elementary in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where he taught for three years as part of Montgomery County Public Schools. In 2002, Thiessen moved to Loudoun County, Virginia, where he opened Hutchison Farm Elementary as a third-grade teacher. He later served as the Elementary Dean for LCPS at Hutchison Farm Elementary, which was his first administrator role. In 2008, Thiessen opened Liberty Elementary (South Riding, VA) as Assistant Principal. He was part of the team that started the STEM work at that school. In 2018, the school was named National STEM School of the year. In 2012, Thiessen became Principal of Pinebrook Elementary in Aldie, VA, where they have become a Personalized Learning School.

Thiessen is a passionate educator who is committed to providing students with a high-quality education. He is also a strong advocate for STEM education and believes that it is essential for students to be prepared for the 21st century workforce.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

Today's episode is super fascinating. Rick Meyer shared his dashboard, and you might want to check out the YouTube video for this episode because it is incredible what he’s doing with teacher data. 

• The power of the data hub
• Very reactive in MTSS to start
• Didn’t know how to do formulas to start
• Data entry comes from Google forms
• Main test scores entered by admin/instructional coach
• Progress monitoring is done by paraprofessionals
• Students enter data
• Teachers don’t put any data in. 
• Daily: Checkin/attendance data
• Weekly: Sonday Phonics Progress monitoring - Color coding based on their MAP Scores. 
• Monthly or as needed: Raider badges & Freckle Intervention program 
• Behavior data - Ownership rooms
• Protecting the data: hLookup Query and other formulas
• Wiping out the old data.
• How to be a transformative principal? Identify what you want to collect! 

About Rick Meyer

Rick Meyer is an elementary principal in Sidney, NE. He has been in education for 19 years, the first 7 as a kindergarten teacher. He then transitioned to a technology coordinator for his district for the next 5 years, where he helped implement technology and taught K-5th grade technology integration. He then moved into administration and is in his 7th year as a principal. Meyer is married to another elementary principal in Sidney and they have two children, a daughter, 16, and a son, 12. He holds a master's degree in administration and is currently working towards his specialist degree to become a superintendent. Meyer has been passionate about technology in education since he entered teaching.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year. 

• How she stays at the same place for so long. 
• Relationships
• Street cred and reputation exist, but they don’t know me personally. 
• Each family is a new relationship
• Honesty and transparency
• People don’t always love the news I give them, but they do appreciate the honesty and directness
• Don’t need to sugarcoat things because it doesn’t actually help. 
• Call and connect with new families. 
• Calling to share good news. 
• Our students deserve our A game every day
• Developing teachers when you have a good relationship. 
• Be a good listener, open the door for reflection. 
• Work together, rather than against each other. 
• 90% of teachers want to be here for the right reason. 
• Seeing brilliance
• The meat of your work is not in doing observations. 
• Small moments of walkthroughs are where the growth really happens.
• Keep a sense of humor
• Weird, hard, and funny happens every day. 
• Don’t make rash decisions - Somebody else thought I should make a decision quickly. 
• Don’t let anyone rush your decisions.
• How to be a transformative principal? Think about students you’re worried about and make a phone call to the family. 

Please add your bio here: 

Marianne Lescher is a life-long educator. Her 40 years in public education span Massachusetts and Arizona.  Dr. Lescher started as an elementary and special education teacher and Assistant Principal in Westwood, Massachusetts and eventually moved to Arizona, where she has been in the Kyrene Elementary District for over 26 years.  In Kyrene, Marianne started at the District Office as a Specialist and Director in Curriculum.  Marianne’s heart is with children and families, so she moved to an elementary school and has been a K-5 and K-8 principal for 25 years.  Over these years, Marianne’s schools have achieved the A+ School of Excellence Award from the Arizona Educational Foundation four times and her current school was honored with the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Recognition in 2015.  This is the highest honor a school can achieve from the Department of Education in Washington DC.  A highlight of Marianne’s career as a Principal has been her work to envision and bring to life the goal of a K-8 campus for Kyrene Traditional Academy.  Marianne was charged with not only developing and training a staff in new curriculum and instructional strategies, but also to work with architects and construction crews to add two new buildings to campus and overseeing the renovation of the existing school building, all on an active school campus!   With her staff, students and community, Marianne’s school has almost doubled in enrollment and continues to achieve amazing results and has been recognized with numerous awards.  Marianne is a life-long learner as well, and received her undergraduate degrees from Boston College in elementary and special education, her M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and her Ph. D. from Boston College in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation. She is a proud Double Eagle from BC!  Marianne continues her own professional development and study through her work with the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) where she trains and mentors new and aspiring school leaders. She also works closely with the Arizona Educational Foundation in supporting school leaders and is an adjunct with Grand Canyon University.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL and MyFlexLearning. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you simplify and streamline technology, reliably meet Tier 1 standards, improve assessment performance, and more. Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

MyFlexLearning is the scheduling platform that helps middle and high schools meet the individual needs of all students. Create and manage time for flex blocks, WIN time, activity periods, RTI, counselor and teacher appointments and much more. And with a built-in accountability tool and reporting features, solve your challenges around getting kids where they need to be and understanding how flex time is spent. Make your flex time work for you. Visit myflexlearning.com/BE to learn more and receive $500 off the first year.