Category Archives: Leadership

The current educational landscape calls for a bold reevaluation. Let us consider this post a spiritual successor to my Halloween “Horror of Education” post. Let us also note that, over the past couple weeks, I completed a regular ritual which … Continue reading →

Take action. Choose a few people each week to thank. As Meister Eckhart says: “If the only prayer you ever say is ‘thank you,’ it will be enough.” Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I find myself reflecting on something I have … Continue reading →

We can make a difference – one assessment, one student, one day at a time. Having spent three decades in the trenches of Catholic education, both as a teacher and an administrator, I have witnessed educational paradigms and approaches shift … Continue reading →

This means listening. This means talking. This means communicating. One of the things I adore most about living the life of an educational leader is August. I love the start of the year rituals. I love opening faculty meetings. I … Continue reading →

Should we talk about issues? Yes, we should. In the time honored tradition of fixing the barn door after the cow has come home, I present a post about politics and the classroom the day after the US presidential election. … Continue reading →

…the horror of education … is ALWAYS met by ordinary folks doing extraordinary things. It is Halloween Week. This is the 13th installment of this volume of the blog. These are two signs of mystic and dreadful portent. EEk! This … Continue reading →

If you have hired well, terrific. If you have not, oh boy. I watched the first three seasons of the shocking, smash hit Succession and hung in until it got to be just a bit much for me. It seems … Continue reading →

… the hard things typically involve disappointing others or letting others down. These are the hardest things for me. I liked to be liked. This may be my most defining characteristic. In my personal life and in my professional life, … Continue reading →

…the goal was simply to have fun… I have served on many, many committees in my 30 plus years in education, some compulsory (new teacher cohorts), some formal (task forces, department chair teams, focus groups), and some informal (collections of … Continue reading →

Cell phones. Students should be allowed to have them on their persons in school. This past spring, as I was sitting with faculty members for end of year conversations, I was asked, point blank, where I stood on cell phones … Continue reading →