Lead Lit Article Type: Read It
Results
5 Reasons to Read Grown-Up Books
I got an email containing an update from Rita’s Goodreads account. She had just finished reading Shouting at the Rain. She loved it and gave it a five-star rating. Rita...
Equitable Coaching
We were meeting as a leadership team to discuss the direction for professional development in the second half of the year. Our team is composed of a representative from each...
Helping Teachers Write
Not infrequently, a distant or past friend or colleague will ask me to read something they’ve written. “Will you tell me what you think?” they ask. What they want (what...
Celebration and Reflection for Teacher Growth
The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. —Anna Quindlen We’ve been going about school improvement...
Stepping Away from the Conversation
I recently watched a teacher artfully—and unexpectedly—remove herself from student talk just when it got sticky. The class of second graders had just finished reading about a group of animals...
Taming the Voices in Our Heads
Our entire lives, [Eckhart Tolle argued], are governed by a voice in our heads. This voice is engaged in a ceaseless stream of thinking—most of it negative, repetitive, and self-referential....
Closing Out Professional Communities
As I thought about our last meeting together for the school year, I wrestled with how to make it just right. This would be the last time we’d sit down...
Best Intentions with No Assumptions
I arrived at the high school to pick up my son from maker club. As I was walking toward the front doors, a woman standing in the parking lot asked...
Reframing Data Discussions
“Will you lead a meeting going over ELA benchmark data with second through sixth grade on one of the institute days?” “Sure.” (Please no.) “Which day?” (Please say the second...
Blind Spots
My wife’s text message was not what I wanted to see. “The dryer’s not working. Gives me some weird code.” Weird code = something I probably cannot fix. That the...
What Do We Mean by Coachable?
My youngest son recently tried out for and earned a spot on a travel basketball team. As we mused about what being on the team would entail (how many practices,...
Identity and Coaching
What happens when you consider yourself good at something and then your skill is questioned? For example, I consider myself a champion chocolate chip cookie baker, but when I brought...
An Ounce of Doubt
In my daily instructional walks, visiting classroom after classroom and engaging in the teaching and learning, I have started getting more interested in the why behind our practices. One area...
What Happens Next Is What Defines Us
My own children have been my greatest teachers. For me, one of the most challenging aspects of parenting has been to help pick them up after a disappointing event in...
Celebrations Across the Year
“Any quick wins?” I inquired as we began to get our bimonthly meeting of literacy coaches underway. Quick wins as described in Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Success...
Finding Time for Classroom Walk-Throughs
As school leaders, we know our time is precious. It can be hard to prioritize our days with all the duties we are expected to complete. At the top of...
Meeting with Building Leaders
“I want to meet again every month,” Maggie said. “Just like last year.” Maggie is the principal of one of our five elementary schools, and last year, we committed to...
The Lion Unit
In my first year of coaching, my staff and I spent the fall focused on math instruction. We finally had an opportunity during the last three weeks before break to...
The Hole in Your Swing
I am a baseball fan. I played the sport through high school, spent a couple of years riding a bench in college, and now enjoy it mostly from the confines...
Clearing the Plate: Helping Teachers Feel Free, Not Full
“David,” she said, “I’m so sorry. I just can’t do our session today.” Her tired expression, slumped shoulders, and weak voice had told me that already. “Don’t worry about it,...
A Literacy Foundation
I lead a school in a building with a lot of history. Veteran teachers currently working in the building can recall their first day of kindergarten in the...
