I’ve been thinking a lot about the families who left our district. They didn’t leave because of what we did, but because of what they thought we did. One parent believed we had eliminated all dual credit courses. We hadn’t. We had actually partnered with a neighboring district to sustain one those opportunities while we…
Was I resting… or just managing another system? That question caught me off guard last week, somewhere between coordinating Christmas traditions, managing holiday logistics, and making sure everyone else experienced ease. The week of Christmas is supposed to feel like a break. The calendar clears. The inbox quiets. The pace slows (at least on paper)….
What happens when students become the architects of change in their own learning? For four years, I watched high school students coach veteran teachers, redesign classroom assignments, and present at state conferences. This wasn’t a feel-good side project or an enrichment club tucked neatly after school. It was a working model of how educational technology…
I didn’t set out to write a book about marketing. I set out to write a book about survival. Long before I sat in cabinet meetings or analyzed enrollment reports, I learned a lesson no teacher prep program ever mentions: when you teach an elective, your job security is directly tied to enrollment. No butts…
It’s December, which means I’m running on a cocktail of holiday adrenaline, strategic planning energy, and the creeping realization that something’s got to give. . Can you relate? Here’s my mid-year truth: I’m tired. Not the “I need a vacation” tired. The “I’m not sure this pace is sustainable” tired. And the tricky part is,…
New leaders often ask me how to earn influence before they have authority. My answer surprises them: stop waiting for permission to lead. This year, I had the privilege of sitting on a leadership panel for CoSN’s Early Career K12 CTO Academy. While the focus was technology, the conversation kept circling back to a deeper…
For all the books, frameworks, certifications, and workshops we invest in as leaders, there’s one practice that rarely shows up in a syllabus, and yet consistently shapes culture, trust, and our own sense of purpose. Gratitude. Not the performative kind. And not the once-a-year, holiday-cued kind. I mean the kind that grounds you. The kind…
When I first started teaching, I was the one sneaking new tools into the classroom. The early adopter, the “let’s try it and see what happens” teacher who saw technology not as a distraction but as a bridge: a bridge to creativity, collaboration, and the kind of engagement that made learning come alive. Fast-forward to…
When you ask a classroom full of students what they want to be when they grow up, you’ll hear a lot of familiar answers: teacher, principal, doctor, astronaut, maybe even YouTuber or game designer. But you’ll almost never hear a student say, “I want to be a Chief Technology Officer.” And that’s a problem. Because…
Want your family to stay safe online without fear or confusion? Start with five proven habits: update passwords together, talk before posting, model good digital behavior, check privacy settings, and stay curious about new apps and AI tools. These simple steps empower families to protect privacy, prevent risks, and build lasting digital trust in an ever-connected world.
