Pride...  Dangerous?  It can be.  But it can also be a powerful tool.

If you want to change the world, start by making your bed!  Maybe you've heard Admiral William McRaven's speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sK3wJAxGfs) where he talks about how making your bed each day can help you change the world.  How starting the day with a  simple routine helps you begin to accomplish all the bigger tasks in the day.  How do you start your day as a principal?  What routines do you do or do you have your team doing that set the day in motion?  That build the momentum for success?  I have two I recommend:  A Morning Memo, and A Morning Meeting.  In this podcast I share a little bit about each.

I don't know if it is snowing where you are right now, but it is here.  And I am pretty sure every kid in my district is looking out the window with fingers crossed hoping for a SNOWDAY!  Do you remember snow days?  Were you fortunate enough to grow up in an area that occasionally had enough snow that schools had to shut down for a day... and you as a kid suddenly had a day of nothing to do?!?  Now we have eLearning Days and Virtual Days and  even if it snows it is more likely we will have a school day, just one that looks a little different.  Where have the snow days gone?  Why have they gone?  When do we pause and just take a surprise day?  Hey!  Do you wanna build a snowman?  Come on SNOWDAY!

I honestly believe we have got to start teaching our students to be better losers... that's right... better losers!  We do everything to promote winning, but little to learn to be a better loser. There isn't anything wrong with good solid competition.  But when we complete, do we help our students understand that it isn't just win or lose it's how you played the game that matters, but rather...
It's how you win or how you lose when you play the game that matters.

This time of the year is full of traditions.   For me, I am a Christmas nut.  I LOVE traditions.  I look forward to the music, and decorations, and food...  Traditions can be powerful in connecting us and making us feel a part of the family.  Do you have traditions built into your school program?   Things that connect your students to the school program and school family?  They can be powerful tools!

How do you refresh?  We talk a lot about the social and emotional wellbeing of students.  Are you taking care of your own?

The power of one...  one person standing in the gap for a child.  It can make all the difference.

I am fairly certain that meatloaf is made differently in every household in America.  They all look different, but they are all meatloaf and each has some key ingredients.   A good well-rounded school program is the same.  They don't all look the same, but good programs have key ingredients that make them successful.  In this episode, I will be sharing a successful framework for a schoolwide social-emotional program.  P2R2 is a formula, or recipe if you will.  There are some key ingredients that make it great, but in your school how those ingredients play out might need to look a little different.