How to Do More Good for Kids and Feel Better About Your Life's Work
"This book offers aspiring and veteran school leaders insightful, practical, and proven strategies to successfully acquire and thrive in meaningful professional positions." -David Freitas, Professor Indiana University South Bend Build a dynamic career by design-not by default! Given the challenges of today's educational environment, a school leader's career is far from predictable-but it can be a purposeful and successful journey. This essential guide helps educators take charge of their careers, advance professionally, and leave a legacy of stronger schools and improved learning opportunities for children. Based on the best-selling author's extensive school leadership experience, this book helps readers wisely navigate their careers and stay true to their values. The author addresses concerns for readers at every stage of professional life-from highly experienced administrators to those aspiring to leadership positions. Readers will find personal coaching on leading both oneself and others, including: The seven critical choices that shape school leadership, from setting goals to choosing the right battles Guidance on making tough calls and hard choices Advice on finding the right position and work environment and how to flourish personally and professionally Numerous real-life examples of how education leaders face and overcome challenges and build effective learning environments Take action today to build a purposeful career in school leadership and make a positive difference in children's lives!
Communicating Well With Students, Staff, Parents, and the Public
"I had several 'ah-ha' moments while reading this book. Kudos to the author for creating a meaningful guide for today's school administrator." -Marie Blum, Superintendent Canaseraga Central School District, NY "A good tool for administrators and teacher leaders with its readability, content emphasis, and real-life examples." -Russ Bennett, Superintendent Aurora City Schools, OH Time-tested techniques for communicating effectively with all educational stakeholders! For school leaders, being an effective communicator is one of the most vital and sometimes most challenging parts of the job. This user-friendly resource provides practical strategies for improving daily interactions with students, colleagues, parents, and other stakeholders as well as guidelines for avoiding missteps when critical issues arise. Each chapter presents do's and don'ts for effective verbal and written communication in a variety of situations-from public speaking and working with the media to straight talk for approaching students about sensitive topics such as sex, gangs, and substance abuse. This revised edition also assists educators with: How-to's for dealing with natural and man-made disasters A new chapter on differentiating communication to reach a wide audience A new section on communicating with school board members Use the tools and real-world examples in this invaluable reference to resolve difficult situations and build positive relationships!
Communicating Well With Students, Staff, Parents, and the Public
"I had several 'ah-ha' moments while reading this book. Kudos to the author for creating a meaningful guide for today's school administrator." -Marie Blum, Superintendent Canaseraga Central School District, NY "A good tool for administrators and teacher leaders with its readability, content emphasis, and real-life examples." -Russ Bennett, Superintendent Aurora City Schools, OH Time-tested techniques for communicating effectively with all educational stakeholders! For school leaders, being an effective communicator is one of the most vital and sometimes most challenging parts of the job. This user-friendly resource provides practical strategies for improving daily interactions with students, colleagues, parents, and other stakeholders as well as guidelines for avoiding missteps when critical issues arise. Each chapter presents do's and don'ts for effective verbal and written communication in a variety of situations-from public speaking and working with the media to straight talk for approaching students about sensitive topics such as sex, gangs, and substance abuse. This revised edition also assists educators with: How-to's for dealing with natural and man-made disasters A new chapter on differentiating communication to reach a wide audience A new section on communicating with school board members Use the tools and real-world examples in this invaluable reference to resolve difficult situations and build positive relationships!
"There are other books on school culture, but the tell-it-like-it-is, no-holds-barred style of writing makes this a book I would recommend to others." -Frank Buck, Curriculum & Special Education Supervisor Talladega City Schools, AL "The clear, concise themes for each chapter are backed by research and provide an understanding of what needs to be done to improve school climate. This book could be used by a building or district team study to measure the cultural temperature, by teacher teams to start a grassroots movement to improve school climate, or by reflective leaders who want to continuously improve their organizations." -Edward J. Drugo, Principal Latrobe Elementary School, PA Improve school culture and relationships to ensure peak performance by students and staff! This practical how-to handbook clearly defines what school culture is, where it comes from, how it works, and why it is critically important. The author provides a total package with all the tools necessary for developing a school culture that maximizes student performance, empowers staff members, welcomes and engages parents, and energizes community support. Readers will find: A profile of a healthy school culture Tips for assessing how your school measures up Ways to spot warning signs and avoid pitfalls Frequently asked questions and common concerns about creating a positive school culture Through concrete, real-world examples, authoritative insights, and useful explorations, this compact volume for principals and administrators demystifies the concept of school culture and points the way toward building a strong, collaborative school community.
This book is a practical, 'how-to' handbook for creating an organizational school climate that brings out the best in students, staff, parents, and community members. Through concrete, real-world examples, insider insights, and down-to-earth explorations, this text demystifies the phenomenon of a school's culture. Without resorting to lofty jargon, the book clearly defines what school culture is, where it comes from, how it works, and why it is critically important. Best of all, the guide contains all the tools needed to 'grow' a school culture that maximizes student performance, empowers staff members, welcomes and engages parents, and energizes community support. Each chapter is packed with specific information, guidelines, skills, strategies, and techniques needed, as well as warning signs and pitfalls to avoid, to create a school culture that works for everyone. This is a total package, including foundations, structures, processes, and practices for developing an environment that is 'nutritious', challenging, supporting, rewarding, and inspiring for all those involved with the school.
The complete uplifting guide for every teacher to enrich each day and a career in teaching! All teachers need encouragement, affirmation, support, and to be reminded that they are part of a noble profession. Best-selling author Robert D. Ramsey has been an avid collector of inspirational quotes, notes, anecdotes, reflections, testimonials, and tributes for educators, and his new collection provides potentially career-saving homework for the soul of every teacher. This easy-to-read, but hard-to-forget anthology is full of powerful reminders that there is no such thing as "only a teacher." The contents of this uplifting resource have been carefully harvested by an educator for educators and are designed to: Help belabored and beleaguered educators jump start their careers Reclaim their professional pride Rekindle their passion for teaching Get the grit to press on against all odds Inspirational Quotes, Notes, & Anecdotes That Honor Teachers and Teaching makes a strong unified statement all teachers need to hear!
How to Be a More Effective Leader in Today's Schools
Now you can do more than just deal with the "crisis-du-jour". Leadership is learnable, and this comprehensive guide will show you how to be proactive, prevent crises, create dreams, push the envelope, and focus on the future instead of just reacting to crises, spending all your time putting out fires, or coping with the current system-whether it works or not. In this updated second edition, best-selling author Robert D. Ramsey gives you just what you need to avoid "simply managing" and to become a true leader instead! Unlike other manuals that give you bits and pieces on how to develop a particular curriculum or handle specific day-to-day discipline problems, this unique handbook offers administrators practical, time-proven lessons on how to think, act, plan, set priorities, manage time, and make decisions-skills that will help you navigate through the unique challenges of leading in a school environment. Included are guidelines on: Getting the most out of people Bringing about change Handling politics Dealing with setbacks Thinking, looking, and acting like an effective school leader Communicating effectively Practicing ethical leadership Being a school leader can actually be exciting, rewarding, and fun again, once you're equipped to tackle today's challenges!
Reawaken, refocus, and recommit to your career as a school leader! If you are a school leader who has ever felt lost, confused, or disheartened, then this single, compact, survival guide is for you! A primer of what is truly important for today's school leaders at all levels, it is a how-to book made up of twenty-five fundamental insights and baseline beliefs that never change. Staying focused on what really matters, each page reminds administrators of the simple, guiding truths and timeless values that made them want to become educators in the first place. Each section acts as a compass that showcases: Commonsense, cornerstone principles Life lessons from school leaders Real-world examples from successful administrators Practical tips on how to concentrate on what counts, and apply what's most important on the job everyday What Matters Most for School Leaders contains hard-earned wisdom and forgotten truths that are freshly viewed and packaged in modern-day terms. Call it a pep talk or a refresher course, it reawakens, rekindles, renews, and refocuses on the perspective, passion, and priorities of school leaders, reviving their sense of purpose and enhancing their image in the educational field.
Reawaken, refocus, and recommit to your career as a school leader! If you are a school leader who has ever felt lost, confused, or disheartened, then this single, compact, survival guide is for you! A primer of what is truly important for today's school leaders at all levels, it is a how-to book made up of twenty-five fundamental insights and baseline beliefs that never change. Staying focused on what really matters, each page reminds administrators of the simple, guiding truths and timeless values that made them want to become educators in the first place. Each section acts as a compass that showcases: Commonsense, cornerstone principles Life lessons from school leaders Real-world examples from successful administrators Practical tips on how to concentrate on what counts, and apply what's most important on the job everyday What Matters Most for School Leaders contains hard-earned wisdom and forgotten truths that are freshly viewed and packaged in modern-day terms. Call it a pep talk or a refresher course, it reawakens, rekindles, renews, and refocuses on the perspective, passion, and priorities of school leaders, reviving their sense of purpose and enhancing their image in the educational field.
