Susan Brooks-Young has been involved in the field of education for many years. She began as a Head Start preschool teacher and eventually taught every grade up through 8th grade, and after school programs for high schoolers. Her interest in education technology led to her move from the classroom to administration. She initially served as a technology curriculum specialist and later as an assistant principal and principal. Susan is well-known internationally as an author and professional development provider.

Susan’s Consulting Company: http://www.sjbrooks-young.com/

Susan’s most recent book (discussed in this episode): A Better Approach to Mobile Devices: How do we maximize resources, promote equity, and support instructional goals? Available on Amazon HERE.

Find other books by Susan Brooks-Young HERE

 

Susan talks about her family, her background, her love of traveling and exploring new cultures, and splitting her time between her three homes – two in the states of Washington and California, and one in the nation of Mexico (1:52)

Susan talks about her book A Better Approach to Mobile Devices and the technology column she writing for 20 years for Today’s Catholic Teacher magazine (8:03)

Susan describes her career path, from first starting out as a teacher to the school leader she is today (12:31)

What it’s like to be an educational consultant (18:17)

Susan describes some of the biggest technology challenges admins and teachers face (22:37)

How school leaders can stay on top of the endless changes in technology (27:46)

Some of the biggest hurdles in Susan’s early days of administration (36:14)

Sometimes you just have to admit that something isn’t working and never will (39:21)

Many of Susan’s best memories in her admin career are about the differences she was able to make in a very disadvantaged neighborhood (45:10)

The two best pieces of leadership advice Susan has ever been given – think long and hard about whether or not this particular hill is worth dying on, and it’s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission (48:40)

Susan’s top book recommendations for school leaders (50:25)

Susan’s advice for school administrators on working with students (51:08)

Her advice for school administrators on working with the teachers in your building (51:35)

“It is easier to move a cemetery than to change education” (52:57)

If Susan had a time machine, here’s the advice she would go back and give her younger self when she was just starting out in administration (53:41)

 

Books and authors mentioned in this episode

A Better Approach to Mobile Devices: How do we maximize resources, promote equity, and support instructional goals?

Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education

Sir Ken Robinson

Yong Zhao

 

Connect with Susan Brooks-Young

@sjbrooksyoung

S.J. Brooks-Young Consulting

Today’s Catholic Teacher

 

 

About EducatorsLead:

Educators Lead is a podcast created to help launch educators into the next level of leadership. This show is for you if you are interested in educational leadership as an assistant principal, principal, superintendent, teacher or someone who hopes to be a school leader one day. Educators Lead offers inspiration and practical advice to help you lead more effectively. Jay Willis interviews school leaders three days a week to discuss why and when these educators made the decision to move into school leadership, challenges along the journey, and stories that made it all worthwhile. Educators Lead is a great resource for any educator looking to make a greater impact.

Educate. Inspire. Lead.

www.educatorslead.com