Simon talks about his background, his family, living in Sydney, Australia, and his skills on the trombone (2:23)
After initially planning to become a doctor, Simon decided to go into education during his first year of medical school, after helping tutor some high school students and falling in love with educating and helping students (5:27)
How Simon went from teaching to administration without really planning it or making a formal decision to do so, but simply seeking a platform that would have an impact on learning, and wound up being a researcher/practitioner (11:39)
Why Simon founded Agile Schools and what it’s all about – putting teachers at the heart of education, and working with educators who have the why and what down, but need help with the how (14:26)
Agile leadership for learning – these days, educators need to have a high tolerance for uncertainty, ambiguity, and challenge (21:47)
How Simon helped several Alberta school districts radically improve their students’ numeracy and math skills (25:10)
It’s a myth that every teacher needs to be an innovator (28:35)
We need to get past the innovation distraction cycle – new apps and new tech and new computers are great, but they do nothing in and of themselves to improve education, and can often get in the way of improving learning (31:21)
The first rule of innovation should be like the first rule of medicine – First, do no harm (33:30)
Knowing where to start when trying to make changes in our schools – look for small focus, high leverage changes (35:00)
Dealing with some of the personal challenges of moving from teaching into admin (39:34)
The best leaders are full time learners; you don’t need all the answers to be a leader (44:53)
An effective school administration excels and synthesizing at implementing ideas (45:35)
Two books Simon believes all school leaders should read (47:39)
See students as core agents of change, not as actors you’re trying to change (48:36)
Having empathy for teachers is critical; all behavior, even bad behavior, makes sense when you understand the context | Don’t try to force recalcitrant teachers to get on board with changes – start with those eager to implement change and most of the others will come along later (50:40)
The importance of small rituals for maintaining work/life balance (54:08)
If Simon could travel back in time to when he was just starting his journey to being a school leader, he would tell himself, “Be more humble about the complexity of the work you want to be involved in” | “Maybe should spend a decade tyring to understand the problems you want to work on “ (58:36)
Books mentioned in this episode
Motion Leadership: The Skinny on Becoming Change Savvy
Connect with Simon Breakspear
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 weekly 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.
