Jim has been eligible for retirement for some time now, but loves his job too much to quit (2:04)
He was a “massive slacker” in high school, who didn’t much care for the classes but really liked his teachers, but then decided to get serious, and graduated from college with honors with a double major in history and political science. While pursuing a master’s degree in history, he decided to teach school for a regular paycheck, and within a week he knew he’d found his true calling (3:44)
How Jim came to write his first book, You’ve Gotta Connect, even though he had no desire to be an author (9:28)
And how that led to writing his second book, Hacking Engagement: 50 Tips & Tools To Engage Teachers and Learners Daily (12:40)
You’ve Gotta Connect is all about concrete steps and conscious actions that teachers can easily implement to help strengthen their relationships with their students (14:22)
Your approachability is critical for building good relationships with students – so come in on Monday and talk to students about your weekend (15:25)
It gets harder every year to engage students and keep them engaged (19:30)
Jim’s students love Classroom Procedures Improv Night (20:36)
What the Hacking Engagement podcast is all about, and why students make up 30-40% of the voices on the podcast (25:24)
Jim explains how flipped instruction works, and how he incorporates it into his College Credit Plus classes (26:49)
How he became an adjunct college professor with College Credit Plus (30:00)
The amazing power of EDpuzzle to turn YouTube videos into on-demand programming (33:00)
How teachers can get buy-in from school principals for innovative ideas to increase student engagement (34:41)
Principals need to know their teachers, and what motivates them, in order to be able to inspire them to lead and innovate (37:45)
The importance of understanding the different phases of teaching (41:57)
Jim raves about a book that has completely changed the way he makes presentations (45:06)
You’ve got to keep your ego in check to relate well with students (48:47)
Why he doesn’t worry about teachers who are resistant to change (52:31)
If Jim had a time machine, here’s the advice he would go back and give his younger self when he was just starting out in administration (54:03)
Books mentioned in this episode
You’ve Gotta Connect by James Alan Sturtevant
Hacking Engagement: 50 Tips & Tools To Engage Teachers and Learners Daily by James Alan Sturtevant
Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds
Connect with Jim Sturtevant
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.
