Daisy talks about her background, including winning a full athletic scholarship, coaching a state champion basketball team, and her love of juggling (2:00)
Daisy tells how she grew up in a house with dirt floors and no running water (5:04)
How these humble beginnings helped make Daisy a great educator (8:05)
The importance of always having a spirit of gratitude, and not being afraid to try new things, and having a willingness to fail (12:00)
The importance of having relationships with your teachers where you can be completely honest with them (19:15)
How to deal with the special challenges of becoming an administrator in the school you graduated from, where you’re now leading all the teachers you had in high school (23:30)
Patience and empathy for teachers that struggle will come with experience (26:45)
Making the decision to move from teaching into school administration (30:35)
Turning around a school that was struggling so badly it was about to be shut down (32:35)
An amazing story of how one of her students wound up becoming the valedictorian and then making school administration her career after Daisy let her move in with her when she had nowhere else to go (34:35)
Why you should never meet with upset parents as a group (36:38)
Strong passion and a powerful work ethic are requirements for school leaders (37:44)
Some of Daisy’s book recommendations for school leaders (38:17)
Never leave school mad | Never get angry at a student | Kids need a smile from you and they need to know you love them (40:12)
Your teachers need to know that they’re on a team, and each one needs to feel that they’re an important member of the team (41:08)
If Daisy 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 (43:27)
Books mentioned in this episode
Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower Your Students by Pernille Ripp
Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times by Eric C. Sheninger
UnCommon Learning: Creating Schools That Work for Kids by Eric C. Sheninger
Connect with Daisy Dyer Duerr
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.
