Joanne is eagerly awaiting the birth of her first grandchild, after retiring recently (but she still loves to read professional journals) (1:45)
Joanne originally wanted to be a flight attendant, but was too short, and aviation’s loss turned out to be education’s gain (5:04)
Adventures in 1970’s teacher education! (6:00)
Getting out on the job and discovering that the teaching methods she learned in college weren’t working in the real world (11:00)
The frustrations of having to constantly beat her head against the wall in order to educate bilingual migrant children motivated Joanne to go back to school and become a school administrator (13:00)
Why you should get your admin degrees before you have a family, if at all possible (27:00)
How Joann maintained her work/life balance while earning her grad degree (29:57)
Two of Joanne’s favorite moments from her career as a school leader (32:57)
Never lose sight of your passion, which should always be doing what’s best for students (34:20)
Joanne strongly recommends these two books for school leaders (42:28)
Wanting what’s best for students sometimes requires you to have difficult conversations with teachers or higher-ups (44:30)
You’ve got to get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) (46:33)
“If you do not feel yourself growing in your work and your life broadening and deepening, if your task is not a perpetual tonic to you, you have not found your place.” – Orison Swett Marden (47:38)
If Joanne 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 (48:55)
Books mentioned in this episode
Failure Is Not an Option: 6 Principles That Advance Student Achievement in Highly Effective Schools by Alan M. Blankstein
Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer B. (Beth) Abrams
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
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.
