Megan is passionate about serving students and parents to help all learners achieve their potential each day. She was awarded the Arkansas Rural Education Superintendent of the Year in 2013 and has served as Assistant Commissioner of Education for the Arkansas Department of Education. In her spare time, Megan also serves on the Northwest Arkansas Board for the March of Dimes, City of Springdale Leadership Team, and the Health Advisory Council.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Megan has a son, 16, and a daughter, 11, but believe it or not, she never watches TV (2:15)
How not watching TV has allowed Megan to free up a lot of time to focus on education, while staying centered, avoiding distractions, and maintaining her independence of thought (5:00)
New technology can be very helpful, but also very damaging if not used properly (9:00)
Megan’s mother taught English, and her dad was a band director, and she thought she’d never be a teacher, but went back to college to study education after trying the business world (13:36)
Why it’s so important to have experience in more than one school district (15:49)
Some great advice from Megan for new and aspiring school administrators (22:00)
Some ideas for helping students get more out of their education, and educators become better school leaders (26:39)
Every day you should be focused on having your best day ever (33:55)
Organization and time management will be two huge challenges for new admins (35:30)
Seeing the joy on a student’s face when they make a breakthrough is the most gratifying part of the job for Megan (39:20)
Never underestimate the power of doing what you can with what you have (42:00)
You’ll need to have the heart of a servant to be a good school leader (46:35)
How Megan helped her school deal with the tragedy of losing a student in a flood (53:00)
The importance of taking time to fully understand and think about things before reacting (56:43)
The question that should drive every decision a school administrator makes (1:01:13)
Two of Megan’s favorite books, and why reading is so important for school leaders (1:04:20)
Patience, kindness, and caring are key to working with students, teachers, and staff (1:06:44)
Make sure you’ve got a good structural support network for your teachers (1:09:35)
If Megan 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 (1:14:11)
Books mentioned in this episode
The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind by Michio Kaku
Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era by Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith
Connect with Megan Slocum
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.
