Lisa and Gerry joined Jordan on the show to chat about what needs to be fixed in education and how we can do it.
Lisa:
I hate to say, and I don't want to say it, but safety is a big thing. That's just one of the things that's on people's minds a lot right now. Technology is another. Schools are never caught up with technology. It's ever-changing and progressing. A school cannot keep up.
That's been really hard on us right now. We have smart boards, and they're already obsolete. We need to be upgrading to all these interactive flat panels. Well…they're really expensive.
But by the time I fill my whole building with these amazing interactive flat panels…we’ve already moved on to something else better and bigger.
Gerry:
I think right now, the biggest struggle that we're having is just the political divide that we're having in the nation. And now it's coming on to school boards.
That is just boiling down to a lot of negativity. It's just become a very volatile job in all areas of teaching and it didn't use to be that way.
We used to all be together, we used to all be supportive of each other, and we should all understand each other.
We've had so many political issues pulled into the schools that don't need to be in there. We're just having a lot of struggles all the way around.
Gerry:
School culture naturally happens when someone is in a place they like to be at. You can see that when you walk into a place, the excitement of the community.
When you walk in as a school guest and notice the way they're handling kids. Because of the way that they're being respected, the way that others are being respected, and the way people are treating each other.
It's just a feeling. You can feel it when it’s tense. You can feel it when there’s excitement.
The substitutes can feel it too. Just by the way you're treating each other and the way people are talking with each other, you can see the faces. It's kind of an obvious thing, in any building that you're going to.
Lisa:
Culture and climate are everywhere. It’s in your routines, your traditions, your expectations, interactions.
It’s just something you feel when you come in and the way you’re taught to the way you hear other people talking about themselves. Culture is everywhere.
Gerry:
We really worked to develop positive relationships with our central office. But to be a change agent you might have to be willing to go out there and boldly say, “You know, we're going to do this, but we're going to do it because you're requiring it.”
By doing that we were really saying: “We're going to fight for what's best for our teachers. We're going to fight for what's best for our school. But mostly, we're going to fight for what's best for the students.”
Lisa:
How does a teacher ignite change outside their classroom? Well, if I could talk to teachers I’d say: “Be a part of the change, and be supportive when the opportunity arises.”
Gerry knows how much I love Adolph Brown. Adolph Brown says, “Do you know the pilot when you get on your airplane? No. Do you know their political affiliation? Nope. Know their religious beliefs or their sexual orientation? Nah. But do you cheer for him? Yep, you sure do!”
Teachers, cheer for your pilot, cheer for your captain, whether that's your team leader, whether that's your principal, whether that's your district, director, or your superintendent, cheer for your pilot.
If you don't like what they're doing, go have a conversation. Be able to communicate with them so that you can feel comfortable about supporting them. Be consistent, be supportive. Don't be a naysayer, get involved.
If you don't like something they're doing, or you want to do something different, you can always be a part of something different. Ask if you can try something different.
Just be a part of the change, because changes can be good. But you've got to be supportive, you can't be a naysayer, and you can't be a Negative Nelly, because that undercuts everything.
Gerry:
I would jump on the same thing, as a principal, do not be afraid to be the change agent.
It’s ok to push back if somebody's asking you to do something that's not in the best interest of your teachers.
If it's not in the best interest of their time, their mental health, or of what's going on for school, do not feel bad about resisting.
You just have to say: “I don't believe that we should do this. Here's what I want to do, and here's why.”
Be the change agent, don't feel bad about stepping up. You know your building more than anybody.
Lisa:
I hate to say, and I don't want to say it, but safety is a big thing. That's just one of the things that's on people's minds a lot right now. Technology is another. Schools are never caught up with technology. It's ever-changing and progressing. A school cannot keep up.
That's been really hard on us right now. We have smart boards, and they're already obsolete. We need to be upgrading to all these interactive flat panels. Well…they're really expensive.
But by the time I fill my whole building with these amazing interactive flat panels…we’ve already moved on to something else better and bigger.
Gerry:
I think right now, the biggest struggle that we're having is just the political divide that we're having in the nation. And now it's coming on to school boards.
That is just boiling down to a lot of negativity. It's just become a very volatile job in all areas of teaching and it didn't use to be that way.
We used to all be together, we used to all be supportive of each other, and we should all understand each other.
We've had so many political issues pulled into the schools that don't need to be in there. We're just having a lot of struggles all the way around.
Gerry:
School culture naturally happens when someone is in a place they like to be at. You can see that when you walk into a place, the excitement of the community.
When you walk in as a school guest and notice the way they're handling kids. Because of the way that they're being respected, the way that others are being respected, and the way people are treating each other.
It's just a feeling. You can feel it when it’s tense. You can feel it when there’s excitement.
The substitutes can feel it too. Just by the way you're treating each other and the way people are talking with each other, you can see the faces. It's kind of an obvious thing, in any building that you're going to.
Lisa:
Culture and climate are everywhere. It’s in your routines, your traditions, your expectations, interactions.
It’s just something you feel when you come in and the way you’re taught to the way you hear other people talking about themselves. Culture is everywhere.
Gerry:
We really worked to develop positive relationships with our central office. But to be a change agent you might have to be willing to go out there and boldly say, “You know, we're going to do this, but we're going to do it because you're requiring it.”
By doing that we were really saying: “We're going to fight for what's best for our teachers. We're going to fight for what's best for our school. But mostly, we're going to fight for what's best for the students.”
Lisa:
How does a teacher ignite change outside their classroom? Well, if I could talk to teachers I’d say: “Be a part of the change, and be supportive when the opportunity arises.”
Gerry knows how much I love Adolph Brown. Adolph Brown says, “Do you know the pilot when you get on your airplane? No. Do you know their political affiliation? Nope. Know their religious beliefs or their sexual orientation? Nah. But do you cheer for him? Yep, you sure do!”
Teachers, cheer for your pilot, cheer for your captain, whether that's your team leader, whether that's your principal, whether that's your district, director, or your superintendent, cheer for your pilot.
If you don't like what they're doing, go have a conversation. Be able to communicate with them so that you can feel comfortable about supporting them. Be consistent, be supportive. Don't be a naysayer, get involved.
If you don't like something they're doing, or you want to do something different, you can always be a part of something different. Ask if you can try something different.
Just be a part of the change, because changes can be good. But you've got to be supportive, you can't be a naysayer, and you can't be a Negative Nelly, because that undercuts everything.
Gerry:
I would jump on the same thing, as a principal, do not be afraid to be the change agent.
It’s ok to push back if somebody's asking you to do something that's not in the best interest of your teachers.
If it's not in the best interest of their time, their mental health, or of what's going on for school, do not feel bad about resisting.
You just have to say: “I don't believe that we should do this. Here's what I want to do, and here's why.”
Be the change agent, don't feel bad about stepping up. You know your building more than anybody.
Lisa:
I hate to say, and I don't want to say it, but safety is a big thing. That's just one of the things that's on people's minds a lot right now. Technology is another. Schools are never caught up with technology. It's ever-changing and progressing. A school cannot keep up.
That's been really hard on us right now. We have smart boards, and they're already obsolete. We need to be upgrading to all these interactive flat panels. Well…they're really expensive.
But by the time I fill my whole building with these amazing interactive flat panels…we’ve already moved on to something else better and bigger.
Gerry:
I think right now, the biggest struggle that we're having is just the political divide that we're having in the nation. And now it's coming on to school boards.
That is just boiling down to a lot of negativity. It's just become a very volatile job in all areas of teaching and it didn't use to be that way.
We used to all be together, we used to all be supportive of each other, and we should all understand each other.
We've had so many political issues pulled into the schools that don't need to be in there. We're just having a lot of struggles all the way around.
Gerry:
School culture naturally happens when someone is in a place they like to be at. You can see that when you walk into a place, the excitement of the community.
When you walk in as a school guest and notice the way they're handling kids. Because of the way that they're being respected, the way that others are being respected, and the way people are treating each other.
It's just a feeling. You can feel it when it’s tense. You can feel it when there’s excitement.
The substitutes can feel it too. Just by the way you're treating each other and the way people are talking with each other, you can see the faces. It's kind of an obvious thing, in any building that you're going to.
Lisa:
Culture and climate are everywhere. It’s in your routines, your traditions, your expectations, interactions.
It’s just something you feel when you come in and the way you’re taught to the way you hear other people talking about themselves. Culture is everywhere.
Gerry:
We really worked to develop positive relationships with our central office. But to be a change agent you might have to be willing to go out there and boldly say, “You know, we're going to do this, but we're going to do it because you're requiring it.”
By doing that we were really saying: “We're going to fight for what's best for our teachers. We're going to fight for what's best for our school. But mostly, we're going to fight for what's best for the students.”
Lisa:
How does a teacher ignite change outside their classroom? Well, if I could talk to teachers I’d say: “Be a part of the change, and be supportive when the opportunity arises.”
Gerry knows how much I love Adolph Brown. Adolph Brown says, “Do you know the pilot when you get on your airplane? No. Do you know their political affiliation? Nope. Know their religious beliefs or their sexual orientation? Nah. But do you cheer for him? Yep, you sure do!”
Teachers, cheer for your pilot, cheer for your captain, whether that's your team leader, whether that's your principal, whether that's your district, director, or your superintendent, cheer for your pilot.
If you don't like what they're doing, go have a conversation. Be able to communicate with them so that you can feel comfortable about supporting them. Be consistent, be supportive. Don't be a naysayer, get involved.
If you don't like something they're doing, or you want to do something different, you can always be a part of something different. Ask if you can try something different.
Just be a part of the change, because changes can be good. But you've got to be supportive, you can't be a naysayer, and you can't be a Negative Nelly, because that undercuts everything.
Gerry:
I would jump on the same thing, as a principal, do not be afraid to be the change agent.
It’s ok to push back if somebody's asking you to do something that's not in the best interest of your teachers.
If it's not in the best interest of their time, their mental health, or of what's going on for school, do not feel bad about resisting.
You just have to say: “I don't believe that we should do this. Here's what I want to do, and here's why.”
Be the change agent, don't feel bad about stepping up. You know your building more than anybody.
Lisa:
I hate to say, and I don't want to say it, but safety is a big thing. That's just one of the things that's on people's minds a lot right now. Technology is another. Schools are never caught up with technology. It's ever-changing and progressing. A school cannot keep up.
That's been really hard on us right now. We have smart boards, and they're already obsolete. We need to be upgrading to all these interactive flat panels. Well…they're really expensive.
But by the time I fill my whole building with these amazing interactive flat panels…we’ve already moved on to something else better and bigger.
Gerry:
I think right now, the biggest struggle that we're having is just the political divide that we're having in the nation. And now it's coming on to school boards.
That is just boiling down to a lot of negativity. It's just become a very volatile job in all areas of teaching and it didn't use to be that way.
We used to all be together, we used to all be supportive of each other, and we should all understand each other.
We've had so many political issues pulled into the schools that don't need to be in there. We're just having a lot of struggles all the way around.
Gerry:
School culture naturally happens when someone is in a place they like to be at. You can see that when you walk into a place, the excitement of the community.
When you walk in as a school guest and notice the way they're handling kids. Because of the way that they're being respected, the way that others are being respected, and the way people are treating each other.
It's just a feeling. You can feel it when it’s tense. You can feel it when there’s excitement.
The substitutes can feel it too. Just by the way you're treating each other and the way people are talking with each other, you can see the faces. It's kind of an obvious thing, in any building that you're going to.
Lisa:
Culture and climate are everywhere. It’s in your routines, your traditions, your expectations, interactions.
It’s just something you feel when you come in and the way you’re taught to the way you hear other people talking about themselves. Culture is everywhere.
Gerry:
We really worked to develop positive relationships with our central office. But to be a change agent you might have to be willing to go out there and boldly say, “You know, we're going to do this, but we're going to do it because you're requiring it.”
By doing that we were really saying: “We're going to fight for what's best for our teachers. We're going to fight for what's best for our school. But mostly, we're going to fight for what's best for the students.”
Lisa:
How does a teacher ignite change outside their classroom? Well, if I could talk to teachers I’d say: “Be a part of the change, and be supportive when the opportunity arises.”
Gerry knows how much I love Adolph Brown. Adolph Brown says, “Do you know the pilot when you get on your airplane? No. Do you know their political affiliation? Nope. Know their religious beliefs or their sexual orientation? Nah. But do you cheer for him? Yep, you sure do!”
Teachers, cheer for your pilot, cheer for your captain, whether that's your team leader, whether that's your principal, whether that's your district, director, or your superintendent, cheer for your pilot.
If you don't like what they're doing, go have a conversation. Be able to communicate with them so that you can feel comfortable about supporting them. Be consistent, be supportive. Don't be a naysayer, get involved.
If you don't like something they're doing, or you want to do something different, you can always be a part of something different. Ask if you can try something different.
Just be a part of the change, because changes can be good. But you've got to be supportive, you can't be a naysayer, and you can't be a Negative Nelly, because that undercuts everything.
Gerry:
I would jump on the same thing, as a principal, do not be afraid to be the change agent.
It’s ok to push back if somebody's asking you to do something that's not in the best interest of your teachers.
If it's not in the best interest of their time, their mental health, or of what's going on for school, do not feel bad about resisting.
You just have to say: “I don't believe that we should do this. Here's what I want to do, and here's why.”
Be the change agent, don't feel bad about stepping up. You know your building more than anybody.
You know what they teamwork makes the dream work. These articles have been written by the wonderful members of our team.
Lisa Kear is the principal of Liberty Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky known for their dual language immersion program. Gerry Brooks is a former principal, currently a nationally renowned public speaker, and author of the book “Go See the Principal: True Tales from the School Trenches.” This conversation originally appeared on The Flywheel Effect Podcast.
Lisa:
I hate to say, and I don't want to say it, but safety is a big thing. That's just one of the things that's on people's minds a lot right now. Technology is another. Schools are never caught up with technology. It's ever-changing and progressing. A school cannot keep up.
That's been really hard on us right now. We have smart boards, and they're already obsolete. We need to be upgrading to all these interactive flat panels. Well…they're really expensive.
But by the time I fill my whole building with these amazing interactive flat panels…we’ve already moved on to something else better and bigger.
Gerry:
I think right now, the biggest struggle that we're having is just the political divide that we're having in the nation. And now it's coming on to school boards.
That is just boiling down to a lot of negativity. It's just become a very volatile job in all areas of teaching and it didn't use to be that way.
We used to all be together, we used to all be supportive of each other, and we should all understand each other.
We've had so many political issues pulled into the schools that don't need to be in there. We're just having a lot of struggles all the way around.
Gerry:
School culture naturally happens when someone is in a place they like to be at. You can see that when you walk into a place, the excitement of the community.
When you walk in as a school guest and notice the way they're handling kids. Because of the way that they're being respected, the way that others are being respected, and the way people are treating each other.
It's just a feeling. You can feel it when it’s tense. You can feel it when there’s excitement.
The substitutes can feel it too. Just by the way you're treating each other and the way people are talking with each other, you can see the faces. It's kind of an obvious thing, in any building that you're going to.
Lisa:
Culture and climate are everywhere. It’s in your routines, your traditions, your expectations, interactions.
It’s just something you feel when you come in and the way you’re taught to the way you hear other people talking about themselves. Culture is everywhere.
Gerry:
We really worked to develop positive relationships with our central office. But to be a change agent you might have to be willing to go out there and boldly say, “You know, we're going to do this, but we're going to do it because you're requiring it.”
By doing that we were really saying: “We're going to fight for what's best for our teachers. We're going to fight for what's best for our school. But mostly, we're going to fight for what's best for the students.”
Lisa:
How does a teacher ignite change outside their classroom? Well, if I could talk to teachers I’d say: “Be a part of the change, and be supportive when the opportunity arises.”
Gerry knows how much I love Adolph Brown. Adolph Brown says, “Do you know the pilot when you get on your airplane? No. Do you know their political affiliation? Nope. Know their religious beliefs or their sexual orientation? Nah. But do you cheer for him? Yep, you sure do!”
Teachers, cheer for your pilot, cheer for your captain, whether that's your team leader, whether that's your principal, whether that's your district, director, or your superintendent, cheer for your pilot.
If you don't like what they're doing, go have a conversation. Be able to communicate with them so that you can feel comfortable about supporting them. Be consistent, be supportive. Don't be a naysayer, get involved.
If you don't like something they're doing, or you want to do something different, you can always be a part of something different. Ask if you can try something different.
Just be a part of the change, because changes can be good. But you've got to be supportive, you can't be a naysayer, and you can't be a Negative Nelly, because that undercuts everything.
Gerry:
I would jump on the same thing, as a principal, do not be afraid to be the change agent.
It’s ok to push back if somebody's asking you to do something that's not in the best interest of your teachers.
If it's not in the best interest of their time, their mental health, or of what's going on for school, do not feel bad about resisting.
You just have to say: “I don't believe that we should do this. Here's what I want to do, and here's why.”
Be the change agent, don't feel bad about stepping up. You know your building more than anybody.
Lisa Kear is the principal of Liberty Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky known for their dual language immersion program. Gerry Brooks is a former principal, currently a nationally renowned public speaker, and author of the book “Go See the Principal: True Tales from the School Trenches.” This conversation originally appeared on The Flywheel Effect Podcast.
Lisa:
I hate to say, and I don't want to say it, but safety is a big thing. That's just one of the things that's on people's minds a lot right now. Technology is another. Schools are never caught up with technology. It's ever-changing and progressing. A school cannot keep up.
That's been really hard on us right now. We have smart boards, and they're already obsolete. We need to be upgrading to all these interactive flat panels. Well…they're really expensive.
But by the time I fill my whole building with these amazing interactive flat panels…we’ve already moved on to something else better and bigger.
Gerry:
I think right now, the biggest struggle that we're having is just the political divide that we're having in the nation. And now it's coming on to school boards.
That is just boiling down to a lot of negativity. It's just become a very volatile job in all areas of teaching and it didn't use to be that way.
We used to all be together, we used to all be supportive of each other, and we should all understand each other.
We've had so many political issues pulled into the schools that don't need to be in there. We're just having a lot of struggles all the way around.
Gerry:
School culture naturally happens when someone is in a place they like to be at. You can see that when you walk into a place, the excitement of the community.
When you walk in as a school guest and notice the way they're handling kids. Because of the way that they're being respected, the way that others are being respected, and the way people are treating each other.
It's just a feeling. You can feel it when it’s tense. You can feel it when there’s excitement.
The substitutes can feel it too. Just by the way you're treating each other and the way people are talking with each other, you can see the faces. It's kind of an obvious thing, in any building that you're going to.
Lisa:
Culture and climate are everywhere. It’s in your routines, your traditions, your expectations, interactions.
It’s just something you feel when you come in and the way you’re taught to the way you hear other people talking about themselves. Culture is everywhere.
Gerry:
We really worked to develop positive relationships with our central office. But to be a change agent you might have to be willing to go out there and boldly say, “You know, we're going to do this, but we're going to do it because you're requiring it.”
By doing that we were really saying: “We're going to fight for what's best for our teachers. We're going to fight for what's best for our school. But mostly, we're going to fight for what's best for the students.”
Lisa:
How does a teacher ignite change outside their classroom? Well, if I could talk to teachers I’d say: “Be a part of the change, and be supportive when the opportunity arises.”
Gerry knows how much I love Adolph Brown. Adolph Brown says, “Do you know the pilot when you get on your airplane? No. Do you know their political affiliation? Nope. Know their religious beliefs or their sexual orientation? Nah. But do you cheer for him? Yep, you sure do!”
Teachers, cheer for your pilot, cheer for your captain, whether that's your team leader, whether that's your principal, whether that's your district, director, or your superintendent, cheer for your pilot.
If you don't like what they're doing, go have a conversation. Be able to communicate with them so that you can feel comfortable about supporting them. Be consistent, be supportive. Don't be a naysayer, get involved.
If you don't like something they're doing, or you want to do something different, you can always be a part of something different. Ask if you can try something different.
Just be a part of the change, because changes can be good. But you've got to be supportive, you can't be a naysayer, and you can't be a Negative Nelly, because that undercuts everything.
Gerry:
I would jump on the same thing, as a principal, do not be afraid to be the change agent.
It’s ok to push back if somebody's asking you to do something that's not in the best interest of your teachers.
If it's not in the best interest of their time, their mental health, or of what's going on for school, do not feel bad about resisting.
You just have to say: “I don't believe that we should do this. Here's what I want to do, and here's why.”
Be the change agent, don't feel bad about stepping up. You know your building more than anybody.
All the behavior resources you need to create the positive culture your school community deserves.
