Show Title: Hugging Porcupines with Mike Anderson
Teaser:
I’ve been looking forward to doing today’s interview for three months and was so excited to bring this to you and it did not disappoint. This is a great episode so Dial up your best listening skills and let’s go!
Sponsor Spot 1:I’d like to thank
Kaleidoscope Adventures for sponsoring today’s show. Lots of companies can help you organize class trips, but Kaleidoscope helps you organize adventures – because isn’t that what student trips should be?
Kaleidscope is a full-service tour company offering a range of adventure opportunities and they excel at customizing trips based on your unique context, needs, and goals. Kaleidoscope offers exceptional travel experiences for students (and their group leaders). Thinking about student travel? Reach out to Kaleidoscope using the link in the show notes.
Show Intro
Guest Bio:
A public school teacher for 15 years, Mike has also had many other roles in education: preschool aid, high school and age-group swim coach, camp counselor, graduate class instructor, and Responsive Classroom presenter and developer. He now works as a consultant providing professional learning for teachers throughout the US and beyond.As a classroom teacher, Mike was awarded a national Milken Educator Award and was a finalist for NH Teacher of the Year. In 2020, he was awarded the Outstanding Educational Leader Award by NHASCD for his work as a consultant. A best-selling author, Mike has written many books about great teaching and learning. His latest book is Hugging Porcupines: Month-by-Month Strategies to Support Our Most Challenging Students.When not working, Mike can be found hanging with his family, tending his perennial gardens, sorting baseball cards and searching for new running routes around his home in Durham, NH.
Warmup questions:
- We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?
- Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do?
Questions/Topics/Prompts
- As a reminder, we talked about my new book, Hugging Porcupines--especially about the process for how teachers should usually facilitate problem-solving conferences, not administrators.
- How do you define a porcupine?
- What are the common approaches you see that fail to help kids?
- What are your core ideas/practices?
- What advice would you give an AP on running a book study around the book?
- If APs were to help teachers implement just one practice, what would it be?
The team at digiCOACH wants to know: How are your classroom walkthroughs going this school year?
Are they leading to meaningful feedback and coaching, or are they becoming one more thing on an already full plate?
digiCOACH helps school leaders make walkthroughs faster, more focused, and more meaningful. Capture what you see to identify trends, provide timely feedback, and align your walkthroughs and coaching to the instructional priorities that matter most at your campus.
Ready to make more out of the time you spend in classrooms?
Visit
digiCOACH.com.
And tell them you heard about digiCOACH on The Assistant Principal Podcast to take advantage of an exclusive offer.
Sponsor Spot 2:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit ixl.com/assistant to get started.
Closing questions:
- What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?
- If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?
- Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?
- Where can people learn more about you and your work…
Summary/wrap up
Special thanks to the amazing Ranford Almond for the great music on the show. Please support Ranford and the show by checking out his music!
Sponsor Links:
Close
- Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.
- You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/
- I love hearing from you. If you have comments or questions, or are interested in having me speak at your school or conference, email me at frederick@frederickbuskey.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.
- If you are tired of spending time putting out fires and would rather invest time supporting and growing teachers, consider reading my book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose. The book is available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html
- Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.
- Remember the secret to good leadership:
- Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for others
- Be fully present
- Ask reflective questions
- And then just listen
- Don’t overcomplicate it, the value is in the listening.
- Have a great rest of the week!
- Cheers!
Guest Links:
Frederick’s Links: