SamTastic Weekly Tip: 8/17/26 - Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First
This week’s Tip: Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First
SAM teams focus on work they can do to improve the practice of teachers and the learning of students. On airline flights, passengers are asked to put their own oxygen masks on first before helping others. Does this apply to you own professional development?
Your SAM Daily Meeting, of course, is a kind of professional development causing reflection on your use of time using TimeTrack data. Great! Did you know there are other kinds of professional development available to you as a SAM team member?
Annual National SAM Conference: Look for the invitation in US Mail for this amazing opportunity. Registration opens online Labor Day. SAM teams use Title and professional development funds to attend. Many ask business partners or service organizations to cover their cost. See what a SAM conference is like: https://bit.ly/4cxGEw7 See info about this year’s conference: https://www.wevideo.com/view/4003300281
HD videos of past National SAM Conference keynotes presentations are available online for your use: https://www.samprocess.com/conference-and-workshop-materials
The Marshall Memo is available to you as SAM team member at no charge. This weekly digital publication summarizes the most important ideas, research, and best practices in K-12 education to help school leaders and teachers stay professionally current. Published every Monday, it acts as a curated distillation of the educational landscape, designed specifically for busy practitioners who lack the time to read through dozens of academic journals and industry magazines. Links to full articles are provided as well as a searchable archive, Click here to be added to the weekly mailing list: https://forms.gle/8XBPjgJKSsjTg6167
The Main Idea is available to you as a SAM team member at no charge. This online service provides comprehensive book summaries, professional development (PD) plans, and leadership workshops tailored specifically for busy school and district administrators. Each summary contains actionable professional development ideas, discussion prompts, and sometimes pre-made PowerPoint slide decks to help administrators easily facilitate workshops for their own school staff. The service also includes a searchable archive. Click here to be added to the weekly mailing list: https://forms.gle/ACrmUUPqtxFsYrCr7
Best for a SamTastic week,
Mark
Mark Shellinger, Director
National SAM Innovation Project
Register here for all day training for new SAM teams, New York City, September 24: https://bit.ly/SAMTrainingNYC
Of course, new SAM teams can schedule online training at any time using the links, below:
If you are ready to start, click here to arrange for training: https://bit.ly/NSIP_Training
If you would like to schedule an online meeting to discuss, click here: https://bit.ly/NSIP_Meeting
The analogy of putting on your own oxygen mask first is such a timely reminder, especially when managing tight workloads. It’s so easy to focus entirely on supporting others and forget our own professional development. A colleague of mine was recently balancing a heavy work schedule whilst researching Online Environmental Law Assignment Help for University Students options to assist a relative, and it really highlighted how crucial proper support tools are when you're stretched thin. Taking full advantage of curated resources like the Marshall Memo or book summaries seems like a very practical way for busy leaders to stay sharp without burning out. Great advice for keeping personal growth on the priority list.
This weekly tip about putting your own oxygen mask on first is a great reminder that educators need to invest in their own professional development before they can support others effectively. The resources mentioned, like the National SAM Conference, Marshall Memo, and The Main Idea, all sound genuinely useful for busy school leaders. I remember working on an education project where I had to research similar professional development tools and wanted to make sure my writing was clear. I reached out for Take My Online TEAS Exam to help me structure my work. Good professional development insights and good support help educators grow and stay effective in their roles. It showed me how self care matters. It helped me understand…
The oxygen mask metaphor hits home for me. I spent most of college putting everything else first grades, jobs, other people's needs until I crashed. Learning to take care of myself wasn't selfish; it was the only way I could keep showing up for others. As a PhD student who works part-time at Last-Minute Assignments, I still remind myself of this. I was so drained I'd search for assignment editing help just to take something off my plate. This post is a timely reminder. Cheers.