Happy Monday! A warm welcome to the 42 new schools in five states that started the SAM process last week…and they are all in the GREEN this morning. Welcome!
Today’s tip: Select three teachers, or other educators you support, who you are willing to spend the time and energy necessary to improve their practice by Halloween. TimeTrack allows you to select Focus Teachers. By definition, a focus teacher is someone you are committing to seeing a positive difference in their performance over a relatively short period of time. Focus status means the leader intends to work with the teacher at least twice each week and give frequent thought on what to do to facilitate improvement and growth. Many SAM principals select a mix when selecting their Focus Teachers:
a teacher who is struggling
a teacher who is new
the teacher who is the best performer in the school. Other leaders select their three lowest performers. Others select teachers new to their school.
SAMs can click one button on TimeTrack to quickly display the leader’s work with each focus teacher. Setting a short time-period, today through October 31, allows the leader the time necessary to achieve positive change if work is scheduled frequently and the SAM talks with the leader weekly about the progress of each focus teacher. To select Focus Teachers, go the orange TimeTrack logo, upper left, and select individuals/groups. You will see a circle to the left of each teacher. Simply click the circle to designate the person as a Focus Teacher. You can change your Focus Teachers at any time.
Registration opens on Labor Day for the 18th Annual National SAM Conference, Lowes Miami Beach Resort, January 16 through January 19. There are several things you should consider before registering. Last week, we suggested you consider coming a day early to attend one of the four pre-conference all-day workshops. This week, we suggest considering staying a day longer. Conference attendees normally leave Sunday. With the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday the next day, Monday, you might want to consider spending an additional night at the resort. This would allow you time to see Miami, tour the Everglades, and enjoy the resort’s pools and beach, and fly home Monday. You’ll be given an option to pay for an additional night at the resort when you register online.
You will find the conference schedule, as well as descriptions of keynote speakers and pre-conference sessions, below.
Reminder, NSIP Board President Bert Hendee is taking applications for the seat on the Board designated for a SAM principal. Applications are due September 20. Use this link to download the application. https://bit.ly/3AeqJnd
Keynote Presenter Descriptions
David Horsager is the CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute and a global authority on building high-trust teams and organizations where people can perform at their best and get measurable results.
David is….
the Trust Expert in Residence at High Point University
inventor of the Enterprise Trust Index™
director of global study: The Trust Outlook® • AND Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Trust Edge, The Daily Edge, and his latest release Trusted Leader!
He has taken his message to 6 continents, advising everyone from FedEx, Toyota, MIT and global governments to the New York Yankees and the Department of Homeland Security. Attendees will receive a copy of David’s newest book.
Ken Williams, the visionary heart, humor, and hammer of equity, will keynote the 18th Annual National SAM Conference. Ken’s remarkable book, Ruthless Equity, set a new bar for school leaders in 2022. His new book, yet to be titled, will take SAM teams a step further. His keynote will center on the content of the new book, rooted in how to lean away from pity, which renders us helpless in our quest to ensure student’s learning, and instead, lean into our collective power, which positions us to deliver on the promise.
Attendees will receive a copy of his new book at the conference.
Kara Swisher, the Oprah/Cronkite/Bernstein of tech journalism, will keynote the 18th Annual National SAM Conference. Kara’s blockbuster Burn Book tells the story of tech and its leaders from the beginning of computers to today.
Kara has covered tech with access to every major founder/leader since 1994 as a writer for the New Yorker, Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Her writing and podcasts have made her the most influential tech journalist in the country. She is a frequent contributor for each major network and cable news outlets.
Kara has a story to tell and ideas to consider for how we think about and use tech. Attendees will receive a copy of Kara’s best seller: Burn Book.
Willow Sweeney, the remarkably, funny, talented, and inspiring co-owner of Top 20 Training, will keynote the 18th Annual National SAM Conference. Willow provides training and materials to empower business and school leaders, teachers, parents, and students to help develop their potential. Her career has included high school teaching and coaching. She has co-written four books, a K-12 curriculum, and has been a coveted national speaker since 2002. Her work focuses on helping others develop social and emotional skills to be more effective and develop healthier workplace teams and cultures. For over two decades Willow has received reviews like the following, "Profoundly insightful and hilarious!" This year's SAMs keynote will be no different. If you've seen her before you know...the session is sure to move us, make us think, and laugh along the way. Attendees will receive a copy of Willow’s book, Rebalanced Thinking, Rebalanced Living.
Pre-conference Session Descriptions
Ted Ma ~ Everyday Mentorship: How SAM Practitioners Can Bring Out the Best in Others
We all have someone who made a significant impact on our careers. For most of us, it was a mentor who challenged the way we see ourselves and how we show up in the world. Your ability to be an Everyday Mentor for others doesn’t happen by chance; it is a result of a specific mindset and set of behaviors. Based on a national research study, this interactive workshop will teach you how to become an Everyday Mentor so you can bring out the best in your staff and create a culture they never want to leave. As a SAM practitioner, you will be challenged to rethink your role as a leader, change how you interact with your team, and learn how to close the gap between potential and performance.Ted Ma is a leadership strategist, author, and international keynote speaker who helps leaders become Everyday Mentors and create a culture that people never want to leave. As an elder millennial who has been coaching leaders for over 20 years, he brings a unique perspective to the stage. He's not just another leadership expert. Ted has been in the trenches, building and leading an international sales force of thousands of independent agents. He combines this experience with the vibrancy and insights of his generation, offering a unique blend of wisdom and innovation in leadership development. Through interactive speaking programs, Ted equips his audience with practical strategies to transition from outdated hierarchical management styles to the people-first approach of Everyday Mentorship that emphasizes employee engagement, leadership development, and career growth.
Will Parker ~ Pause. Breathe. Flourish.
Join William D. Parker for an enlightening pre-conference workshop inspired by his book, Pause. Breathe. Flourish.: Living Your Best Life as an Educator. It's often said in airplane safety briefings to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. Unfortunately, many educators prioritize the needs of others over their own well-being. In this session, led by Will Parker, explore vital principles for personal and professional growth designed to prevent educator burnout and enhance overall well-being. You'll learn to set realistic goals, manage stress effectively, and maintain a balanced life, all essential for thriving in your role and inspiring those around you. The workshop includes interactive discussions, practical strategies for self-care, and will leave you empowered to live your best life as an educator.
William D. Parker is the Founder of Principal Matters, LLC, an organization dedicated to equipping education leaders with solutions and strategies for motivating students, inspiring teachers, and improving school communities. As an author, speaker, and consultant, Will applies his expertise in school leadership, culture, and communication to work one-on-one or with groups in principal development. Will resides near Tulsa, Oklahoma, and brings over twenty-five years of experience as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. In 2012, he was honored as Oklahoma's Assistant Principal of the Year. He is also an active blogger, podcaster, and author. Beyond his consulting, Will served for six years as the Executive Director of Oklahoma’s Association for Secondary School Principals and Middle-Level Education Association. Discover his content and services at www.williamdparker.com.
Jenn David-Lang ~ Build Your Dream Team
Working together as a team is what helps people achieve extraordinary results. That’s why your leadership team is crucial to the success of your school. Come learn ways to bring your leadership team together, set clear priorities, function better as a team, collaboratively solve problems, build trust, improve communication, and manage conflict. What’s more, you will walk away with materials to conduct each of these activities easily with your own leadership team back home.
Jenn David-Lang has worked as a teacher, school administrator, consultant, and founder of educational organizations for more than thirty years. Over time, she noticed that school leaders had little time for their own professional growth, so in 2007, Jenn founded The Main Idea www.TheMainIdea.org. Her subscribers receive a thorough summary of an education book each month, connecting them with the latest and most compelling ideas on leadership, teaching, and learning. When Jenn is not up to her ears in books, she facilitates Masterminds (online groups of educational leaders learning together), gives workshops, coaches educational leaders, and conducts school evaluations.
Da’Mond Holt ~ Unbreakable: Shifting from Tragedy to Trauma-Resistant
Trauma may beat us and bruise us, but it will not break us. We will discuss the pain and brokenness of trauma and challenge the narrative that people need more than just trauma-informed care, which only talks about the problem of trauma but shifts to trauma resilience, which promotes persevering from surviving to thriving.
Dr. Da’Mond Holt is a national trauma expert, a certified traumatologist through the Traumatology Institute. He is also a certified mental health specialist and trauma crisis specialist through the American School Counselor’s Association. He is a board-certified functional medicine practitioner through the American Academy of Functional Health. Dr. Holt has authored eleven books, including Trauma: The New Public Health Emergency in Education.
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