Book Review: The Simple Solution

As a first year principal, I am always hungry to learn about new resources and strategies. So when I heard that my favorite educational leader was publishing a new book, of course I pre-ordered a copy.

www.tower.com

The Secret Solution: How One Principal Discovered the Path to Success is a fictional tale that follows "Roger Rookie" through his first year as principal. Along the way he encounters the typical school characters and undergoes several leadership transformations.

The Secret Solution is an easy read and administrators are sure to identify with Rookie as he faces familiar issues with faculty, staff, and parents. Although the struggles were simplified, the message was clear; the path to success is a mix of climate and accountability. Oh, and the illustrations were a nice bonus.

I would recommend this book to any current or aspiring administrator. As a collector of Todd Whitaker books, it was nice to see his concepts put into practice, even if it was fictional.

Next book on my shelf: Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times

Comments

The Busy Epidemic

The same conversation plays out numerous times per day, with a very predictable script: “Hi! How are you?” “Doing well, just busy, how are you doing?” “I understand, I’m very busy over here too.” It’s like there is an underground competition to show that we are the busiest, most overworked professional within our spheres. “I worked all weekend on (insert project here).” “I can’t meet today, I’m just too busy with (insert another project here).” Guess what? WE’RE ALL BUSY. It may look different for each of us, but we are all overwhelmed with to-do lists that are a mile long. Why do we feel the need to showcase that we are working ourselves to exhaustion? It's as if we have to defend the use of our time. I am a big believer that our words shape our mindset and demonstrate our belief system. I don't want to believe in the system of "busy." My work should speak for itself without me having to explain all of my tasks to everyon...

The Principal Reads

There is a familiar excitement in the air and the school is filled with students and staff who are optimistic about the coming year. If you are an educator, you know the feeling well and it never gets old. I am beginning this year similar to how I have the past three - sharing a book with each class. Scheduling time to read to each class gives me the opportunity to get to know our new students, give teachers a brief break from teaching during the exhausting first weeks of school, set the expectation for when I enter classrooms, and, most importantly, share my love of books. Literacy has been the focus in our division for a year now and we are happily kicking that into high gear at CES. Sharing a love of books and reading aloud to students is an easy way administrators can model the importance of enjoying a good book. A few of my favorite beginning of the year reads are: Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids How Full is Your...

#WinterBreakReads

Winter break gives many of us time to slow down, catch up, and recharge. If you are like me, it also gives you time to read that ever-growing stack of books that you keep ordering! While I probably should be cleaning, organizing, or engaging in other baby preparations, I can't resist perusing the pages of books that my PLN has recommended. Seriously. I am on my third book. The Four O'Clock Faculty: A Rogue Guide to Revolutionizing Professional Developmen t by Rich Czyz has been on my wishlist for a few weeks. So when it arrived, it naturally skipped to the front of the line as we are currently working on revamping our professional development structure for the coming year. The book did not disappoint with plenty of suggested activities you can implement tomorrow to supercharge your professional learning. Unfortunately, we know there are schools and administrators out there who are not supportive of revolutionizing professional learning,...

Mrs. Cromer: Leading & Learning

Search This Blog