Happy New Year!

Have you ever been to a school conference and not known exactly what it was that you are looking for, only that you believe that when it hits you, it will be the item that will turn your school around?  This last summer, I was watching 2000+ principals do exactly that, wondering what exactly they were searching for as they traveled to Seattle and attended the conference for administrators.  Are they searching for the magic bullet that will fix all of their problems, or a nugget of gold that can get them over the top?  Are they there because it was an easy trip to a new city for them and their administrative team, or are they genuinely seeking help and do not know where to start?

These thoughts became the catalyst to the next installment of my “more than just” book series.  “What if I could somehow bring 15 of the best principals to them in a book, rather than them searching for a person here who inspires them?” I thought, and then sat down to start writing.

My goal with any book is to make an impact in some way.  It has been the basis for the now 12 educational books online, some of which have hundreds of sales, two of which have zero.  The totals don’t matter, it is the ripple effect of the words that I share that is important to me in the end.  If I can get one person to change or reflect by spending hours on text and the whole cycle of a book that is a win for me.  The ripple I have made grows a little and perhaps we, the reader and myself, have moved our profession forward a bit.

In the end, that is the goal, isn’t it?  Or shouldn’t it be?  We all need to strive to make an impact in the profession we love, whether it is through leadership, growth, social media posts, or writing books.  We can all work diligently to leave this job better than we found it, and we can all reflect and grow within the roles and responsibilities that we perform daily.

The book was done early this month, and for a hot second was a #1 best seller, which is a fantastic accomplishment for me personally.  However, the real reward was knowing that many people, hopefully some that were in Seattle searching, can find wisdom through the words that their colleagues shared, and then get that nugget, or the silver bullet, so many times they are searching for.  Regardless, may your 2026 be amazing and if you need a goal, focus on the word impact.  If you make it positive, the outcomes will be measured.  To summarize, it’s as true in 2026 as it was in 2025, in the end, it’s all about perspective!

Choose Your “Gratitude”

It’s fall.  The leaves are turning in Vegas, slightly, as we tend to follow the rest of the world with the transition to the end of Autumn and into Winter.  But like any time in late November, regardless of where you live, it is a time for reflection and the realization that there are many items for which we should be grateful for at this time.

First, we in education that work within schools and districts, have a career that matters.  We are going to get paid and know when and where that next paycheck is coming from.  This blessing is something that many do not have, and allows us the abilty to be as great as we can be.  Not having to worry about if we are getting paid is something that many of us probably take for granted unless we stop and think about it.

Second, we should be grateful for many things that we do not even give a second glance.  You have the ability to read these words and decipher the meaning.  Some cannot.  You have the ability to read this on a phone or computer.  Many are missing access to his message because they are not able to afford or even find a computer. 

Third, we GET to come back to our positions after the break, and if we are doing it correctly, students will be excited to come back and see us as well.  Many do not have this type of motivating factor in their lives.  Perhaps they are headed back to the assembly line, or perhaps they have no place to head back to after the break.

In the end, we can choose to rise and whine, or rise and shine, regardless of what “shine” entails and what actions that comes with.  We get to “choose our gratitude” and determine that all of us, in some capacity, have something to be thankful for during this season.  It could be your health, or the access to healthcare that will help you heal.  It could be all of the time on Earth that you have had, with great times surely sprinkled in there, as you wind down your time on the planet.  Perhaps you are simply grateful for water and air.  That would be the most basic items that we could shine a lot on personally.

Personally, I am blessed beyond anything I could imagine.  My daughters are healthy, which is always number one, followed by the fact that my wife and myself, as well as my friends and family, all seem to be healthy as well.  I am grateful for my career, which has blossomed into way more than I ever imagined and hopefully will continue to make an impact nationwide in some way over the next twelve months. I have colleagues across the nation, and some right next door in our hallway, that can never be repaid for all they have brought to my life.  I am thankful for the time I had with my dad before he passed, as many don’t get 42 years or even one day, and the lessons he taught me have served me very well. The list for me could go on and on.

Boiling it down to the basic core of the concept, we all can “choose our gratitude” with the right attitude.  It simply means stopping, looking inward in some capacity, and thinking about the one or multiple items that you couldn’t imagine not having in your life, or that you can’t possibly regret the experiences that you lived through.  In the end, it is all about perspective, and this one is more pertinent and relevant than ever.  You are blessed and I wish you a late November full of items that bring you internal and eternal gratefulness as we navigate the time we have at this point in time.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Stop Eating Our Own

Look anywhere online and you will see negative posts about our profession, about staff members, parents, colleagues, and even kids. In our world these days, negativity sells or gets “likes” in social media currency.

Many years ago, I went the rounds with someone online who did not like a perspective that I put forth into the world. While their point of view was valid in their mind—and, as one who can look at the other side, valid in many areas as well—that being said, my side was also just as correct, because, as we know, in the end, it is all about perspective.

Two items can be true at the same time. The sky is blue but can be gray if clouds are present. Lately, the thermostat set to 75 is cold to me but hot to my wife, only to have us then reverse sides ten minutes later. The way we look at items is based upon our experiences and personal feelings, and we tend to hold on to those opinions tightly—and even tighter when someone challenges our way of thinking. But one area that all educators should be able to see one similar viewpoint on is with respect to our profession. Yet, we don’t promote this job as something that others should want to do, which is sad.

In my book I Wish They Knew, I clearly point out that educators do not agree on much, which is not helpful. Thus, I have been working on a next book as a way to hopefully make an impact in our profession. The title is Stop Eating Our Own: Whose Side Are You On?

Going back to the opening paragraph, the majority of posts are “eating our own” in the sense that we are not bringing glory to our jobs or our profession. Oftentimes, the statements on social media hinder the recruitment process of future educators due to the poster giving a dreary perspective on their job. Why do we do this? Why do teachers and administrators constantly want the world to know the worst parts of the gig? Further, are they correct and the worst parts are quite prevalent, or do they stink at what they do and blame everyone around them through social media as a way to recruit resentment and agreement from others all in one setting? If I had a bad day because of a student’s parents, that couldn’t possibly be the parents’ fault… right, fellow educators? Who’s with me? This kind of persona and short-sightedness is contributing to the current downward spiral of education.

In the end, we need to do better. We need to get off of the “dead horse” of publicly shaming what we do or those that do it better. We need to prop up educators crushing their job and learn from them, not push them down like they are on the other side of a teeter-totter. If we, generally speaking, continue to tell everyone how bad it is in our jobs and schools, what do we expect from those on the outside looking in? Why point out the bad and not hope to sway viewers’ eyes toward the good?

There is plenty of negativity in the world, and I am guessing that the vast majority of it comes from insecurity or jealousy. If someone can do the job better, or a school is more fun and popular, or a teacher is “insta-famous” and does fun activities, the feelings of inadequacy inevitably fill the minds of many of our colleagues out there. That is a mindset—and one we need to get away from. We have to be the biggest cheerleaders for our profession, or else we are going to go down like the Titanic. In the end, we must all work to “stop eating our own,” but that all begins with the first question one must answer: Whose side are you on?