Episode # 381: Matt Rhoades & Brenda Karge
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-381-matt-rhoades-belinda-karge/
Matt Rhoads, EdD, is an expert and innovator in educational technology and instructional strategy integration within online, blended, and traditional in-person classroom settings. With a special education background, Dr. Rhoads co-taught for many years at the high school level in the areas of English, mathematics, and social sciences. He continues to co-teach regularly while coaching teachers and presenting professional development.
As a practicing technology and instructional leader, trainer, integrationist, and coach in adult education, K–12, and higher education, he develops instructional integrations of edtech tools with research-based strategies to drive instruction. He is a coach and professional learning
specialist for new and experienced teachers within the consortium and at a local university. Dr. Rhoads is also a doctoral dissertation chair who coaches doctoral students to conduct their research, write, and defend their dissertations. Dr. Rhoads eight books focus on integrating instructional strategies with edtech and AI tools to amplify student learning within in-person, online, and blended learning classrooms. His latest books include Crush It From the Start: 50 Tips for New Teachers, Instruction Without Boundaries: Enhance Your Teaching Strategies With Technology Tools in Any Setting, Amplify Learning: A Global Collaborative series, and Navigating the Toggled Term: A Guide for K–12 Classroom and School Leaders. His blog on his website has 75+ posts on all things related to education, instruction, Special Education, and more. He also has his podcast, Navigating Education, which discusses all topics related to education and instruction.
Belinda Dunnick Karge, PhD, is a professor in the doctoral studies program at Concordia University Irvine and a professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton. She taught both general education and special education and served in administrative roles in elementary and high school prior to teaching in higher education. Her interest in co-teaching began when she was originally in the classroom; she has co taught at several levels.
Belinda’s professional record demonstrates a consistent pattern of research publications; she has produced five textbooks, five curriculum texts, four book chapters, several educational tools, and more than 150 articles. Her latest book is Watch, Listen, Ask, Learn: How School Leaders Can Create an Inclusive Environment for Students With Disabilities. She has made numerous presentations to international, state, and local groups of school
district employees and has keynoted several conferences. She serves as a consultant for the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Overseas Schools and travels extensively around the world. Research-based instructional strategies, schoolwide change, co-teaching, and inclusive practices are a few areas she consults on.
Belinda received the Council for Exceptional Children’s Susan Phillips Gorin Award. She was also honored with the Council for Learning Disabilities’ Floyd G. Hudson Outstanding Service Award and the Association for Childhood Education International service award. Belinda’s PhD is in quantitative methods, special education, and educational psychology and her
master’s degree is in special education and reading. She received both from the University of California, Riverside.
Trench Story: Matt: co-taught a class w/ grad students. Had to adjust a # of assignments to meet their needs. It happens quite often w/ a new partner & w/ a new group of st’s.
Belinda: stated career as gen ed math & science. 1st yr teaching elementary, had big kid w/ big behaviors. Reached out to a program specialist. Asked for advice. He said she needed to instruct him. It’s framed her career. Once she focused on that, he had fun w/ school.
Discuss book on Co-Teaching Evolved: Partnership Strategies for an Equitable, Inclusive, and Tech Powered Classroom: talk about how strategies work and incorporate how it can go in diff. scenarios. Description from website: offers a comprehensive guide for educators and co-teachers eager to harness the full potential of co-teaching strategies in the modern classroom. From the foundational aspects of establishing co-teaching partnerships to integrating cutting-edge educational technology (EdTech) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, this book is a treasure trove of insights and strategies designed to create an inclusive and equitable learning environment.
Discuss a possible Co-Teaching Podcast episode in the future. They’ve been on a number of co-teaching podcasts.
Wants to talk about how co-teaching has evolved a lot over the past couple yrs w/ AI. They talk about how AI is put into the planning workflow, how to use AI that’s built in.
They were doing a carousel activity during a presentation. Matt took pics and dropped in into AI. It was then provided to teachers. The groups of t’s mentioned the carousel activity was great for pulling together the language of the students. AI helps w/ the workload, differentiation, his favorite tools are conducting mini assessments on digital white boards. AI can give them personalized feedback. Planning, it’s great when you can start something electronically, add the standards, and AI can start the lesson plan.
Instructional coaching, research, and innovation: Newest book 25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders that came out around instru. coaching. You can use that as a form of co-teaching w/ gradual release. This is his latest book (March 2025).
Available for consulting work throughout the school year. They choose days as they have day jobs. Things they need help on depend on the team. It’s about planning various workflows, how are they planning their co-teaching, who is going to assess st’ progress. Instr. coaches need to get in there and help figure out how the t’s can each use their gifts. It’s good to understand what instructional coaches are there for. Communicate w/ teachers, esp. if you’re an outside coach.
Belinda, discuss your latest book: Watch, Listen, Ask, Learn: How School Leaders Can Create an Inclusive Environment for Students With Disabilities. It comes from the top. She worked the last 10 yrs. w/ principals, asst. super., superin. who need a school-wide process around IEP meetings, or how to keep them out of litigation. Sometimes it’s the veteran t’s who don’t always follow the IEP. Book is trying to help leaders.
Matt’s podcast Navigating Education: (75 episodes so far). They also have a substack blog for Co-Teaching Evolved. It’s about all things related to education. Sometimes it’s related to co-teaching, or developing your own AI-based apps. Has 125 posts over 5-6 yrs.
Out of Everything: Belinda: We’re here for the st’s. Figure out ways to support in terms of st. outcomes. SEL or academic. Matt: everyone should have a purpose that drives you. There’s a lot of ups & downs in profession. Leaps & valleys.
Where can ppl find you? X, LinkedIn, IG, Bluesky, FB- will send links Contact Solution Tree for consulting opportunities
www.matthewrhoads.com, www.coteachingevolved.com X – @mattrhoads1990, Instagram/Threads – @DrRhoadsEdu
Bluesky – matthewrhoads.com
Belinda: Linkedin @BelindaKarge
View this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/ygpKeY23Dvs
Episode #382: Rich Bernato
Episode # 282: Rich Bernato | The Out of the Trenches Podcast
Richard Bernato, Ed.D. is in his fifty-third year in schooling, that spans higher education, research, in doctoral and graduate levels like Stony Brook, St. John’s University, Molloy University, and CUNY Queens College, many K-12 leadership roles, and consulting with and presenting to many school districts. His interests include catalyzing interactive and research-based effective curricula that are a result of futuring systems, planning, decision making, and high engagement of all stakeholders to ensure systemically healthy schooling and organizational practices.
His latest book, Co-Creating the Future, a Simulation to Catalyze School Change (2024) Solution Tree, is a unique offering to those interested in innovative professional development principles and planning. His books, Futures-Based Change Leadership (2017), Planning as Futuring, Futuring as Planning, (2020) also capture those ideas. He is also co-author of The Collective Mindset (2022), blogs, podcasting and articles that are devoted to that vision. An expert on the uses of and how to design simulations for learning and organizational improvement Dr. Bernato, supports all efforts to reform schools for futures they have yet to consider and supports these through his efforts as Editor in Chief of the SCOPE Journal for Leadership and Instruction.
Trench story: first yr teaching, ss teacher. Was very proud of himself. Was teaching about Iroquois Indians, taught out of textbook. Thought it went well. Principal said “you don’t know much about the Iroquois, do you?” He said “students learn best when actively engaged.Thought he’d loose his job. Worked on teaching tenants. 2-3 yrs later, before he had tenure, ss chair came in & observed. Found novel Rabble in Arms about Am. Revolution. Put on a mock trial. Gave class a few days to prepare. Didn’t say much, gave them the definition of treason. They found the character innocent. SS chair asked if he taught like this often, Richard said yes. Chair said it’s a waste of time. Rich lit into him, didn’t agree. He was never so convinced he had a good idea.
Book Co-Creating the Future, a Simulation to Catalyze School Change (2024): he wanted to title it Alchemy. It suggests transformation. It’s about new ways to realize and catalyze each other. Leader’s job is to empower ppl. It’s the first responsibility of a good leader, have them practice the skills. Book is about a simulation- role play w/in a game. It’s about simulations where you use futuring to create change. There’s no other book like this on the market. Ppl have to collaborate w/ each other to use future forecasting skills. Will you accept the difference b/w what’s probable vs. what’s possible. Do you accept what’s going to happen or take charge? They contribute skills to synthesize into something new. Everything you do is a simulation, simplified form of reality. In healthcare they’re constantly doing them. Think Tanks- “what ifs”, anticipate what probable futures may be. Like ppl in the Pentagon-they hopefully have a simulation for most events. It’s changing how you get an org/school system to recognize differently than they’ve been. Disney World-how they deal w/ a recession. They have simulated all sorts of scenarios to minimize recession effects. Most video games are simulations. We don’t empower st’s to think that way.
We should have been ready for COVID, it accelerated the SEL needs of st’s. He thinks t’s or leaders have become passive. This is like the fact districts have chromebooks, but st’s didn’t have wifi. Or how teachers handled teaching kids online.
He’s co-creating book is about teachers engaging with st’s to co-create a different future. He uses Schools That Learn & The Fifth Discipline by Senge in his courses. It talks about a shared vision- think about to what extent there’s a shared vision, to what extent are views actively explored by all stakeholders, to what extent are t’s and stakeholders empowered to learn, to what extent do they systems think? Schools that have these principles in place have higher rate of success.
Futures forecasting in leadership: there are skill sets we don’t forecast what the probable futures will be in schools. There are ways to get dialogues going. His book talks about 5 levels of futuring: information gathering, 2 dimensional futuring, it’s about getting ripple effects on the surface of a pond. Can be used by a school improvement group. Simulation design as ls leadership training and how it applies to K-12 PD.
Sophistication in synthesizing leadership processes successfully. Possible vs. probable future. Cross-impact charts- look at probability, and the effect on diff. groups, ideas. 3-dimensional futuring- simulations- outcomes aren’t so clear. Scenario building.
He was in the K-12 world as ss teacher, admin, up to asst. superintendent. He does it inorganically and organically. He put leaders in the simulation roles to collaborate. They build an opening scenario together based on the issue the school/district has. They co-write the scenario. When they pick the scenario they want, they turn around & put it in motion. They need to come up w/ a plan that’s flexible enough to twist/turn against emerging futures. AI premise- you can tell it to create a simulation. It’s cueing us but not running us. It’s up to leaders to help ppl have opportunities to change what we do, for the sake of the kids. He did a workshop to principals from Shanghai 3 yrs ago. They had the highest concentration of univ. devoted to AI. Had a dissertation student who was suffering from PTSD in NY City Schools.
Out of Everything: they have the ability to empower each other. They can encourage each other, they need to teach each other the skills. We don’t have to accept a future we don’t like.
Where can ppl find you online?
https://www.facebook.com/richard.bernato.3
@richDis48 X, Bluesky,
rbernato_simulation_educator (Instagram)
Rbernato@gmail.com Richard.bernato@scopeonline.us
www.linkedin.com/in/richard-bernato-1658854 (LinkedIn)
https://www.solutiontree.com/richard-bernato.html
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/o618Pag-l1w
Episode # 383: Dr. Nancy Parkes
Dr. Nancy Parkes is an educational consultant and lecturer. Much of her work is focused on helping Jewish educators and directors integrate social, emotional, and spiritual learning in their settings. Several of her articles on the topic have appeared in Jewishphilanthropy and she is currently working on an SESL book and toolkit for Jewish educators. Nancy is a lecturer at the Jewish Theological Seminar and is currently teaching an online certificate program in Social, Emotional, and Spiritual Learning for Jewish educators. She is also a founding member of SESL4Jewished, which is a collaborative for promoting holistic growth for learners and educators in all Jewish settings. Nancy served as the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Israel Center in White Plains for ten years, and is an outspoken advocate for the partnership between Rabbis and educators in bringing about innovation and change in the congregational school setting. Nancy earned her doctorate in Education and her M.A. degree in Jewish Studies and Education in the William Davidson School of Education at JTS.
Trench story: During COVID, making the dramatic shift. T’s & st’s dealt w/ so much uncertainty, stress. Crawled out by acknowledging the emotional turmoil everyone was in. She was doing SEL before but brought in SESL after COVID. There are so many x’s we’re in @ don’t know. She had a parent she had to report to social services. He said he was going to sue. She knew she needed someone else cause she was worried for physical safety. She has others from teaching class & not knowing how to reach st’s.
What does SESL have to do with education? Social emo-learning, integrated w/ spiritual learning. They define it about how much kids are searching for purpose & meaning. She’s not talking about spiritual in a metaphysical or dogma sense. We’re wired for connection. Secular schools need it more than others, it’s as simple as creating deep relationships w/ st’s. Cultivating relationships b/w peers. This is a different type of spirituality.
There are examples. Working w/ kids to find their strengths. How do you help st’s find strengths w/in themselves? T’s are needing to nurture their spiritual & emotional piece. We know that emotions have a direct impact on how ppl learn. Like when colleagues have motivated or shut ppl down from learning. Acknowledge how you’re feeling. You can employ strategies like breathing to regulate themselves. If there’s a lot of excitement, mitigate it, do deep breathing. Social piece is really important- connecting st’s to each other. Giving st’s chance to work collaboratively together.
Soul piece, connection to something bigger than self- take them out in nature. Give kids opportunity to connect w/ it. Social justice for older st’s/young adults- giving them the opportunity to make a difference in the world. Give them agency to do it.
Does SESL take away from content learning? It’s built into the relationships we build w/ st’s. If we’re focusing on these skills it doesn’t take away from content, academic achievement increases. Example: literature- perspective of a character. Have them identify how they imagine the character is feeling. Let kids come up w/ alternative endings. Math- it helps w/ responsible decision making. You take steps & move fwd w/ decision. Role modeling it, adults loose patience a lot. We need to stop & reset. You as teacher could say “I’m feeling really frustrated, take a few deep breaths, give instructions again”. Skills that can be taught & practiced.
How does SESL help with classroom behavior and management? The research shows when kids feel safe there are less behavioral issues. You have to shift how you think about CM. It’s not about controlling them. It’s about teaching them skills so they can manage their behavior. They respond better to redirection when they have a positive relationship w/ teacher. They respond differently to a t. that way. This needs to continue in secondary school as well. School needs to be shifting more towards having emotionals safety.
What are some tools of SESL? there are many. Hoberman sphere- she shows on video. Breathing exercises- 1 hand on chest, 1 on stomach. (she shows on video). Perspective taking, she loves to role play what the characters are seeing or doing. Have st’s work @ listening- I feel, I think, I want. She does a lot w/ body language. Have them use this to be aware w/ a t. or student. Mood meters/emojis. Do this when st’s leave as well. This helps w/ self-awareness & self-management. IF a teacher is feeling stressed it’s harder to self-manage. Give kids time to move, incorporate breathing exercices. This can help the t’s as well. She loves to do a connection w/ kids to build relationships.
Do teachers need SESL skills too? they are the same tools, but different for adults. They can use the one hand on chest & one on bellow, etc.
Teacher Training she gives for Social and Emotional Supports for Educator Retention and Resilience-at the end of yr, she feel depleted but also energized about having a good yr. It’s about being able to manage their own emotions, stress levels, provide opportunities to take care of themselves, supporting colleagues. How do leaders bring this into daily routines w/ t’s. F. ex. a “team huddle” to have t’s connect w/ other teachers. This can be done in a big circle. They did words of encouragement too. Also can be done @ the end of the day- what was a highlight? They put those on the wall. It requires a lot of effort on t’s part to find this. It built collaboration & support w/ other t’s. Teaching is an emotional & social experience, t’s feel it deeply when they’re in the trenches.. Acknowledge that they may not know what they’ve given you, it makes a huge difference.
She’s working w/ schools in Chicago.
Out of everything; She wants to convey that teaching is one of the few professions where they know how to do better. She wants to lift up that t’s are doing incredibly important work. They need to understand how valuable they are to the world-they’re making a difference in the lives of their st’s each day.
Where can ppl find you? https://www.nancyparkesconsulting.com/blog-1
Check website or podmatch for socials
She wants to promote it w/ her network-send her my website/socials
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8cm-FXpkwhw
Episode #374: Todd Bloomer
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-384-todd-bloomer/
Mr. Todd Bloomer, with 29 years in public education and 18 in administration, recently retired from a high school principal leading a campus of over 2,500 students. His extensive experience across middle and high school levels, talent for building positive campus cultures, and exceptional hiring practices set him apart. As an author and coach, he offers valuable insights on educational leadership and effective communication. Mr. Bloomer’s commitment to creating a supportive, family-like atmosphere ensures a dynamic and transformative coaching experience. Contact him using the form below for more information on his coaching services.
Trench story: 1st year as principal, felt like he was in quicksand. It didn’t go how he thought it would go. You’re the last door on the hallway. Everyone goes to you. He had to learn to say “no”. Decisions went south. Was a good AP. Looked at self in mirror over the summer. Was vulnerable. He didn’t want to be defined as an unsuccessful principal. Talked to t’s during passing periods. He realized he needed to clearly articulate who he was as a leader. He found a few ppl he could value but didn’t have a coach 12 yrs. ago.
Talk about book The Blueprint: Survive and Thrive as a School Administrator why is ch. 6 the most relevant chapt. It’s his favorite chapter. the chapter is an email. It’s about his transition from teacher to admin. Writing book was a 5-6 yr process. Wrote it after hours/weekends. Sent the whole book to Darrin. Was gonna self-publish. Todd didn’t give up. It’s an easy read coming into the job or 5 yrs in. Ch. 6: 10 Actionable items what he’d do differently as a principal. How he’d take care of self & family. 90% work, 10% family. He tells a story about his son in 7th grade- playing football. He was principal @ another MS. Went to football games of school he was principal @ not son’s. Senior year-he was able to play, Todd was principal @ the same school. School isn’t going to fall down w/o them. It’s about habits of mental, spiritual and physical well being. Principals need to model this for their APs.
He likes to talk about helping principals avoid the admin overwhelm, mental, spiritual, physical health. Had 18 yrs in admin. Speaks about what he’d do differently. How do we get out of pitfalls? Nowadays, principals are moving up the ladder quicker, the new ones aren’t as prepared. When you come into a new school, spend 1+ hr to meet w/ secretary. When parents come in & ask about band f.ex. delegate those ?’s. Prioritize time in the CR. Reassure parents they’ll be heard. Don’t act like you know it all. 2x’s year have 15m meetings w/ every t. Send email over summer; some t’s can come in then. Ask them 3 ?’s. It gives you great insight. don’t go 10K miles an hour. He would encourage current principals to have these outside. Don’t be tied to your office- you can’t lead from there. Does in Dec & end of year. Bloomer’s bench- he met w/ t’s & students on a red bench. There is a plaque there now after his retirement. Bench was a relaxation time & grounding for him. He had positive self-talk.
Has speaking gigs @ colleges, was supposed to keynote. He’s looking to coach/connect w/ principals in small, intimate settings, nearby. He has worked w/ leadership teams on mission/vision statements. Also program “The Huddle” for student empowerment. Our change is in our student body. Doesn’t want to be on the road. Is starting a new job in his retirement. He’ll be coaching principals in the Archdiocese of San Antonio as Director of School Leadership. Keynote- 45 tips & tricks in 35 minutes, other one around how to find your Blueprint, when putting yourself first isn’t being selfish.
Coaching principals-has 1 client who is in the situation he was in years ago. He asks qu’s then offers suggestions, would like to take on 1-2 more ppl. He’s helped w/ others to develop a teacher handbook, sells for $35. Has also given a paid service to coach people through the admin interview process. He has a bank of questions from San Antonio area.
Out of everything: your family is the most important thing in your life. His wife took a back seat unfairly. Your HS isn’t everything. Build in something w/ spouse like “Sunday fun day”. It’s sacred time for them. Play a game of Connect 4 every night. It helps you get off electronics & leads to convos. Watches Curb your Enthusiasm w/ her as well. Make the most of your family time. Put it in the calendar.
Where can ppl find you? #theblueprint — Todd Bloomer IG @todd_bloomer_ author Has been creating IG reels. X @bloomer LinkedIn @toddbloomer www.toddmbloomer.com
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oq-wPT6u-_0
Episode # 385: Clay Cook
Episode #385: Clay Cook | The Out of the Trenches Podcast
Dr. Clay Cook is the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong and is an implementation scientist, psychologist, and former paraprofessional and middle school math teacher. He has spent the past 15 years working in partnership with school systems across the country to support the implementation of effective practices that promote better and more equitable outcomes for students. He has been a professor and researcher at three universities (Louisiana State University, University of Washington and University of Minnesota) studying topics such as implementation of evidence-based practices, educator well-being and resilience, social-emotional learning, and youth mental health. He has obtained over 20 million dollars in grant funding for his research and published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles. For his work, he has been invited to the White House and served on expert panels with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Education.
Trench story: his own experience as a student. As a professional, it comes w/ adversity & challenges.Was in an alt. HS during his upbringing. Mr. Gogo didn’t teach him anything, he cared deeply about him, Clay then went to community college. It created opportunities.
Start w/ Character Strong after being a professor on evidence-based practices, educator well-being and resilience, social-emotional learning, and youth mental health: Was @ Univ. of WA. Worked w/ a school district implementing MTSS tiers. Went into a highly effective HS. Thought “what the heck is going on here?” There was a leadership t who created a leadership class, Tier 1 prevention program, how to be good stewards of their own culture & climate. He helped CS get started in the secondary setting. Consulted w/ them in a school that had a great culture. In the HS it was run as a prevention program. Created an inclusive, safe environment. He got curious as a researcher to “bottle up” Tier 1 intervention programs. He’d already consulted w/ schools for 10 yrs, prior to that. He supported from afar, left academia b/c he didn’t have a huge impact there. To get to st. outcomes, it’s all about the adults. Decided to leave academia to scale the CS resources. Promote their well-being.Then you create healthier environments. 3.5 yrs w/ them FT. Started in 2014. Educator well-being: As a researcher, got used to implementation science. Adults are feeling overwhelmed, outmatched by needs to st’s. Educators’ jobs are met w/ stressors. They developed programming to implement high quality effective practices.Can then create the conditions to last.
Using CS as a HS/MS teacher & principal’s responsibility: He’s done a lot of research on implementation science. Once you identify a program, you have to know how to implement it. Put in the supports that adults need. Many districts have “portrait of a graduate” alot of those skills are non-academic. How are we going to promote these competencies/mindsets? At secondary level, have to look @ master schedule- get in reps, build fluency, etc. They equip secondary schools w/ practices to SERVE model-concrete practices, relationship connection points. They work thru leadership teams to create conditions for successful implementation. We have to support adult behavior change. They might feel overwhelmed. Providing training, time for collaboration, planning, monitoring fidelity, etc. What do the adults need from us in order to implement? Phases: Pre-implementation- readiness (competent, committed). Active: supporting them to do it. Work towards having it stick. Queuing systems to keep it alive & well to help educators remember about implementation. It’s like a construction project-it depends on the input. How much can we pour into this high fidelity process? Can be 2-3 yrs. Need feedback cycles. They customized
The Character Strong podcast, weekly chats w/ different educators: (he’d like to have me on, John Norlin). They bring in leaders, teachers, consultants, on adult well being, Chronic absenteeism, strategies about what they’re doing to have success, sustainability.
The Character Strong blog: Chronic absenteeism, student behavior/lack of engagement. Alot of blogs help educators get an internal locus of control mindset. If they let them know they have control over a lot of our practices it can go better. Blogs touch on general theme.He can touch on MTSS- Attendance Toolkit for Tier 1 & Tier 2 support CS offers. Creates a “pushplan” to have parents push the kid to attend, school “pulls” kid into school. Esp. in HS. Parents can do better w/ CS support. They can feel less judged. Research on taking families to truancy court leads to more chronic absenteeism.
Other trainings: Variety of product-specific trainings. Character Strong has a natl. conference annually in July 24-25 in Tacoma, WA. They get 1000 educators (2 days) Certification training in MTSS, Tier 2, Tier 3, they do 15-20 per year (2 day event). Regional trainings, serve model: collection of Tier 1 practices. “4 at the door plus on more” SR, ongoing monitoring, proximity, etc. It makes Tier 1 concrete. CS has tried to operationalize “low burden, high impact” practices. From evidence, what are the practices any educators can infuse into their environment?
Adult resilience curriculum– CS has done educator resilience research. It’s designed to put a spotlight on how we can promote our own resilience. How can we take care of ourselves & others in this work? ACHIEVER- each letter stands for type of well-being practice. Resource is free. IT takes a mindset shift.
Out of everything: CS core belief- “it’s all about the adults”, there are exceptions to the statement. We have to get the adult piece right first- it’s critical. We have to support them to implement. We have to nurture them to retain talent. “Be the guide, not the hero”.
Where can ppl find you online: www.characterstrong.com clay@characterstrong.com
On CS podcast they ask “what would be the 1 relational practice every educator should implement?” (1 key important reminder)
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8WkfVataraU
Episode # 386: Dr. Michelle Seijas
https://outofthetrenches.podbean.com/e/episode-386-dr-michelle-seijas/
Michelle Seijas, Ed.D. is a Latina leader on a mission to honor the generations before her and to liberate the generations to come. Her passions and values led her to begin her career as a bilingual education teacher. Over her 15 years in K-12 schools, she was an instructional coach, elementary school vice principal,
district coordinator, and high school principal. Eventually, she moved into the non-profit world as the Founding Executive Director of the Surge Institute in Oakland. There, she established and led a team focused on developing Black and Latinx education leaders to create transformative change for the
youth and communities they served. A desire grew to pursue a doctorate. It was fueled by knowing that less than 1% of Latinas in
the US have completed doctoral studies. She earned her doctorate from UC Davis, focused on solutions to the systemic devaluation of Latino students.
During a 6-month sabbatical between roles, she studied the impacts of leadership on our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. She learned about the science of the nervous system, somatics, and ancestral practices that collectively can bring calm and clarity to leadership. She re-emerged from the sabbatical with another layer of knowledge and tools to offer the leaders she supports.
As a trauma-informed certified coach, experienced consultant, education leader, and former nonprofit executive, she has learned to be her authentic self in various contexts. She partners with leaders to grow their confidence, value their strengths, create a clear vision for their life and career, and learn practices to make leadership sustainable. Michelle has a special gift of facilitating engaging experiences for people to step into their power and identify how they will
live and lead with purpose.
Trench story: She thinks trenches are our mindset. A lot of the time it’s how we take care of our bodies. In 2017 she was a HS principal and needed to navigate the parts of the job that made her passionate. She didn’t have tools to manage the stress. it’s been 8 yrs since she left the K-12 space.She wrote an email about interning for ppl for things she could try out. Univ, class, curriculum writing. Met a woman who had founded a non-profit who wanted to go national for Black & Latinx, she did that for 4 yrs. To start her business, she had to pause and get clear. Can lightly tap on starting a business.She wants to offer for folks to pause before launching what they want to do next. It might not be the obvious answer. She kept telling herself she wanted to launch a podcast, then decided she wanted to be in convo w/ others. Has been on 15 so far. A lot are on things she tends to speak on, coach on, etc.
Talk about your offers- coaching, consulting, retreats– back then, she wasn’t having convos w/ coaches. Not a lot of support for Latina. She wants to give ppl the opportunities to have the convos sooner on how to reduce stress & increase sustainability. Many folks moved early into leadership seats. She pauses w/ new clients to do some breathing. Conscious of caring for themselves. She’s the 180* support. She wants folks to not feel alone. She does work about impact of stress on one’s body. Leaders need to find their calm first, t’s before st’s. Semantic practices. 2-5 m to reset before a staff mtg.
St leaders across univ. system, Latina prof. leaders from across the state- she’s often invited to come in. Your calm allows them to have more calm. Ask to take a pause at the last couple min. of a mtg to have closure. It starts w/ the leader. ripple effect.
She sees a lot of ppl who want to pivot. Doing a keynote around being clear in your purpose for why you lead. What does it look like, why, how you lead, being clear on that.
Has Foundations of Emerging Leaders workshop-it’s a space for ppl to be nurtured 1x/wk. Multi-month program. Getting clear on purpose as a leader & what’s great about them, surrounding them w/ a team, values-based decision making. Came up w/ clarity. It could also help w/ preparing for succession. She loved the mentoring/coaching part w/ students as a principal. She took a 6 month sabbatical.
She does one-on-one coaching as well for CEO, asst. supt. She helps them stay grounded in clarity, purpose and understanding. They’re often told by everyone else what they should be doing. She helps them stay centered in their purpose. She wants them to get distraction out of the way to get clarity on why they do things. Stay anchored in their why.
Group coaching-last group ended last July-she prefers a district to buy out, it’s easier to work directly w/ 1 org than across the country. She’s still a teacher. She has very intentional content/lessons. She runs them openly w/ ppl throughout the country, cohort together. Helps ppl to have big vision & small action steps. She wants to stay @ root of why she started her business, getting more ppl into leadership & sustaining them.
The domino effect for ppl in positions shifting. How can we keep ppl in their principal roles to become evt. superintendents? How can we build relationships & not just get dropped into a new place. Intentionality w/ staff transitions. They need to look for places where they can find their joy. Is it 90% in their purpose or 10% in their purpose. What can they get really excited about in the role?
Out of everything: you’re a whole being. 20% of action comes from brain. 80% from the neck down. We need to breathe & feel what’s happening in our body. Take a breather, check in w/ selves, how do you embed this into systems & culture.Give yourself 2-5 m a day to be able to bring whole mind & body to your work.
Where can ppl find you: About — Michelle Seijas IG: @thrivingchingona
LinkedIn @michelleseijasedd
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View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/asKbidQGdu0
Episode # 387: Jeff Linden
Episode #387: Jeff Linden | The Out of the Trenches Podcast
Jeff brings energy, real-world experience, and actionable strategies that can inspire educational leaders at all levels. Whether discussing school improvement, leadership development, or the challenges facing modern educators, his insights are engaging and impactful.
From my experiences working in a variety of school settings such as small rural schools, urban districts, and suburban schools I’ve found one universal truth: everyone in education is working toward the same goal to help students learn and grow. And while the challenges may differ depending on the setting, the single most important thing you can do as an educational leader, no matter where you are, is to build a culture of collaboration.
Building that culture doesn’t happen overnight, especially when you walk into a school that has struggled. It takes patience, intentionality, and consistency. For new principals, my first piece of advice is this: get to know your staff, not just their names, but something meaningful about them. Whether it’s their love for coaching basketball, their passion for photography, or even their favorite Netflix series, knowing these personal details helps build trust. And trust is the foundation of collaboration.
Once trust is in place, you can begin to shift the mindset of your staff. Moving from a fear of failure to a mindset of embracing failure as a learning opportunity is a game changer. This is where collaboration becomes essential. When teachers and staff are involved in the school improvement process, they take ownership of the solutions. Ownership empowers people to invest in the process, and that investment drives meaningful, sustainable change.
As a principal, I’ve had the opportunity to lead two very different school buildings, and each had unique needs. In both cases, our school improvement teams focused on finding practical solutions to meet the specific challenges of our building. And my role was to keep those solutions and goals at the forefront, constantly reminding the team of what we were working toward together.
Trench story: first principalship. Put on a lot of different hats. Managing discipline, paras, etc. You can’t do it yourself, you have to learn how to collaborate w/ your staff. At current role at Hastings H.S. he’s applied those lessons to make progress on things.
Getting into podcasting, Ed Leadership podcast: 2022- looked for PD, checked out some podcasts. Listened to Darrin Peppard’s. Didn’t find a lot for Ed Leadership. It wasn’t until fall 2024 he started to do recordings consistently. Wanted to help principals, is now 7 yrs in as a principal. Started it in Dec. ‘24. Wants to put out 1 episode a wk. Has learned a lot through other ppl.Networks w/ ppl nationwide. He’ll put out episodes f.ex. on student death- his experience as a principal. Wants to connect ppl w/ others. Has been in small rural schools, now Hastings, NE. Rural/suburban feel. Has been working on using the School Improvement Team to help change the culture. Has helped leverage staff’s expertise to create change. Has revised cell phone policy, used hall pass system, created a new attendance policy. In the 1st yr has decreased chronic absenteeism by 8.9%. Biggest challenge- st’s have to have some sort of accountability. Kids have to know you care. If you raise the bar, they need to hit it. That’s the best thing they can do. Test scores will come after the culture is better. Staff have stayed more after he helped turn around culture (after the first 2 yrs).
Over the past three years, our school improvement teams have implemented three key initiatives that have completely transformed our school’s culture:
He learned @ first principalship how to learn on others. Kids were hiding in alcove, paper passes forged. He listened and collected data. Asked ppl if they wanted to be a part of the team- solutions-driven. Team would talk to t’s and report back. It was a year-long process f.ex. cell phone policy.
- A new Personal Electronic Devices policy – This helped reduce distractions and improve engagement in classrooms. They’re a 1-to-1 chromebook school. They have phone caddies in the room. If t’s see it, it’s going to the office w/ an hour detention, parents have to get it. They can use it during passing/lunch. It took a while for kids to get serious. School improvement team facilitators rolled it out.
- An E-Hall Pass system with hall monitors – This created a more organized and secure school environment. Teachers ask for hall monitor duty. They find patterns, fuse the data. There’s accountability.
- A revamped attendance policy with an MTSS system – This significantly improved student accountability and overall attendance rates. They worked on it in year 2 w/ adopted policy from another HS. If you miss a class period 8 days in a semester, you may not get credit. Credited MTSS process w/ leadership team. They have a weekly attendance data mtg. Got community liaison involved to have them do home visit. Referred to STARS program-extension of the county before they’re referred to truancy court. The improvement team collaborated, t’s gave feedback. APs send out the 4, 8 day letters, he sends out the 15 day letters. Less this year. Attendance rate increased by 3.49% in 24/25. The whole goal is removing barriers to attendance. Their ACT metrics have improved this year. Going into his 4th yr as principal @ the school, kids are aware of the systems that have been in place. Turnover has never been lower.
Other professional endeavors, or conferences? will in due time. Will attend United and State Admin days. He will speak @ state conference next yr. F.ex. he’s learning more about MagicSchool AI-did a pilot to have a sustainable practice. He loves to network w/ other principals @ these types of conferences. @ NE Admin. days connects w/ them- will do a golf outing.
Tips for new principals: listen to podcasts, ppl who have done the job. You won’t change the world Year 1. He developed a 60, 90, 30 days transition plan. He used it during the interview process. He learns by watching. Collected data after first 60 days. He focused on the positive things he saw. There’s no manual when you become an admin. You don’t know what you don’t know until you get into the job.Build relationships w/ all who work w/in the school. Learn from the mistakes others made. Take what others have done. Learn to connect ppl w/ others who may help them. Develop a school improvement team w/ ppl from different teams & roles. That way you’re ahead of the game. Build the culture you envision. Don’t be afraid to moving into the principal role. Wants to do episodes on advocacy.
Out of everything: you can’t do this job on your own. Lean on the experience your staff has. They have great ideas. You want them to come to you w/ ideas. Find PD through podcasts. Find ways to grow yourself as you grow your staff.
Where can ppl find you? Facebook: @PrincipalJL
email: the.principal.jl@gmail.com
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Instagram: @principal_jl
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View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fD5edFB_Wfg