Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Not the Place

This week on Monday Matters Will Parker and Jen Schwanke share some thoughts on addressing the political landscape that educators face. They discuss how educators, particularly school leaders, are often asked to weigh in on culture war issues. Taking sides on political issues is not what school leaders are paid to do, and in doing so you run the risk of alienating a significant portion of your school community. School leaders are paid to keep students safe, follow the law, and do what is best at any given time. Speaking publicly about politics as a school or district leader often requires a lot of nuance, since those leaders are representing an entire community. Still, it is important to be an advocate for your school based on the facts and what is best for your community. Sometimes it is better to protect your position rather than speaking on every issue so that you lose out on the ability to make a bigger impact through creating a safe and welcoming environment for all students. Principals should ask themselves: “How am I going to love and serve every student in this school? How do I make sure that every student feels valued and protected and that they belong? How do I make sure all my teachers know that I am here for them?”. Through creating an environment where students and teachers feel safe and protected, you can do far more than you would if you spoke about every political issue. Listen in to the episode to hear all of Will and Jen’s thoughts on the subject! This episode was inspired by a post in Jen’s newsletter. You can read her post here [https://jen-newsletter-c4287d.beehiiv.com/p/not-the-place?utm_source=jen-newsletter-c4287d.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=not-the-place&_bhlid=ea2cb611a7c6f206ed155b95d930580cc28ea2e9]. The podcast episode referenced in the show can be found here [https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/navigating-school-leadership-in-chaotic-times-a-conversation-with-will-parker-1306/].  The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Not the Place [https://williamdparker.com/2025/monday-matters-with-jen-schwanke-and-will-parker-not-the-place/] appeared first on Principal Matters [https://williamdparker.com].

PMP478: From Classroom to Crisis and Beyond with Dr. Greg Johnson

A QUICK NOTE TO LISTENERS: Before this week’s episode, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is: How can we build and sustain trust with staff, students, and parents? Listen in to hear their response! MEET DR. GREG JOHNSON: [https://williamdparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/PMP-Template-1-1024x1024.webp] Greg Johnson is the high school principal at West Liberty-Salem High School in West Liberty, Ohio. He was first hired as a middle school social studies teacher in 1997 and recently completed his twentieth year as principal, marking his twenty-eighth year in education – all at the same school. Greg enjoys the small rural school setting and appreciates the family atmosphere and collaborative spirit of his K-12 building. Greg serves on the NASSP Board of Directors. His involvement with NASSP can be traced back to the school shooting that he and his school experienced in 2017. This event and the extensive recovery period that followed let to Greg’s involvement in the establishment of the NASSP Principal Recovery Network in 2019. While serving as a co-facilitator of this group, Greg gained a deeper understanding of the vision, mission, and work of NASSP. Greg joined the Board of Directors in 2024. Sharing his experience and educating others about school leadership during and after a shooting as well as the long and difficult road of recovery has been a passion of Greg’s since 2017. This passion has allowed him to speak at conferences across the country, often accompanied by his wife, three children, and son-in-law. All members of the family were in the school the day of the shooting and each experienced the event and its aftermath differently. Greg brings a thoughtful, authentic, and compassionate approach to speaking on school safety as well as to his work as a school leader. Greg’s greatest passion is his family. He has been married to his wife Crystal for 28 years and they are the proud parents of three adult children. Additionally, he is also passionate about his Ohio State Buckeyes. Greg and Crystal met at Ohio State. All three children are graduates or current students at OSU. In addition to his bachelor’s and master’s from OSU, Greg accomplished a life-long goal of earning his Doctor of Education from Ohio State in 2024. As their youngest follows her two older siblings to OSU, Greg looks forward to tailgating on campus with his wife and kids as often as possible. Go Bucks! EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: A CALL TO LEADERSHIP: Dr. Johnson initially considered a career in engineering but found his calling in education through a mentor. He began teaching social studies and coaching at West Liberty Salem in 1997. Witnessing a “revolving door” of five principals in seven years, he felt a strong pull to provide stability. A dean of students role served as a stepping stone to his principalship 20 years ago. Despite missing the daily joy of teaching, his commitment to consistency for his school community remained paramount. In his rural setting, he deeply values the opportunity to know all students and their families, often before they even reach high school. A significant challenge, however, is the limited support for specialized services and the necessity of wearing many hats due to smaller staff, particularly during his 16 years as both middle and high school principal (grades 6-12). Greg’s positivity and commitment to his school have kept him rooted to his community, where he and his wife— who, by the way, is Jen’s longtime best childhood friend— have raised three children.  NAVIGATING A SCHOOL SHOOTING: In January 2017, West Liberty Salem High School faced an unimaginable crisis. Dr. Johnson recounted the chaotic morning when he received the call about a shooting in the high school wing. Upon entering, he and his assistant principal discovered shell casings and located a student, Logan, who had been shot twice by another junior. Remarkably, Logan’s presence and his ability to talk to the shooter disrupted the perpetrator’s plan. The school’s ALICE training proved invaluable, empowering students and teachers to make independent decisions; many high school classrooms self-evacuated through windows minutes before any official announcement. In a moment of incredible composure, Dr. Johnson immediately called Logan’s family— who were personal family friends— to inform them of the incident and their son’s injury. THE UNSEEN WOUNDS OF TRAUMA AND THE POWER OF CONNECTION: Dr. Johnson emphasized the profound and often underestimated traumatic impact of the event on students, staff, and the wider community. He realized that while the immediate threat ended with the shooter’s containment, students evacuating through cornfields endured agonizing hours of not knowing if their friends and family were safe. Initially, he felt compelled to project an image of “Tiger Strong” as a leader, inadvertently leading teachers and students to suppress their own suffering. A school counselor’s intervention helped him recognize his own need for support, prompting him to process the event emotionally. This experience was foundational to the formation of the NASSP Principal Recovery Network, an informal group initiated by Frank Deangelis (Columbine High School) and Greg Waples of NASSP. This network provides vital peer support, advocates for school safety, and has developed a “guide to recovery” for principals facing similar tragedies. In a poignant twist, Logan (the shooting victim) and Addie (Dr. Johnson’s oldest daughter), who was a sophomore in the same wing during the shooting, began dating during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now married. This unique detail, along with the fact that many students, including Dr. Johnson’s own children, chose to enter the field of education after the event, powerfully underscores the resilience and positive legacy that can emerge even from profound tragedy. Listening to this episode will restore your faith in the power of community, leadership, and the hearts of principals like Dr. Johnson. His story stands as a powerful testament to the enduring and transformative impact of steadfast leadership in the face of adversity. The post PMP478: From Classroom to Crisis and Beyond with Dr. Greg Johnson [https://williamdparker.com/2025/pmp478-from-classroom-to-crisis-and-beyond-with-dr-greg-johnson/] appeared first on Principal Matters [https://williamdparker.com].

MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Who Are You Without A Title?

Welcome back to Monday Matters! This week, Will and Jen tackle the topic of understanding your identity outside of your career. They discuss how this can be particularly challenging for mothers, who often carry the mental load of running their households on top of having a career. Jen shares some insights into how she has learned to describe herself apart from her titles, and the toll that carrying the mental load can take on working moms. Will challenges listeners to learn to describe themselves in ways that align with their core values, and to align your decisions with those values. Listen in to hear the whole conversation! This post is based on a thoughtful post by Will Parker. You can read it below: WHO ARE YOU WITHOUT A TITLE? This morning, I was in a meeting with a Mastermind group when a superintendent told me she asked her husband a question from a chapter in my book, Whose Permission Are You Waiting For? An Educator’s Guide to Doing What You Love. The question: If you had to define yourself without a title or position, or even the label of parent, spouse, or partner, how would you define yourself? She told me she was surprised by how hard the question was to answer. Eventually, he said he was a problem-solver, and he described her as pragmatic.  The conversation reminded me of how difficult it can be to describe ourselves. In particular, I learned recently that this can be a significant challenge for moms. I learned this at a conference I attended in the fall of 2025, when two speakers, Katherine Wintsch and Lauren  Fitzgerald, founders of The Mom Complex, reported five commonalities among most mothers they interview: 1. Moms are filled with doubt. 2. There are no such things as experienced moms (every stage is new and different). 3. Moms today are rejecting perfection. 4. Parenting is a team sport. 5. Moms carry a heavy mental load and are just trying to survive (Wintsch, Fitzgerald, public comments, 09/25/25, check out their website here: https://momcomplex.com). Most interestingly, they have found that women tend to self-doubt and engage in negative self-talk more often than men in their surveys and work.  With those thoughts in mind, I wanted to ask the group of Mastermind members (both women and men) in my recent meeting how they would describe themselves in a positive way instead of a negative way if they could do so without relying on their own work or home titles. As a way to encourage this activity, I introduced the following words as ways I would describe them from the interactions we’ve had over the past five years of meeting together. Words like… * Courageous * Tenacious * Committed * Brave * Thoughtful * Inspiring * Gritty * Resilient * Problem-Solver As we talked, they introduced other words of their own, including: * Wise * Confident * Insightful * Funny * Fun-loving * Forgiving * Gracious * Nurturing The challenge with an activity like this is to find a practical application. So, I wanted to make a simple one:  WHEN YOU APPLY YOUR MOST IMPORTANT CORE VALUES TO THE GOALS YOU’VE SET FOR YOURSELF OR YOUR WORK, THE CHANCES ARE YOU’LL SEE OUTCOMES THAT BETTER REFLECT THOSE VALUES. The inverse is true as well: When we step into our fears or ego-driven identities, or if we simply move forward based on our titles (at work or home), we either fail to experience the values we most cherish or we simply play a role without actually living into the best version of ourselves. I know that’s a lot to think about in one sentence, but I’d like to you to take a moment and read that aloud. If it helps, say it in first-person:  WHEN I STEP IN MY FEAR OR EGO-DRIVEN IDENTITIES, OR IF I SIMLY MOVE FORWARD BASED ON MY TITLES (AT WORK OR HOME), I EITHER FAIL TO EXPERIENCE THE VALUES I MOST CHERISH, OR I SIMPLY PLAY A ROLE WITHOUT ACTUALLY LIVING INTO THE BEST VERSION OF MYSELF. At the time of this writing, we just wrapped up the Thanksgiving holiday. My dad, who passed last year, would have been 85 this month. One time, I asked him how he wanted to be remembered. He said he hoped he would be remembered as a man who had loved and supported his wife and family. It was a simple statement and one that beautifully summed up his values and character. To be who we truly are may be less difficult than describing it. I guess I’d rather make the mistake of living out beautiful values like the ones above than simply identifying myself by titles or misunderstanding my true character. As you step into your day, I’d like to remind you of something another leader said in our meeting this morning. I didn’t write it down word for word, but here’s my best attempt:  “Leadership requires bravery, honesty, and hard conversations. We must be teachers or teachers. If someone isn’t willing to embrace these virtues, they should choose another profession.” It may not be a warm or fuzzy moment to be reminded to live into your best values and qualities. But it may be helpful to realize those whom you serve know when you do. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN  1. If you described yourself without using your job title or your roles at home, what words or qualities would you choose? 2. In what practical ways do you keep your decisions (at work or in life) aligned with your core commitments and values? The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Who Are You Without A Title? [https://williamdparker.com/2025/monday-matters-with-jen-schwanke-and-will-parker-who-are-you-without-a-title/] appeared first on Principal Matters [https://williamdparker.com].

PMP477: Lessons from Transition with Beau Brannon

A QUICK NOTE TO LISTENERS: Before this week’s interview, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is: What are the common pitfalls that keep principals from effectively leading instructional communities? Listen in to hear their response! MEET BEAU BRANNON: Beau Brannon is the Principal of Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He previously led Union’s Freshman Academy as both assistant principal and principal. A Muldrow High School graduate and former college football player at the University of Tulsa, Beau followed his passion for education and earned degrees from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, Arkansas State, and Northeastern State University. He began his career teaching science and coaching football at Alma Public Schools, later becoming Teacher of the Year at Keys High School in 2015. Since joining Union in 2016, he’s taught Geometry, helped coach a state championship football team, and served in school administration since 2018. Beau and his wife, Caitlyn, have been married since 2013 and are proud parents of two children, Baker and Collins. A previous guest on episode 391, [https://williamdparker.com/2024/pmp391-hiring-tips-from-the-field-with-principal-beau-brannon/] Beau returns to Principal Matters with lessons from his first year in leadership at a new level. Welcome back to Principal Matters!  SCHOOL CULTURE AND STUDENTS OUTCOMES: Each spring, Union High School partners with OU to give a survey to staff, students, and families. Over the last year, Brannon’s school has seen a 10% increase in “Faculty Trust in Principal” over the last year. 96.2% of respondents agree the principal at this school develops a team attitude and spirit amongst faculty & staff,94.3% agree the principal at this school commends me when I do a better than average job, and 98.1% agree that the admin team cares about them as a person. The emphasis on student relationships, student success, and providing real hope and pathways had led to improved student results in his school. Beau’s school has seen a 32.25% decrease in failed courses in semester one and a 21% decrease in failed courses in semester 2, totalling about 1300 courses that do not need to be recovered. All in all, Beau’s school is doing exceptionally well.  CHALLENGES IN TAKING ON A NEW ROLE: Moving from Union’s Freshman Academy to Union High School presented a fresh set of challenges to Beau. The size of Union High School is one of the challenges that Beau had to navigate. Union High School has about 3,500 students and 250 staff. Beau had to learn how to work amongst a bigger admin team and had to try to get to know 175 teachers as quickly as possible. Since he previously taught at Union High School, it took a lot of work for Beau to gain the trust of some of the teachers at his new school, since not all of them saw him in the leadership light right away. HIRING PROCESS AND PRIORITIES: In his first year, Beau hired 42 new teachers and staff members, and hired 29 new teachers and staff members in year two. One hiring tip he recommends is to have a hiring waitlist or chart. Throughout the year, you will hear names of people who want to work at the school. Beau also recommends building partnerships with area colleges and universities and going to their job fairs. Another hiring recommendation he makes is to develop your own staff.  TOO BIG TO DO ALONE: One lesson Beau Brannon has pulled for this past year is that the work of a principal is too big to do alone. Principals need to lean on their team’s strengths. Beau shares that his team just did the Clifton Strengths Finders from Gallup to learn each other’s strengths. Everyone has a passion, and they need to lean into them in order for leadership teams to be successful. Leaning into the collective intelligence that comes from working with a team means less stress for the individual.  ADVICE TO THOSE TAKING ON NEW ROLES: When asked what advice he would give those who are stepping into a new role, Beau reminds listeners to take care of themselves. He follows up that statement by saying that you aren’t as important as you think you are, and that you are a lot more important than you think you are. This means that you need to take your work seriously, but that you also need to remember to take care of yourself and your loved ones first.  You can stay connected with Beau Brannon via X [https://x.com/Beau_Brannon] or Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/beau-brannon-a6a98b153/].  The post PMP477: Lessons from Transition with Beau Brannon [https://williamdparker.com/2025/pmp477-lessons-from-transition-with-beau-brannon/] appeared first on Principal Matters [https://williamdparker.com].

MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Responsive vs. Reactive Leadership

Welcome back to Monday Matters! This week, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to talk about the difference between responsive vs. reactive leadership. This conversation was inspired by a thoughtful post written by Will, you can read it below. As always, thank you for doing what matters! RESPONSIVE, NOT REACTIVE, LEADERSHIP During a Mastermind meeting today, a leader shared feedback about a team member who tends to be reactive versus responsive. In particular, situations involving student discipline or teacher behavior are often managed with what were described as “knee-jerk” reactions that make the matter worse rather than better. We’ve all been on the other side of reactionary situations. My wife once worked in a school setting where the assistant principal would come on the intercom system to yell at students to be on time to class. She and her fellow teachers would cringe every time his voice came across the speakers. Instead of directly addressing the students who were late to class, the administrator thought shouting at the entire student body (and teachers) would be more effective. He was wrong. The harder question for leaders to ask themselves: In what ways am I reacting instead of responding in my own position or service to others? HERE ARE SOME OTHER EXAMPLES I’VE WITNESSED (OR BEEN GUILTY OF NOT HANDLING WELL) IN THE PAST: * One teacher misses professional development by taking a sick day. You find out later that she was really on a family trip. You’re tempted to blast out a reminder to your entire staff about being honest and using integrity when reporting an absence from work. What do you do? * The copy machine is broken again, and the backup machine is also out of ink. Teachers are lined up wanting a solution. You are tempted to shoot out an email or make an announcement to be patient as you try to replace the ink yourself or call for service repair. What do you do? * Two students have a verbal altercation on a field trip that is witnessed by their teacher. He brings the students to your office when they return to school and would like you to assign discipline and call the parents to back up his concerns. You realize what has happened does not meet the threshold for an office referral. You are tempted to manage the situation as requested, although you know this is a situation that can be managed by the teacher just as he would have done if it had happened in his classroom. What do you do? In each of these situations, the quick fix may seem different to leaders depending on the size of their school, the systems they have in place for managing student or teacher behavior, or the temperament of the people involved. That is why a quick-fix suggestion for each scenario is normally not sufficient. Instead, consider first what would be the “responsive” rather than “reactive” way to move forward. Also, when you’re not in the middle of a scenario, consider running these situations by team members before they happen, and ask them for ideas and responses. Your collective feedback may or may not reveal how closely aligned your values are as a team for responding rather than reacting. HERE ARE SOME PRINCIPLES TO KEEP IN MIND: * Responsive leaders plan in advance for scenarios and have basic protocols for follow-through. * Reactive leaders put out fires as they arise without preset protocols or plans for follow-through. With that context in mind, here are a few suggestions for each of the above to keep in mind for responding rather than reacting: * In the situation with the teacher who took a sick day but was really on vacation: Inquire with your Human Resources director or district policy on whether personal days can be taken during professional development. Meet with the teacher one-on-one and ask for feedback. Express your expectation that absences are handled with professionalism and integrity. At the least, let them know you are aware of the situation and that, in the future, they are expected to follow the same protocols as everyone else. * In advance of facing problems with copiers: Establish a first-responder system with a protocol for who is supposed to be managing, repairing, and servicing your copiers. Follow that system. If it is not working, reach out directly to the person responsible for feedback. Have some backup printers available for small sets (or class sets) of copies that need to be made in lieu of the first-responder system not working as planned. * When the teacher brings students to your office after the field trip: Acknowledge and support the teacher’s desire to have all students behave in ways that reflect the values and commitments of your school. Remind them that their classroom behavior norms are enforced both in and outside the classroom setting when on a school field trip. Remind them that the protocol will involve whatever classroom discipline the teacher believes is reasonable and that the teacher will follow up with parents accordingly. If the situation merits you also setting up a subsequent meeting, you will be happy to do so. Ensure the teacher immediately reaches out to parents with feedback and lets you know afterward so that you aren’t blindsided by a situation not handled correctly. Even in my three suggestions or responses, I am sure many other ideas or scenarios could be suggested that would also work; however, the point of the examples is that responsive leadership versus reactive leadership involves establishing protocols, holding people accountable for following them, and communicating clearly throughout the process to maintain fairness, firmness, and consistency. IDS (IDENTIFY, DISCUSS, AND SOLVE) During my Mastermind meeting, another leader shared a practical way to address concerns with fellow teammates. She called it IDS (Identify, Discuss, and Solve). Using this quick outline, she invites other educators to conversations to address these three areas. They identify what the real challenge is, discuss what is working and what is not, and then search for solutions–not just admire the problem. LET’S WRAP THIS UP The next time you find yourself (or someone else) reacting rather than responding to a situation, pause long enough to ask: Do we have a system in place for this? How are we following that system? What can I do differently next time to ensure we have and follow a system that works? Whatever difficulties you’re managing in leadership today, be assured your students, teachers, and teammates respect your responses much more than your reactions. As tempting as it may be to jump into a situation and wrestle it back into control, remember that ultimately you create the best conditions for learning when you model what you expect from others. It is not fair to assume you will have answers to every scenario in advance. That is why leadership is also more than planning ahead for responsive feedback. Leadership also requires wisdom to know when to apply solutions, what to do when outcomes go awry, and the ability to give yourself and others the grace anyone deserves when managing difficult situations. For school leaders, your campus is your classroom. The same classroom norms, expectations, communication, and follow-through that work in strong (responsive) classrooms also work in strong (responsive) schools. The post MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – Responsive vs. Reactive Leadership [https://williamdparker.com/2025/monday-matters-with-jen-schwanke-and-will-parker-responsive-vs-reactive-leadership/] appeared first on Principal Matters [https://williamdparker.com].