- Create a 5-Minute Resource Feed: Curate resources based on identified growth areas (e.g., conflict resolution) and scan them during your first coffee or the last 5 minutes of the day.
- Integrate Drive-Time PD: Transform your commute by swapping passive listening for targeted audio content, like short summaries or relevant podcast segments.
- Pair a Problem with a Resource: When facing a challenge (e.g., classroom management), immediately dedicate 10 minutes to reading a short, relevant article for instant retention and transfer.
- Make Learning Out Loud a Habit: Consciously share one new insight daily to reinforce your own learning and model a culture of continuous growth for your staff, similar to the process outlined in The Art of Coaching.
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:23 Grundmeyer Leader Services, where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 Now, get ready to amplify your day with your Morning Boost.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 Welcome back to your Morning Boost. It's Thursday, October 30th,
00:00:34 --> 00:00:38 and we're building on our focus on sustainability, recognizing that a rested
00:00:38 --> 00:00:42 and healthy leader, our topic from yesterday, is a leader ready to learn.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:47 So today we're going to tackle the challenge of finding time for our own learning
00:00:47 --> 00:00:52 during the busy day, which means moving beyond the idea of an all-day professional
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 development session and focusing on micro-learning.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:59 These are strategically integrated, continuous professional growth that can
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 go into the demanding flow of our daily responsibilities.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:06 This approach ensures your leadership remains sharp, relevant,
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 and consistently renewed.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 We're Brandy and Cameron Wendt, married school administrators,
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 parents of two, and host of the Wentway Principal Talks.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 Every week, we share the real-life side of school leadership,
00:01:19 --> 00:01:23 honest conversations, lessons learned, and a few laughs along the way.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 We talk with principals, superintendents, and education leaders about what's
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 working in schools, what's challenging, and how to keep leading with heart.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:34 So, if you're an educator or school leader looking for insight and inspiration,
00:01:34 --> 00:01:39 subscribe to The WENT Way, Principal Talks, wherever you listen to podcasts. That's The WENT Way.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:47 A school leader's day rarely allows for hours of uninterrupted study.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 So, the key to continuous growth is adopting a just-in-time,
00:01:50 --> 00:01:56 just-for-me, learning philosophy, focusing on targeted, quick bursts of professional engagement.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:01 The first step is to create a five-minute resource feed dedicated solely to
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 your identified growth needs.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:08 If your Monday self-reflection revealed that conflict resolution is a growth
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 area, subscribe to three specific blogs,
00:02:11 --> 00:02:16 newsletters, or journals that focus on that topic, and dedicate your first cup
00:02:16 --> 00:02:21 of coffee or the last five minutes of your day to scanning these targeted resources.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:26 This intentional curation prevents the information overload that just often
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 stalls professional development.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:32 Furthermore, we need to actively integrate drive-time PD.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:37 Swap passive listening like news or music for targeted audio content during your commute.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:42 This could mean listening to a five-minute summary of a major educational book
00:02:42 --> 00:02:46 or a short, relevant segment from a leadership podcast like this one,
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 or, you know, just turning your wasted travel time into invaluable cognitive development.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:57 Another powerful strategy here for some deep, quick learning is to pair a problem with a resource.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:01 Make your learning immediately applicable, which means that when you face a
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 challenge, say maybe a teacher needs support with classroom management,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:10 you don't just solve the surface problem, but you spend 10 minutes immediately
00:03:10 --> 00:03:14 reading a short article on high-leverage classroom routines.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:19 And this then will help embed your learning into a real-world context and ensure
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 immediate retention and transfer as you work with that teacher.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:28 This process shifts professional learning from a burdensome requirement to an instant solution tool.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 It's very similar to the process outlined by Dr. Elena Aguilar in The Art of Coaching.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:37 She emphasizes focused reflection tied directly to practice.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:42 In the end, we can make learning out loud a hablet, consciously sharing one
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 new insight you've gained each day with your, maybe your assistant principal
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 or a department head or maybe even a peer cohort member.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:54 This simple act of externalizing the knowledge not only reinforces our own learning,
00:03:54 --> 00:03:58 but it also models a culture of continuous growth for our entire staff.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:03 This will help ensure our development efforts ripple outward and benefit our entire school.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:14 Just remember that finding time for your own learning is not a luxury.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 It's a vital part of sustainable, authentic leadership.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 Focus on creating a concise resource feed.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:26 Maybe maximize your drive time, PD, and then really honestly and most importantly,
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 pair every real-world problem with an immediate, short learning burst.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:34 This will just help keep our knowledge razor sharp. Just never underestimate
00:04:34 --> 00:04:38 the power of the small moments. The leader who consistently finds five minutes
00:04:38 --> 00:04:43 a day will learn to outpace the one waiting for the big annual conference.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 Keep growing and keep leading.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 Thanks for listening, everybody. Have a wonderful Thursday.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:52 If you hadn't had a chance to like or follow our show, we'd really appreciate
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 it to help us keep this show going forward.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 And if you have anything for The Morning Boost, would like to hear a topic or
00:04:57 --> 00:05:03 two, reach out to us at awbeducation.org, and we'd be happy to get that integrated
00:05:03 --> 00:05:07 into our program notes. But again, hope you enjoyed today's show.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 Be back again tomorrow to finish up this week on developing strong leadership.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:15 But until that time, thank you for listening. We will talk with you again tomorrow.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:36 Is an AWB education production brought to you with the generous support of Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:40 Join us again tomorrow for more. Until then, keep boosting your impact.