This digest compiles key industry resources and insights shared in our September 2024 Membership newsletter.
Dive into these recent articles and resources that are stirring conversations and sparking change! In “Red Light Revelation: Teachers are AWESOME!” Jason Kennedy celebrates the transformative power of teachers who ignite curiosity and innovation. Meanwhile, debates around cellphone use in schools are heating up, with Indiana’s ban reducing drama but leaving students missing their headphones. On the leadership front, Jennifer Jordan of Harvard Business Review delves into the evolution from traditional to collaborative leadership styles. And don’t miss the U.S. Surgeon General’s latest advisory on the mental health of parents, highlighting the unseen pressures they face and the critical support schools can offer.
Possip’s Manager of Knowledge and Content, Mandy Wallace, provides a compilation of what we’ve been thinking about this September.
We summarize each piece from September and suggest ways to leverage these ideas for better communication and engagement in your community.
Quick Links to top September Content
- Red Light Revelation: Teachers are AWESOME! | Teachers on Fire Magazine (Medium)
- Indiana's cellphone ban means less school drama. But students miss their headphones | npr
- 7 Key Tensions Every Leader Must Balance | Harvard Business Review (YouTube)
- Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents | U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A.
What We Are Reading
Red Light Revelation: Teachers are AWESOME! | Teachers on Fire Magazine (Medium)
Need a quick pick me up to share with your staff? Check out this short reflection by Jason Kennedy. The skinny? Teachers tend the hearth of innovation in every industry. They stoke the fire of curiosity in every learner. And their passion, empathy, and belief in the potential of every child can spread like wildfire if we let it.
Read the article if you need your fire rekindled this week! (And share it with your staff to reignite theirs!)
What We Are Thinking About
Indiana’s cellphone ban means less school drama. But students miss their headphones | npr
This year, Possip feedback from around the nation shows more comments about cell phone policies and issues like technology and theft. My son’s high school banned cell phones in response to a district-wide shift in policy, with teachers managing it in various ways—from storing phones in clear shoe caddies to trusting students not to use them during class. This article explores the pros and cons of a new state-wide law banning cell phones in schools. Another aspect Chalkbeat explored last week: parents’ fear and communicating with students during school lockdowns and other crises.
How has your district adapted technology policies to address distractions and cheating, and what results or challenges have you encountered?
What We Are Watching
7 Key Tensions Every Leader Must Balance | Harvard Business Review (YouTube)
Jennifer Jordan from Harvard Business Review discusses the shift from traditional leadership styles to more collaborative, listening-focused approaches. A key takeaway is the importance of curiosity about different leadership styles and their strengths. Watch the 10 minute video to understand how these insights can improve your interactions with staff, families, and students.
What We Are Reading
Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents | U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A.
“The well-being of parents and caregivers is a critical and underappreciated public health priority.”
Parents are under a lot of stress, more so than non-parents. The stressors and effects on children’s development (and our society as a whole) are detailed in the U.S. Surgeon General’s latest Advisory. What can schools do – especially when many of the adults working in school are tending to their own children at home?
- Validate stay-at-home parents for their hard work, especially if they are offering some of their time to help at school during the day.
- Appreciate the efforts parents make to get students to school on time, sign homework sheets nightly, and, most importantly, provide a safe place and food to nourish those growing bodies and minds.
- Offer resources and open dialogue for parents to acknowledge and address the stressors they face.
- In a small town in Tennessee, feedback from Pulse Checks was instrumental in the creation of an inclusive workshop for families centered around bullying. The workshop worked to help the school community define, identify, and spread resources to help parents support their children.
- Combat loneliness by convening families for social events to connect with folks facing similar challenges
- “Elevate the voices of parents and caregivers to shape community programs and investments” – Possip can help!
