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THOUGHTS
On Catholic Ed and the World of a Principal
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Temptation in the Age of the Smartphone
"Do what you can, pray for what you cannot...if your smartphone causes you to sin, get a dumbphone." - Fr. Anthony Saroki, Homily,...

Kevin D
Feb 24, 20202 min read
Creative Struggle
I was asked recently to share what makes a successful school, and my answer was the same as it has been before. Successful schools...

Kevin D
Feb 14, 20201 min read


"Choosing to be Interrupted"
One of our favorite podcasts as a family is Catholic Sprouts - a great weekday podcast (5-10 minutes) that covers an teaching or practice...

Kevin D
Feb 11, 20203 min read
Constant Choice
You are constantly facing choices. The question is whether you choose for God or for your own doubting self. You know what the right...

Kevin D
Feb 6, 20201 min read
Validation
As long as I keep running about asking “Do you love me? Do you really love me?” I give all power to the voices of the world and put...

Kevin D
Feb 4, 20201 min read


The Center of It All
Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives is quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our...

Kevin D
Jan 30, 20201 min read


Answers and Questions
The role of a leader is to not have all the answers, but to have the questions. - Michael Hyatt [emphasis mine]. Leadership is an...

Kevin D
Jan 28, 20201 min read


Supporting Learning
Teachers can feel like they have a looked-down upon position in our society. I believe part of that is due to a perceived lack of...

Kevin D
Dec 16, 20192 min read


Patience
Yesterday's Nouwen daily meditation really hit home: Most of us consider waiting as something very passive, a hopeless state determined...

Kevin D
Dec 3, 20191 min read


Breaking the Rules
We don't trust people to follow the rules, we trust them to know when to break them. - Simon Sinek, Talks at Google A big part of me is...

Kevin D
Nov 25, 20191 min read


Waste
I consistently drive for efficiency and business - in an almost ruthless fashion. It consistently trips up my social and spiritual life;...

Kevin D
Nov 22, 20191 min read


Properly Squeaky Wheels
Of course, the flip-side of yesterday's post is having teachers and staff that know when it is time to come to the principal/boss. This...

Kevin D
Nov 21, 20191 min read


Ownership and Squeaky Wheels
I listened to Tim Ferriss' interview with Jocko Wilinck, author of Extreme Ownership - a book I read at the recommendation of Susan...

Kevin D
Nov 20, 20192 min read


A Modest Proposal
Because of the large number of schools and area in ADLA, we subdivided into geographic groups, which meet monthly. Ours is one of the...

Kevin D
Nov 19, 20191 min read


Renewing the Catholic School Experiment
Dr Timothy O'Malley has a fantastic piece on the horror of allowing a Catholic school to be just another school. His conclusion is...

Kevin D
Nov 15, 20192 min read


Teaching Sacred Silence
I was reading Doug Lemov's blogpost/review of Reader, Come Home by Maryanne Wolf. This passage near the end struck me: It is true that...

Kevin D
Nov 14, 20192 min read


YouTube Communication
Over the past year, I have taken to filming myself reading my monthly principal letter and posting it on YouTube. My thinking is that it...

Kevin D
Nov 13, 20191 min read


Communicating Budget
Dr. Uhl's podcast this week is a discussion with Tom Kiely of Marquette University on Financial best practices. The conversation largely...

Kevin D
Nov 7, 20192 min read


The Pros and Cons of Subbing
Over the last (almost) three years, I have subbed in many of our grades - for the day and for selected time periods. Teachers call out...

Kevin D
Nov 5, 20191 min read


Starting the Day
It might have been the time change, a head cold, the Nyquil in my system from last night, or all three; but today was a rough start for...

Kevin D
Nov 4, 20191 min read
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