EDUCATOR INSIGHTS

Hello Insightful Educators

One of my favorite things to do is grab coffee with someone and catch up on the books, podcasts, TED talks, articles, shows, and people influencing them.

So, alongside the full newsletter, I push out a weekend edition of insights I think you will find influential in your journey as an Insightful Educator.

Think of it as you and I grabbing coffee and jamming on what’s influencing us at this time.

Feel free to reply with what you are finding helpful and invite a friend to subscribe! The more people around the table…the better!

Book I’d Recommend

Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education by Sir Ken Robinson

I love everything that the late Sir Ken Robinson put out, especially this book. Sir Robinson brings his usual wit, whimsy, and wisdom to this book that has had such a profound impact on my thinking and work. Sir Ken offers a bold, inspiring vision for what schools can be—places that cultivate creativity, awaken passion, and honor the unique potential of every learner. Drawing on real stories from educators around the world, Robinson champions a grassroots movement led by teachers, students, and communities—not policymakers. This is essential reading for school leaders and educators seeking to build learning environments where both young people and adults flourish. This is a powerful call to reimagine education from the inside out. One of my TOP books I recommend

Two Key Quotes:

“Education doesn’t need to be reformed—it needs to be transformed. The key is not to standardize education, but to personalize it.”

“The role of a teacher is to facilitate learning, not to deliver it. Great teachers create the conditions for discovery to happen.”

Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/4niNaM3

TED Talk worth watching

It would not be right to recommend Sir Ken’s book without pointing you towards one of the most popular TED Talks of all time! In what became the most‑viewed TED Talk of all time, Sir Ken Robinson delivers a witty, deeply human plea: schools must stop “educating creativity out of children.” He argues that our education systems over‑prioritize academic conformity—pushing young minds away from dance, music, and divergent thinking—at the cost of innovation and joy. Robinson celebrates kids’ natural willingness to take risks and embrace mistakes—as essential ingredients for creativity—as something educators must rediscover and nurture . This talk is a powerful spark for school leaders ready to champion a culture of curiosity, courage, and diverse talents. I am sure so many of you have already watched this but if not, get ready! It is full of joy, humor, pathos, and wisdom, and I know you are going to love it. If you have seen it, it is worth a second (or third, fourth, or fifth) watch, and very worth sharing at your next staff development meeting!

Thought I’m Pondering

You can complement this edition of Educator Insights with the EDUCATORS FIRST...TEACHERS SECOND: Reclaiming the role of Educator edition of The Insightful Educator newsletter in which I share my belief that schools and students would be better served if we thought of the role of teaching as that of educator first and teacher second.

Read it for yourself here:

Join the Journey

I’m in the midst of creating some really powerful resources to inspire, uplift, encourage and bring together visionary, upstream educators and leaders just like you to curate a community of practice ready to change the narrative of education!

These resources will include

• Digital ebook to help school leaders flourish and thrive as they foster human-centered education at their sites

• Video courses aimed at offering inspired strategy for those ready to do something new and unique in education

• Curated cohorts of like-minded, like-hearted visionaries to come together and learn with and from one another

• Mountain retreats aimed at re-centering the work of education in human and communal flourishing

If that sounds interesting…hit me up!

Follow and share this newsletter and join me on this mission to reimagine education!!!

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