Principals, we get it! How do you genuinely listen to your teachers when your day is packed? Stan, Steve, and Shelley share restorative strategies to make every conversation count. Replace blame-inducing “why” questions with open-ended ones like “what’s happening,” creating space for you to listen, listen, listen! What do you think? Click this link https://www.restorative.ca/ps …
Category: Uncategorized
Mar 13
Who’s Your Starfish? A Principal’s Guide to Retaining Your Teachers
Losing even one teacher can ripple across your school, but what if you could prevent it? Take a restorative approach to teacher retention—starting with identifying your “starfish.” Forget big data and impersonal strategies—this episode is all about asking the right questions, listening deeply, and offering the support that makes a difference.Curiosity, open-ended questions, and personalized …
Mar 13
Prune the TO DO list for Principal’s Sake!
A TO DO list that goes on and on? Dean MacInnis an experience principal from Yellowknife Northwest Territories talks about pruning your list. The filter is using your WHY, your vision and beliefs and the reasons you got into principalling in the first place. Let us know what you think and click this link https://www.restorative.ca/ps4/ …
Mar 13
Research shows Girls Missing More School than Boys
Teenage girls skipping school due to mental health challenges? It’s a growing concern across schools worldwide. Explore how anxiety, depression, and pandemic aftershocks contribute to absenteeism—and why it’s an attendance equity issue. Find out how to dig into your school’s data and start conversations that lead to solutions. Let us know what you think and …
Nov 14
Mentorship in schools builds a culture of collaboration and shared leadership July 22/24
Shared leadership is important in schools. Tracy Van Stone, Principal and 2 teachers being mentored,Marissa Gertridge and Colin Talbot from Ecole Arthur Meighan in Portage La Prairie , Manitoba. They emphasize how distributing leadership roles and decision-making processes among various stakeholders, including teachers and students, can create a more democratic and inclusive school culture. This …
Jul 20
Shared Leadership in Schools for Equitable Outcomes July 15/24
The practice of shared leadership is gaining traction in schools. Kimberley Miles, Principal of East Gresham School in Oregan is our guest this week and she promotes the distribution of leadership roles and decision-making processes among teachers, staff, and students. This inclusive approach leads to more democratic decision-making, greater community buy-in, and the cultivation of …
Jul 20
Compassionate Leadership in Schools, what’s that about? July 6/24
In a world of increasing educational complexity, there is power in compassionate leadership according to our podcast guest this week, Caroline Picard, retired assistant superintendent of the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, the French school board of British Columbia. Caroline talks about how scheduled, mindful conversations with principals helped to reshape school environments and …
Jul 20
From Conflict to Connection: Reflections on a Vice-Principal’s Guide to Conversations June 24/24
What Does It Mean to Be Human? It’s an important question raised by our guest ’s anti-racism work in middle school .Michaela Mistal ,Vice Principal, Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School in Langford, British Columbia SD62 is our guest this episode.Michaela shares her philosophy on handling conflicts and fostering a culture of mutual understanding and growth. “Let’s dive …
Jul 20
Shifting Mindsets for New Principals June 20/24
Transitioning from classroom teaching to school administration demands a significant shift in mindset. Jason Wiks, Principal of Guthrie School, Sturgeon School Division in Alberta, advises new principals and vice-principals to embrace the unpredictable nature of school management by prioritizing students first, parents second, teachers third, and administrative tasks last. Embracing this variability and focusing on …
Jul 20
From Cribbage to Classrooms: Engaging Students to Attend School
“Fifteen for two and a pair is four points!” Student attendance and crib? In this episode, our guest is Dallis Novelli , teacher and Education Officer, Literacy from Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) . She talks about how integrating unique activities, like cribbage, into the curriculum can significantly boost student engagement and attendance. Strategies …