H2H: A Quick Guide to Leading Educators and Making a Difference

Progressive discipline can be good for staff, bad for children and either an asset or a liability for education leaders. Our guests walk us through what we need to know about progressive discipline and when and how to abandon it. Chris Hawthorne is an attorney at Ronald V. McGuckin and Associates, the nation's foremost resource for legal, business, and administrative support for the early care and education industries, (Bristol, Pennsylvania). David Bloomfield is Professor of Education Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College and the City University, and author of American Public Education Law. Michael Smith is Superintendent of Tuscola Community Unit School District #301 in Tuscola, Illinois. He has more than 17 years of education experience as a teacher, coach, K-12 Principal, Assistant Superintendent, and Superintendent.

Our world and the responsibilities of leaders have have become too complex for the old model of leadership. According to our guests, the notion of viewing the leader as hero and primary source of great ideas is no longer viable. We must embrace a new paradigm, where in the leader is "host" of a structure that extracts great ideas from many people and sources.

The demands on leaders in education can be overwhelming. Unmanaged the stress can have severe consequences on both health and performance. This segment shares insights and strategies to help you manage the stress, care for yourself and strike a good balance between work and your "me" time.

One of the most effective tools in a leaders tool kit is humor. Used well it can disarm, motivate, establish common ground, lower resistance to new ideas, show empathy, and create a winning team spirit. Misused humor can offend and even lead to law suits. This segment provides tips on the effective use of humor for leaders in education.

People who push our buttons are hard to get along with and even harder to lead. Often they drive us beyond our ability to manage our emotions and we lose control. This segment explores what pushes us over the edge, how to avoid these events and how to quickly regain control.