115. Ask "Who's Doing That Well?" with Dr. Darrin Peppard

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Dr. Darrin Peppard is a leadership coach, consultant, and speaker focused on organizational culture and climate. He’s the author of Road to Awesome and continues to be an educator at heart. 

The Big Dream 

Every adult and kid in a school feels seen and valued and heard. Every single kid has an opportunity for a better tomorrow and to figure out what they’re interested in. No one gets put in a box. 

Mindset Shifts Required

Develop portraits of a learner instead of portraits of a graduate! 

We can lead from the middle or the back. We don’t always need to lead from the front. 

Help teachers see what’s possible and give themselves permission to teach in innovative ways. 


Action Steps  

Hand over the curriculum decisions to teachers (e.g., to align curriculum and instruction to their three academies: Health, Energy, and Fire, Law, and Leadership). Dr. Peppard had three incredible leaders leading those academies, and just let them go. Of course, he was still in their classrooms all the time, but they led them. 

Protect and shield your staff from outside (and sometimes even inside) forces so they can do their work.

Build a groundswell of interest. It can’t just come from just you; it’s gotta come from staff. Put a team together and invite someone who’s not an early adopter. 

Visit other schools doing great work with teachers. Ask: Who’s doing that well? 

Invite students from other schools doing the work you want to do to talk to your students and families. 


One Step to Get Started 

Have a vision. Be clear about that vision. What’s the shift in reality you want to see in your school for your kids? You can then make decisions about where to allocate your time and resources to make it happen. 
 

Stay Connected

You can find this week’s guest on www.roadtoawesome.net or @DarrinMPeppard on social media. You can get the revised edition of Dr. Peppard’s book here.  



To help you be the best leader you can be, Dr. Peppard is sharing his free ebook on 5 mindsets to level up your leadership. And, if you’re looking for more details on the ideas in this blog post, listen to episode 115 of the Time for Teachership podcast. If you’re unable to listen or you prefer to read the full episode, you can find the transcript here. 

Quotes: 

• “It was this lightbulb moment for them—Oh, I can do that?” 
  
• “Talk to other people who have done that work. Don’t try to do it alone. The roadmap exists for whatever it is you’re trying to do…go find those people and learn from the roadmap.  
  
• “We had kids on the stage…from California…telling our kids their stories. We don’t have to tell the stories. Let those kids tell the stories. And even better, that night, the parents got to hear those stories from the kids…I’m getting goosebumps right now, Lindsay, telling you this story, and this was in 2009, 2010.” 
  
• “You go into those schools. Oh, man!...Those mid- and late-adopter people in the room…They feel it. They feel the energy. They hear the stories from the kids. Unless you have a heart made of stone, in which case, you’re probably not an educator, that’s what gets you to say, ‘I have a dream for my school now. I have a dream for my classroom.” ​
  

Click here for Dr. Peppard's ebook

If you enjoyed this episode, check out my YouTube channel where I explain how to co-create community values and agreements: