Change the Song!

February 16, 2021

School Leadership Is More than Snow Days

 

It’s not just snow days.

 

School leadership, I mean.

 

Though the vast majority of a school leader’s calls and emails and tweets come on days like today, days where you try to gather as much information as you possibly can and make a decision that is in the best interest of student and staff safety. Days where you are up at 4:30 a.m., texting your colleagues, calling your maintenance staff and city road crews and police departments. Days where your car is the only one in the parking lot and you answer the door for parents who—for whatever reason—didn’t get the message that we are closed. Days where the value the community places on your ability to lead the schools is based on your reading a weather forecast and making a decision that may just as well have been a coin flip.

 

And you are grateful for the people who email you on days like today, and tell you that they don’t envy your job and can empathize with how tough it must be to be a school leader on a day like this. And you get irritated by those who email and tell you what a fool you are.

 

But you want the truth? Snow days are among the easiest problems we deal with.

 

School leadership is much more than snow days.

 

School leadership is this past week, when we worked with a family whose daughter is fighting an eating disorder.

 

School leadership is this past week, when we worked with a family battling alcoholism.

 

School leadership is this past week, when we worked with a family who can’t afford to pay their school fees because the father was laid off from his job.

 

School leadership is this past month, when we worked with a family who mother went to prison and the children had no place to stay.

 

School leadership is when staff members lose parents and spouses and children to disease and accident and suicide.

 

School leadership is when daily decisions made for the betterment of the community are attacked by fringe residents with personal agendas.

 

School leadership is encouraging staff to work with the kids who nobody wants to work with, the disadvantaged and disruptive and challenging, because school leaders know the only future for these kids are the skills we give them in the 13 years they are with us.

 

School leadership is service to others. Period.

 

And making decisions about snow days? Comparatively, that’s easy.

 

Did you enjoy this column? If so, please share!

Dance Floor Is a Best New Teaching eBooks

 

I'm happy to announce that my book, "If the Dance Floor is Empty, Change the Song: A Superintendent’s Spin on Making Schools Rock," made it to BookAuthority's Best New Teaching eBooks

 

BookAuthority collects and ranks the best books in the world, and it is a great honor to get this kind of recognition. Thank you for all your support!

 

The book is available for purchase on Amazon.

 

If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song

 

My first book, If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song is now available for purchase. What can a deejay teach us about the classroom? What does a superintendent do besides decide when to close school for snow? What makes someone a great teacher or a great principal? In this collection of essays, Dr. Joe Clark answers these questions by offering a model for compassionate, principled, and student-centered school leadership. In the process, If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song offers leaders a handbook for placing kindness, community, and diversity at the heart of successful education. 

Look what people are saying about the book.....

 

The  raw vulnerability with impeccable humor  and a whole lot of honesty is exactly what Joe has served up for you! If you've ever made a mistake or think you will, then this is a must-read. The lens in which he spins (pun intended) this book is insightfully hilarious!

     -LaVonna Roth, Speaker, Author & Chief Illuminator of Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.®

 

 

It's been said that we never know the struggles that someone is going through, so we should treat them kindly always. In If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song, Joe Clark embraces his own vulnerability to share how he reclaimed his story after a traumatic childhood, and shares how he used his life experiences, and his experiences as a DJ and camp director, to guide his work as a school leader. This book is an often humorous, sometimes melancholy look into what teaching and school leadership is all about. It's a tremendous read that I know you'll enjoy.

     -Thomas C. Murray, Author of Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences that Impact a Lifetime

 

 

If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song is a look into the world of leadership, education, and how to treat students. Dr. Clark writes to inspire teachers, principals and superintendents to reflect on the mission of being educators while being reminded to enjoy their work. This quick read will help you reflect and smile as Dr. Clark shares meaning and humor in everyday moments.

     -Todd Whittaker, one of the nation’s leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness. Todd has written over 50 books including the national bestseller, What Great Teachers Do Differently. 

 

 

A refreshing read for leaders or educators of all levels both! This is the type of read that can rejuvenate a veteran or give new teachers tools to keep their morale and inspiration at its peak. The lessons you learn from this book can carry over throughout the year, even when you don't know if you can. 

     -Amber Teamann, principal of Whitt Elementary in Wylie ISD in Wylie, Texas. Amber has  received numerous awards, including Regional Assistant Principal of the Year and a “Principal of the Year” engagement award. She recently was recognized as the Dallas Down Syndrome Educator of the Year for her work with inclusivity on her campus.


 

“If the Dance Floor is Empty, Change the Song” by Joe Clark, is a cleverly-written book that will not only make you think about how we approach our jobs as educators, but it will make you chuckle out loud. Filled with personal stories, practical examples, on-point illustrations, and golden nuggets of wisdom, this book will be hard for readers to put down.

     -Jimmy Casas, Educator, Author, Speaker, Leadership Coach


 

If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song is a book that will leave you smiling and laughing at times. It will also validate your thinking about education at times. More importantly, it will challenge you to re-think why we serve as educators and what is most important when discussing education and the purpose of schools. This book is filled with scores of reflections on teaching, learning, and leading that are applicable to educators in all roles, especially school leaders.

     -Jeffrey Zoul, Ed.D., Author, Speaker, Leadership Coach, and President of ConnectEDD

 

 

As a newly appointed principal, I found this book witty, insightful, and inspiring. The real life stories and anecdotes that Dr. Clark provide, are relatable to teachers, school managers, and, honestly, anyone in a position of leadership. If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song should be required reading for both new and seasoned school administrators alike. It should be part of every principal and teacher’s motivational toolkit. 

     -David Thomas, Principal, St. Gabriel’s Special School, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland


 

Great, another leadership book! That was my first thought when I was asked to read If the Dance Floor is Empty, Change the Song. Once I read the first few pages I was hooked, I truly wanted to dance. Finally, a leadership book with great advice and a vast amount of humor. Yes, school is serious business. But if you don’t laugh and enjoy the experiences then why even be a school leader. Dr. Joe Clark has created an informative quick read that gives you relatable and useful information. I truly did laugh out loud at graphics, pie charts and stories. If you can’t relate to this book, then you truly have never danced to a good song or sat back and enjoyed the experience of being a school leader.  

     -Jack Berckemeyer, nationally-recognized presenter, author, and humorist. Former Assistant Executive Director for the National Middle School Association. 

Copyright © 2020 drjoeclark.com All rights reserved.
You are receiving this e-mail because you opted in at drjoeclark.com

Share on social

Share on FacebookShare on X (Twitter)

Check out my website  
This email was created with Wix.‌ Discover More