Episode Details

Brendan Hufford, assistant principal at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary, Indiana, explains why his school has no metal detectors and leads with trust instead. His point on building trust with students: people tend to reciprocate trust, and kids don't care what you know until they know you care.

Hufford describes Gary, a steel town in ruins, and a charter school that does not test students to get in yet nearly earned an A when every other school in the city got Fs. He also argues for teaching entrepreneurship, and says college is not a waste, just overpriced.

What you'll learn

• Lead with trust in students and expect most of them to return it, as Hufford's school does by having no metal detectors.
• Show students you care before you ask for anything, since they do not care what you know until they know that you care.
• Watch your own frustration, because Hufford says care is the first thing to go when you get frustrated.
• Remember that students who carry weapons are usually protecting themselves on the way to and from school, not inside the building, as Hufford explains.
• Consider teaching real entrepreneurship projects so students see what real confidence is.

Chapters

• 0:00 Why Jethro and Brendan agree on college
• 1:50 Leading the only successful school in Gary
• 3:14 What Gary is like and why he stayed
• 5:57 No metal detectors and leading with trust
• 7:22 Why students need to know you care
• 11:12 Getting up at 3 a.m. and sleeping better
• 13:14 Why schools should teach entrepreneurship
• 14:51 The college bubble and overpriced degrees

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Questions this episode answers

How do you build trust with students as an administrator?
Hufford says to lead with trust and care about the kids. His school has no metal detectors, which tells students they are trusted, and he finds people tend to reciprocate. He adds that building relationships is harder for an administrator than for a teacher.

Why do some students bring weapons to school?
Hufford says most kids who bring guns to school do it to protect themselves on the walk or drive to and from school, not because something will happen inside. His charter school has no buses, so few students walk.

Should schools teach entrepreneurship?
Hufford believes schools should teach kids to be entrepreneurial, and says a side business gives people choices, including paying back loans faster. He says there is no better way to teach real confidence than an entrepreneurship project where students make real money.

About Brendan Hufford

Assistant principal at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary, Indiana, owner of OK Kimonos and host of the Entrepreneurs and Coffee podcast.

Links and resources

• Brendan Hufford website
• Brendan Hufford on Twitter
• Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
• OK Kimonos
• Entrepreneurs and Coffee podcast
• Gary, Indiana on Wikipedia
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• Mark Cuban on the college bubble
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• Rate on Stitcher

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