Episode Details

Dr. Spike Cook, an elementary principal in Southern New Jersey, explains why he committed to a principal blog post every day for a year and how it changed the way he leads. He writes to tell his school's story beyond test scores and to keep learning, and he was about 310 posts in when he recorded.

Cook describes his school of about 300 kids and 40 teachers, labeled a priority school on test results, where teachers flip classrooms and use Kahoot, Plickers and Google Forms. He says sharing those stories builds trust with parents, and he explains how he gets unstuck when he faces a blank screen.

What you'll learn

• Blog about what inspires you in your building, as Cook does by walking out his office door each day.
• Tell your school's story beyond test scores, with specifics such as flipped classrooms and formative assessment tools.
• Get unstuck by scanning your Twitter network for an idea that gets a paragraph or two onto the page.
• Sit down with a colleague and write a first post together, with an image and links, because many people don't know how to start.
• Model your passion in public, as Cook does with writing and podcasting, and show staff how you do it without asking them to.

Chapters

• 0:00 Committing to a blog post every day
• 3:04 Do your school initiatives make you better
• 3:54 Getting unstuck when the screen is blank
• 4:34 Writing daily to build your craft
• 7:38 Telling your school's story beyond test scores
• 10:13 Why sharing school wins builds your value
• 17:00 Teaching colleagues how to write a first post
• 21:50 Take control of your own learning

Times are for the episode without ads. Your player may be off by the length of any ads.

Questions this episode answers

Why should a principal blog every day?
Cook says his daily blog keeps him working on his craft, helps him manage his time better than ever, and gives him a way to talk about what matters in leadership. He draws on what he sees walking around his elementary school and calls the challenge both difficult and rewarding.

What can you do when you don't know what to blog about?
Cook says he stared at a blank screen only about half a dozen times. Each time he went to his professional learning network on Twitter to find something that caught his eye, which gave him enough to write a paragraph or two and keep his challenge going.

How can a principal share a school's story beyond test scores?
Cook blogs about teachers flipping classrooms and using Kahoot, Plickers and Google Forms, even though his school is a priority school on test results. He says parents love it and feel someone is advocating for them, and the trust he has built comes partly through social media.

About Dr. Spike Cook

Elementary principal in Southern New Jersey who blogs at drspikecook.com.

Links and resources

• Spike Cook show notes

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