Episode Details

Sponsor: Sanebox

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Transformative Principal on Stitcher

Refer A Principal

I was super excited to interview Chris Wejr. He is one of those principals that I have been following for a long time and his take on discipline and behavior is inspiring.

• Moving from a lower SES school to a higher SES school.
• If kids are driven by rewards, then they are across all areas.
• It is very easy to go too far with rewards, and focus only on providing rewards for kids to “get us through the day.”
• The problem with determining how to properly implement PBIS.
• The complexities of correcting a student’s behavior by giving them a reward when they behave correctly.
• How important it is to have sense of belonging to help students avoid negative behaviors.
• Strategies to help students who struggle with negative behavior overcome those struggles.
• It sometimes takes 2 years to get kids to overcome their struggles.
• How to buy yourself some time to make decisions and help get through the day to make sure you help kids who are struggling.
• The bouncy ball trick that worked for me every time after I interviewed him.
• The difference between a program and a system.

This is a great interview. Chris is amazing!

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save te