Episode Details

In this week’s episode of Monday Matters, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke discuss the challenges that school leaders face as they navigate both the mundane and complex aspects of their job. They offer advice on how to lead through the ordinary and fight boredom in the job of a school leader by reconnecting to one’s purpose and finding joy in the day to day operations of a school. Below is a thoughtful post by Will Parker that highlights some of the topics covered in this episode. 

Mending Fences and Leading Through the Ordinary, by William D. Parker

Last week, I presented at a conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, which also gave me an excuse to drive across the Mississippi River afterwards and visit the family farm in West Tennessee. My brother Jesse runs cattle on the old homeplace where my parents lived before they passed. It’s still the gathering place for family Christmases that include around thirty people representing siblings, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

My brother and I decided to mend some fences while I was there. Armed with a roll of barbed wire, a pair of fencing pliers, and a fence stretcher, we headed to the lowest pasture where a fallen tree had crushed five strands of wire. Jesse started by cutting the tree into sections with a chainsaw while I hauled the limbs and sticks into the nearby woods. Once the debris was cleared, we stretched new barbed wire so we could reattach the old wire to the fence line where it had broken. We also had to straighten a couple of bent metal posts.

I told him later that it was my favorite part of being home.

A few days later, I was back at my desk working in my office. That morning, I led a training session with a group of leaders from the state of Ohio. That afternoon, I had a Zoom call with a leader across the country who was interested in being a guest on my podcast. He was working on a new book, and I encouraged him to reach back out once he had finished it so we could schedule a show.

For some reason, during that meeting, I found myself anxious to end the call. It was an odd feeling. Normally, I enjoy these kinds of exchanges with fellow educators because it’s always fun to share our interests in schools and talk about lessons learned. On this particular call, however, I caught myself thinking: This feels like a conversation I’ve had a few hundred times already.

When the call ended, I began reflecting on why I felt that way—and the reason was pretty obvious. I had literally had similar conversations hundreds of times. What was once novel and interesting was becoming commonplace. The amount of energy I needed to stay focused was becoming harder to maintain.

Later, I was sharing this story with a friend when my son, Jack, overheard the conversation. That afternoon, he said to me, “Dad, I heard what you said about it feeling odd to find yourself becoming bored with your work. It sounds to me like maybe you need a reminder that sometimes a job requires work.”

He went on to say, “I don’t always like my college classes. But right now it’s the ‘job’ I have to help me finish my degree, and I realize that not everything I learn or do is always going to be enjoyable. I thought maybe you need that reminder too.”

Leave it to young people to put things in perspective!

2026 will mark ten years since I began producing a podcast for education leaders. In context, that means I’ve produced approximately 520 weeks of content. Because some episodes have been repeats or encores, by February 2026 we will have released 488 shows featuring unique content. 

These include hundreds of one-on-one conversations with extraordinary leaders across the country and around the world. Every one of those talks has taught me something new and valuable. My co-host, Jen Schwanke, has been helping with interviews over the pa