Jenn David-Lang has worked in the field of education for over 25 years. She has had a wide range of experiences, from teaching math and English, starting a number of New York City schools, and providing coaching and professional development. She founded THE MAIN IDEA 9 years ago because she witnessed too many school leaders who were so busy with the day to day responsibilities of running their schools and organizations, that they had no time for their own professional development.

 

Jenn is married to another teacher, and they have two teenage daughters.  She loves yoga, cooking, and cycling, and not long ago she completed her first 100 mile bike ride. (6:49)

Some of the factors that influenced Jenn to become a school teacher (9:00)

Like many future admins, Jenn was already performing many administration tasks even while she was still a teacher, and decided she might as well become a full-time administrator (11:03)

THE MAIN IDEA –why Jenn founded her business that provides school leaders with summaries of important education books (14:25)

Jenn spends a lot of time evaluating different schools, and here are some of the things she has noticed occurring regularly at the best schools (19:20)

School leaders need a different definition of efficient (23:20)

Some themes Jenn has seen recurring often in many of the top education books (26:37)

Even the latest innovative technology for students won’t be very effective without strong relationships between the students and the teachers/administrators (28:28)

How to handle the overwhelming pace of innovations in technology for schools (31:53)

Not everything needs to be done perfectly, even in school administration (33:52)

Work first to understand the other person, before working to be understood (34:45)

How visiting the Philippines as an 11 year old on her own shaped and influenced Jenn (39:02)

Jenn reads a ton of education books for her business, and here are her top two book recommendations for school leaders (40:32)

One of the smartest things a principal can do is shadow a student for the day (42:16)

Ideally, school leaders should meet individually with each teacher on a regular basis (44:24)

If Jenn had a time machine, here’s the advice she would go back and give her younger self when she was just starting out in administration (47:39)

 

Books mentioned in this episode

Leverage Leadership: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, Doug Lemov, and Brett Peiser

Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas Many, and Mike Mattos

 

Connect with Jenn David-Lang

When you contact Jenn by emailing her on her website below, mention that you heard her on the Educators Lead podcast and she’ll send you her famous classroom management workshop on Powerpoint

THE MAIN IDEA

 

 

About EducatorsLead:

Educators Lead is a podcast created to help launch educators into the next level of leadership. This show is for you if you are interested in educational leadership as an assistant principal, principal, superintendent, teacher or someone who hopes to be a school leader one day. Educators Lead offers inspiration and practical advice to help you lead more effectively. Jay Willis interviews school leaders weekly to discuss why and when these educators made the decision to move into school leadership, challenges along the journey, and stories that made it all worthwhile. Educators Lead is a great resource for any educator looking to make a greater impact.

Educate. Inspire. Lead.

http://www.educatorslead.com