Judy Brunner

There is never a bad time to remember why we do what we do.

More than a paycheck…

I can tell if a school has effective admin within minutes of walking into the school. I watch the office staff, custodians & faculty interact in the hall, their demeanor & interactions w/other staff & students. It's true everyone impacts culture, but Leadership is the thermostat!

Education is not teacher centered or even student centered, but it is relationship centered. Teachers thrive w/ positive admin relationships & students thrive w/ positive teacher relationships. Relationships drive education.

Supporting a student with challenging behaviors isn’t about choosing one philosophy—it’s about pulling the best tools from many. A Maslow Before Bloom lens reminds us to meet basic needs first; Love and Logic teaches us to set firm limits with empathy; The 7 Habits guide students to pause, reflect, and make proactive choices; Boys Town provides the explicit social skills they were never taught; trauma-informed practices help us see the pain beneath the behavior; and restorative approaches help repair the harm and rebuild trust. When a student like James storms out of class and slams the door, it’s not one program that helps—it’s the combination: noticing he skipped breakfast (Maslow), calmly offering choices instead of consequences (Love and Logic), helping him identify a better next step (7 Habits), reteaching the replacement skill of leaving appropriately (Boys Town), acknowledging the stress he carries from home (trauma-informed), and guiding him to make things right with peers and staff (restorative). The magic happens when we stop looking for the strategy and start using every strategy that helps a child feel safe, capable, and ready to grow.

If you notice a successful principal, you should assume there is a faculty of rockstars making the magic happen in the school.

The level of fun that students have in learning is often in direct proportion to the level of fun that their teachers have in teaching.

You don’t change culture through emails and meetings. You change it through relationships… one conversation at a time.

If students could pick their teachers, would they sign up for your class? I know it’s not a popularity contest… but the attitude of the teacher always affects the students’ attitude toward the class. And their attitude toward the class always affects the level of learning.

I think teachers are at their best when they are transparent with their passion. Love of content, love of learning, and love of kids… is what the students find so compelling.

There’s a difference between ‘complaining’  and identifying challenges. The best teammates are always looking for solutions.