Kindra Dee Abner, PhD

📈 Most learners with #IEPs do not require modified expectations; they need support, time, and sometimes #intervention. ALL #students need high expectations. #LeadInclusion #EdLeaders #Teachers #UDL #SBLchat #TG2Chat #TeacherTwitter

Truth. 💯

My brother sent me a text this week: That simple reminder stopped me in my tracks. Because it’s easy to forget. Sometimes kids are immature. Sometimes they make poor choices. And this time of year doesn’t make it any easier. As the weather warms up and the finish line of the school year comes into view, energy levels rise—and so does student behavior. We feel it. Every educator does. And let’s be clear—students need accountability. Expectations still matter. But perspective matters too. The science is clear: Our students don’t have fully developed brains yet. They’re still learning—academically, socially, and emotionally. They’re going to get it wrong sometimes. Discipline and compassion are not mutually exclusive. We can correct behavior and care deeply about the child. We can hold the line and extend grace. As we move through these final weeks of the school year, that balance matters more than ever. So when the moment comes—and it will—remember: The kid in front of you is still… a kid.

How do you show up everyday? It’s on you. As people, it’s no one else’s job to push us to show up or to force the effort that we put in. It’s solely our responsibility to show up to what we committed to and to put in the effort and work for what we say we want achieve. Your example everyday should cause others to rise to the standard. How you show up, the way you live, the effort you put in, should all inspire others to show up and be their best and rise to the standard. When you set a high standard that inspires people to follow, you will play a huge role in the success that comes to the team, program, organization, company, etc. That is something you can control. What example of drive, determination, and work ethic are you setting everyday?

Kindness counts. 🧡

Leadership isn’t about power. Leadership is about influence. Through support. Through relationships. Through showing up every day.

Managing versus Leading

@PrepBaseballFL #3

🚨 Hitter of the Week - Final 4 🚨 Vote for Week 9 Hitter of the Week 🗳️ 1️⃣ • 5-10, 9 RBI, 1 HR, 2 2B, 5 R 2️⃣ • 4-9, 7 RBI, 1 HR, 3 2B, 5 R 3️⃣ • 6-6, 4 RBI, 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 R 4️⃣ • 5-8, 8 RBI, 2 HR, 1 3B, 6 R

I spent ten years as an assistant principal—some of the hardest and most rewarding years of my career. And if there’s ever a month that highlights just how critical that role is… it’s April. Testing season. Packed activity calendars. Rising energy levels across the building. It’s a lot. And right in the middle of it all are assistant principals—steady, present, and essential. Teachers experience the daily wins of the classroom—the moments that remind them why they teach. Principals often stand in the spotlight, representing the school and celebrating its success. But assistant principals? They work behind the scenes. They take on the work others can’t—or won’t: Discipline and difficult conversations Parent meetings Scheduling issues and last-minute coverage The countless logistics that keep a school running They are problem-solvers in constant motion. They are the ones who: Support a teacher dealing with challenging behavior Step in when a student is being bullied Cover a class when no substitute shows up Listen to frustrated teachers with patience and empathy Make sure a child without lunch still gets to eat Stay late for the student who missed the bus Stand beside teachers in tough parent conferences Walk the halls, creating calm through their presence The work isn’t glamorous. It often goes unnoticed. And too often, it’s taken for granted. But it matters. Assistant principals are the reason schools hold together when things get hard. They do whatever it takes so teachers can teach and students can learn. I see it. I appreciate it. And I hope they know the difference they make. Because they don’t just support the work… They make the work possible. Assistant principals are the backbone of our schools—true unsung heroes. #APWeek #AssistantPrincipalWeek

👥 Students who have #IEPs do not *belong* to special education. They are general #education #students no matter where they are or who they are with. ALL students belong to ALL of us. #LeadInclusion #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders #TeacherTwitter

Here's to leading through trust. (Via leader @E_Sheninger)

💌 Actively supporting a sense of belonging for all #students is a fundamental part of being inclusive. #LeadInclusion #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders #TeacherTwitter

Learning is voluntary!

A great educator can be life changing, especially for the student who is struggling quietly, carrying trauma they do not have words for, or walking into school each day already believing they are not smart enough, good enough, or worthy of love. Sometimes the greatest gift a teacher gives is not just instruction. It is safety. It is patience. It is believing in a child before that child knows how to believe in themselves. For the student who has known chaos, rejection, failure, or pain, one caring educator can become the steady voice that says, “You matter. You are capable. You are not broken. Do not give up.” And those words, repeated through kindness, consistency, and love, can begin to heal what the world has hurt. Long after the lessons are forgotten, students remember the educator who saw past the behavior, past the fear, past the walls, and helped them see a future they never thought was possible.

10 Things Schools Still Do That Don’t Work (And What Works Better Instead) From a therapist and former school principal If we want better outcomes for students, we have to be willing to question what we’ve always done. Many common school practices continue not because they are effective, but because they are familiar. A few shifts that matter: • Emotional needs before academics (Maslow before Bloom) • Don’t take away recess… kids need movement (even prisoners get time on the yard) • Sitting all day doesn’t work… build in movement • Focus on growth, not just grades • Suspension doesn’t fix behavior… teach skills instead • You don’t fatten the pig by weighing it… less testing, more teaching • Worksheets don’t build a love of learning • Less memorizing, more thinking • Teach in different ways… not just how you learn best • Stop overloading homework… kids are exhausted (at minimum, grade completion only) Small shifts. Big impact. When students feel safe, regulated, and connected… learning follows. #education #teachers #schoolleadership #studentengagement #mentalhealth #traumainformed #edchat

Where you are standing today is not random or accidental, it is sacred ground that shows the strength you have been building through every high and low. You have climbed, endured, and chosen growth when it would have been easier to quit, and all of that has been preparing you for the impact you are meant to make at this moment in your story. So step into this day with bold confidence, head up and heart open, knowing your story is being written with purpose. Walk forward without fear, walk boldly, walk proud, and go leave people, places, and teams better than you found them.

7 prayers to pray over your children 1. May they never walk away from you; draw their hearts closer so you will always be near them. (James 4:8) 2. Help them listen to your Word, and to do as it says. (Luke 11:28) 3. Make them a blessing to everyone they meet. (1 Peter 3:9) 4. Fill them with joy and peace. (Romans 15:13) 5. Help them speak the truth to others and to themselves. (Ephesians 4:25) 6. Cultivate a grateful heart within them. (Psalm 118:28) 7. Remind them that your love for them is everlasting. (Psalm 103:17)

I fell in love with this sentence: “Forgive yourself for not knowing earlier what only time could teach.”

This 100 percent