On March 28, 2019, I am a motivational speaker for the North Carolina Association of School Administrators. The event, held at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown, will bring in over 300 school superintendents, administrators, HR, support staff and principals.
This cutting edge conference focuses on how and why school leadership matters. Critical to all student success is leadership. Without it, student achievement declines, attracting and retaining good teachers and support staff becomes more difficult, and education suffers.
The other inspiring keynote speakers include Gene Nichol who will explore the faces of poverty in North Carolina. The flying classroom founder Captain Barrington Irving will also share his unique approach to learning.
The break out sessions will showcase how North Carolina school districts are building capacity, taking initiative, showing foresight and influencing success.
The North Carolina Association of School Administrators ( NCASA) is founded in 1976. Their mission is to ensure quality learning experiences for all students through visionary and effective leadership. NCASA is an umbrella organization under which North Carolina school administrator groups are unified.
Education has evolved a lot as leaders struggle to keep up with technology and how it impacts student learning. Because of increased digital saturation, many students find it harder to focus and appreciate more instant gratification. Politics can also prove challenging for these high-level education leaders. With so many outside pressures and forces, school leaders struggle to keep up with workloads.
Principals are accountable for high levels of student achievement. They must analyze data to identify factors related to student enrollment and success. They regularly watch admission, registration, attendance, discipline, and grades to gauge success.
I have served as a funny keynote speaker for many school leadership events; one factor that has become a source of frustration is parent involvement. At the volunteer leadership level, fewer parents want to get involved actively. Some parents also refuse to take responsibility for the children's poor grades. Instead, they blame the school or their teachers.
School leaders spend a lot of energy creating good relationships with students, parents, and teachers. This conference is designed to make those relationships matter.
I look forward to being the after lunch, funny motivational speaker for the school administrators. The message, This Would be Funny if it Wasn't Happening to Me, talks about staying resilient and displaying strong leadership in times of change. I plan to use a lot of interaction and comedy to bring the room together around educational leadership.