Why This Topic?
So I saw this piece circling around titled Suzanne Walsh Ideas Great Tips for Education Leaders Today. Honestly, thought it might be more buzzword fluff. Clicked anyway, you know how it is. Started reading… and man, some points actually stuck.
My Take On Tip #1: Listen More, Seriously
Suzanne really pushed this idea of active listening beyond the usual. Not just nodding along. Wanted to see if I could actually do it differently.
- First thing Monday, tried it in a teacher team meeting. Instead of jumping in with solutions, just asked “What’s the big thing slowing you down?”
- Kepped my mouth shut. Harder than it sounds. Wrote down everything people said, verbatim.
- Noticed teachers were way more fired up talking about classroom tech setup times than curriculum. Total surprise. We’d been focusing on the wrong thing for weeks.
Key learning: People tell you what actually matters if you just shut up and let them.
Trying Tip #2: Rethink Those Endless Meetings
Suzanne’s rant about meetings being useless hit home. We waste hours. Decided to test her “micro-agenda” hack.
- For our Wednesday check-in, literally wrote only 3 bullets on the invite: Staffing update, Tech ticket backlog, Friday event reminders.
- Told everyone “No new topics, just these. Stick or leave.”
- Shockingly, got through everything in 15 minutes flat. People looked stunned. One teacher muttered, “Is that… allowed?”
Felt risky cutting it that sharp, but guess what? Freed up 45 minutes. Everyone scattered like roaches when the lights come on. Mission accomplished.
Tip #3 Flop & Pivot: Empowering Teams
Suzanne talks big about pushing decisions down. Okay, gave it a shot with the professional development planning committee. Said “Y’all decide focus & dates.”
Total. Chaos.
Committee imploded over choosing between literacy strategies or SEL training. Needed more meetings just to argue. Worse than before. Suzanne made it sound simple. Reality check: It ain’t.
What saved me? Took another Walsh idea – guardrails. Went back, said: “Budget $X, max of two days, must involve team-teaching. Pick ONE focus.” Immediately, they chose literacy. Done in 10 minutes. Lesson? Give freedom, but with serious bumper lanes.
The Real Impact?
Don’t get me wrong, not every Walsh tip worked magic. Some fell flat on their face like that empowerment thing. But the listening tweak? And killing meeting bloat? Massive wins. Teachers noticed. Heard hallway chatter like “finally someone gets it”. Felt good.
Biggest takeaway: You gotta actually try stuff. Don’t just read and nod. Pick one or two ideas. Test ‘em in the mud. See what sticks. That’s the real work. That’s this week’s win.
