Category Archives: Classroom Leadership

The Masters: A Comparison of Augusta and the Leadership Needed in Education

11 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by in Actions, Classroom Leadership, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Emotional Temperature, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Patience, Teachers, The Masters, Wisdom

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Leadership always has many comparisons. But, for my golfing and leadership friends, comparing the two to each other brings about time-tested leadership skills. Navigating leadership in education and playing in the Masters Tournament may seem unrelated at first thought (and oh, how I wish I could get on the course). Still, both require focus, adaptability, and a deep understanding of strategy. Both settings demand high performance under pressure. In the end, it’s about delivering results in the classroom or on one of golf’s most demanding courses.

Educational leaders, like PGA golfers, are constantly analyzing their environment. At Augusta, players must read the slope of massive, undulating greens and adjust to changing wind conditions. Likewise, schools and educational leaders must understand the shifting of student needs, curriculum changes, broader social dynamics, and any other nuance thrown at it. Every decision, whether selecting what club to hit or an educator’s instructional strategy, carries weight and long-term impact where feedback is immediate.

Both roles require preparation and foresight; think of it as an ongoing scouting report. A golfer walks the course, visualizes (paints) each shot, and practices relentlessly every part of their game. Similarly, school leaders plan, implement, and reflect, constantly learning and improving. Vision matters, and so does consistency. Just as a player can’t rely on a great round, educational success isn’t about one strong lesson but sustained excellence over time.

There’s also a personal component. Both educational leadership and golf demand emotional intelligence and resilience; weak-minded individuals need not participate. How one responds when things go wrong, a double bogey or a failed initiative is everything, and the ability to stay calm, breathe, refocus, and remember what happened but not dwell on it while pressing forward defines true leadership and separates the fakes from the rest.

Finally, both disciplines celebrate growth. While winning the green jacket of the Masters is the goal, it’s also about mastering oneself. In education, leadership is measured not just by test scores but by the growth of teachers, students, and the learning culture. Both arenas reward those who lead with integrity, remain coachable, and never stop learning. Those who can and do usually end up winning.

Ultimately, whether walking the fairways of Augusta or the halls of a school, leading well means playing the long game with patience, purpose, and heart, creating “A Tradition Unlike Any Other.”

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

What Should Educational Leadership Be About?

28 Friday Feb 2025

Posted by in Classroom Leadership, Educational Leadership, Empower, Leader, Leadership, Respect, Students, Teachers

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Under the signature of my personal Gmail account, I have this statement… “Passionate for Educational Leadership.” The other day, a friend of mine asked me what I would tell someone who asked, “What does that really mean?” As I thought about it and we started having a conversation, I figured this is what it meant…

Educational leadership is more than just managing; things are managed, people are not, and schools should definitely not be; they should be led. It is about inspiring, guiding, and fostering a culture of continuous growth for students, teachers, and communities. True leadership in education goes beyond administrative tasks and policies. It should be about vision, impact, and transformation.

At its core, educational leadership must prioritize students. Every decision, policy, and initiative should be designed to enhance student learning, well-being, and success. Educational leadership should create an environment that nurtures curiosity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.

Great educational leaders recognize that teachers are the foundation of student success. They invest in their professional development, encourage collaboration, and provide the necessary resources to help educators thrive. Most importantly… they recognize that teachers have a life outside of the school building. I really believe supporting teachers results in better instructional practices and, ultimately, improved student outcomes.

A positive and inclusive school culture is essential for success, where academics, arts, and athletics complement each other. Student and teacher success happens when all three are met at a high level. Educational leaders should foster an environment of respect, equity, and collaboration, empowering all stakeholders to be contributors. When value and support are felt, engagement and achievement increase.

Remember, education does not exist in isolation. The educational landscape is constantly evolving, and it is an ongoing working definition that gets harder to define every year. Effective leaders must have a clear vision for the future while remaining adaptable to change.

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2025 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

One size fits all? Not in education, especially when force-feeding a student how they should learn…

20 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Adaptability, Classroom Leadership, confidence, Consistency, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Empower, Encouragement, Intentional, Leader, Leadership, Learning, Students, Teachers, Understanding

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Have you ever seen the clothing tag, one size fits all? Well, there are some “all” that it doesn’t fit. I see it a lot in caps with the adjustable back strap. Do they know the size of people’s heads when they sew that tag? Since they are more than likely being mass-produced, I would say no.

Segue to education with me now…

Do we educate with a one-size-fits-all approach? I would argue that we do. But is this truly effective? Your exceptional teachers know how to tailor their teaching to each student, while many others simply follow a standard curriculum which offers a cookie-cutter approach. This approach, however, fails to account for each student’s unique learning styles and needs.

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Every student has their own unique way of absorbing, processing, reflecting, and applying information. Effective educational leadership acknowledges and embraces these differences. My good friend, Dr. Nason Lollar, and I have some really good educational conversations (and we have most of the answers…). Anyway, the other day, we were discussing how “best practices” exist for educators, so I asked rhetorically, “Why don’t we actually use them?” His response, “Exactly!” And the answer we came up with was… The key is creating an environment where students can learn the way they do best, increasing their confidence and potential.

So, I have three thoughts.

Let’s embrace learning styles…

If students have diverse learning styles, why do we not embrace those? Some are visual learners, others auditory, kinesthetic, or a mixed bag of different styles. As educational leaders, we must ensure that the curriculum and the way we teach are flexible enough to cater to these differences and provide a variety of teaching methods that speak to each student’s strengths. I can remember teachers telling me, “You must have this kind of notebook, you must write in a pen, you must have…, etc.” If the end goal is to have students learn and apply that learning, then let’s let them learn the best way they know how.

Why is personalized learning important?

Personalized learning is more than just an educational buzzword. I believe it is more of a philosophy that encourages educators to recognize and respect each student’s individuality. I can hear some teacher out there saying, “That would be so many different lesson plans.” No, it doesn’t have to be that way. The teacher teaches by offering multiple avenues to understanding the material. Some students prefer working independently, while others do their best in collaborative group settings. And by the way, what the world calls collaboration, education calls cheating. Allowing students to choose how they learn and express their knowledge can lead to better engagement and deeper understanding.

Encourages autonomy and responsibility…

When students are allowed to learn in ways that suit them best, they grasp the material more effectively, develop an innate connection to the material, and hopefully take more responsibility for their education. This promotes lifelong learning and self-awareness—skills that go far beyond the classroom, and we really cannot start this concept too early.

By doing so, we empower students to take charge of their learning journey and succeed on their own terms. In education, a one-size-fits-all approach to learning simply doesn’t work. No one enjoys being force-fed.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

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Squeezing Every Drop of Potential: Leadership Lessons from a Tube of Toothpaste

13 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Achieve, Classroom Leadership, Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Motivation, Teachers, Uncategorized

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When to throw it away? That is the question. The other night, I was getting ready to brush my teeth, and there it was… lying on the counter… the tube of toothpaste staring at me. Who would win? I know toothpaste is left in there, but could I squeeze it all out? Who would win? The fight began… I smoothed it out with the edge of my toothbrush. I pulled it across the top edge of the counter. I even maxed out rolling it up and got a black binder clip (I remember my dad doing this) to hold. Oh, the fight. That was four days ago, and yes, I’m still squeezing some out, yet the struggle remains…

In leadership, getting the best out of others is akin to getting the last bit of toothpaste out of a tube. This can be applied to any level of an organization or even as an educator trying to get the most they can out of students. At first, it’s easy—just a gentle squeeze and you get a full portion with little or no effort. But as the tube empties and time goes on, extracting the last bit of potential takes more effort and finesse, just like getting that stubborn final bit of toothpaste.

So, the leadership tube of toothpaste connection… (think of how you tackle your own tube of toothpaste…)

Gentle Pressure, Focused Impact

Initially, toothpaste flows easily, much like how people will deliver results with general guidance. However, as with anything, relationships mature, and quality leadership has to apply a more focused, deliberate approach. Leaders must shift from giving broad directions to providing more specific guidance tailored to each individual’s strengths. It’s no longer about squeezing randomly—it’s about applying pressure strategically, knowing when to push and when to ease off. As you know, there is an art to getting the final remains out.

Maximize Efficiency

Only a little toothpaste comes out if we always squeeze near the nozzle where the cap is (I guess that is what we call it) when we use it often. Just like rolling up the toothpaste tube to push everything toward the nozzle, leaders need to help during the processes, find and eliminate inefficiencies, and optimize resources. This isn’t about working harder, but working smarter. Leaders should empower team members with the right tools, training, and opportunities for growth to unlock hidden potential. And then, please let them do their job… Trust in their abilities and empower them to take charge.

Don’t Let Anything Go to Waste

A good leader knows there’s more inside people than meets the eye, but this is done through establishing a leadership relationship and allowing an environment to work with and not for. Just like there’s always a little more toothpaste in the tube than you first thought when it gets down to the end. Sometimes, it’s about digging deeper, identifying untapped skills, finding a way to transform, and encouraging team members to stretch their capabilities.

Ultimately, leadership is about a hands-on strategy and belief in the potential of others. Like a well-squeezed tube of toothpaste, people who are guided and supported well will deliver value until the very end.

I believe I can get a few more squeezes out over the next few days. I’m going to apply pressure, fold, squeeze, and maybe put the tube in a vice grip… However, I’m drawing the line at filleting the tube open and scraping the sides…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2024 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…