Full Transcript for Episode 56: Lindsey Allen’s Leadership Journey: How a Principal Scaled Influence, Protected Teacher Time, and Boosted Student Achievement

that. 00:05:33.039 --> 00:05:35.199 And but I I enjoyed it. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:38.240 And honestly, I never thought I'd actually become an administrator. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:49.199 That was that was actually the coaching of the principal that I worked with who saw you know, he saw leadership potential in me and pulled me aside and said, Hey, I I think you can do this. 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:57.759 And I thought he was crazy, but I think we all have those moments where you're not like for me, I wanted to just coach and teach. 00:05:57.759 --> 00:05:58.959 That was my goal, right? 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:12.959 I I graduated college, I became a head football coach, and I was a math teacher, and so I was like thinking I had it made, and it wasn't until my my wife's grandpa put that you know, that bug in my ear, and I'm like, Yeah, no, that's no, I don't think so. 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:14.800 But uh, here I am, right? 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:21.120 So, as a teacher, you know, you you're teaching social studies, you're teaching math. 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:27.680 What is something that you learned as being a teacher that helps you with your leadership today? 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:33.599 What's something that you could take away and go, this helped me become a print the principal I am today? 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.639 You know, I I think one thing that I think helped me. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:39.279 Well, number one is I was in the classroom for 10 years. 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:42.399 And, you know, and I and I and that that mattered to me. 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:55.279 And when I tell teachers that, they're like, oh, okay, because there are a lot of administrators, you know, they have a skinny minute and they're there in administration, and they they have not really experienced the ups and downs and the challenges of the teacher. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:59.839 You know, one thing I'll tell you that my teachers love about me, I'm real funny about pre-planning. 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:11.839 When we do our pre-planning schedule, nothing irritated more me more as a as a principal, I mean as a teacher, was all of my pre-planning being taken up by meetings, uh all these things going on. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:22.319 But yet you want me to be ready for open house, you want me to have my lessons ready, you want me to make calls to uh all my kids, but yet you're going to encumber all of my time. 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:27.360 And so my my I actually have my assistant principals who, you know, I've been very fortunate. 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:39.199 I've I've had 13 assistant principals become principals in my in my career, but I have them actually create the pre-planning schedule, and then I have them calculate how much time our teachers have. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:47.759 And if if when they create the plant pre-planning schedule, if they don't have more than 65 to 70 percent of time free, I tell them to go back and redo it. 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:53.439 So there's one example of how that impacts how I think about teachers. 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:57.040 Um, you know, that's yeah, I think that's great. 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:00.639 I mean, that's awesome because you kind of hit something that I believe in as well. 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:03.199 I spent 11 years in the classroom. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:12.719 I feel like, you know, the best leaders that I've seen have people that have gone through the ringer in, you know, doing the work in the classroom. 00:08:12.719 --> 00:08:21.599 I'm not, I don't want to put down other people that spent three, four, five years in the classroom and jumped to administration, but I think you lose something by doing that. 00:08:21.599 --> 00:08:33.120 When you actually can say I was in the classroom 10 years or 11 years, you have some more credibility with those teachers when you do hit that role because you could talk about the ups and downs. 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:36.639 Like I was in year nine learning things, you know. 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:39.440 It wasn't just year one, two, three. 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:45.120 I was in year nine, ten, eleven going, man, I can get better at this, I could do better with this. 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:50.799 And so I think it's really important to be able to speak to what it's like to be in that classroom. 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:56.240 And you taught math, I taught math, so that's a subject kids may not like very much. 00:08:56.240 --> 00:09:02.240 And so you're teaching kids to try to learn something they necessarily don't want to sometimes. 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:07.120 And when you have parents that say, I was terrible at math, so my kids are gonna be terrible. 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:09.360 I'm at like they have this defeatist attitude. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.360 You're like, no, no, don't do that. 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:15.360 And so I really, really like that you you hit that point. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:28.559 And I also really want to echo talking about you don't want to waste your teacher's time with things, you want to give make it productive, you want to make sure if we're gonna do some, there's gonna be a purpose behind it. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:30.240 And I'm really like that as well. 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:33.200 To where I'm not gonna call a needless meeting. 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:35.839 Um, if I don't have to meet with you, I won't. 00:09:35.839 --> 00:09:40.000 And if we when we meet, we're gonna do something, it's gonna be purposeful. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.279 And so, you to be aware of that and you learn that. 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:45.599 And I I I can say I did that as well. 00:09:45.599 --> 00:09:58.319 I hated going to meetings that were meaningless, and so to have that perspective to hear that is really, really refreshing because not a lot of us, not a lot of people in our position do that, and I really do appreciate that you do that for your staff. 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:05.200 Yeah,

they're they're worried about saying we did it as opposed to saying they they were able to absorb it and it be useful. 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:08.559 And yeah, um, you know, I I that's just one example. 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:13.119 I mean, another thing we do too is I built our calendar during the summer. 00:10:13.119 --> 00:10:27.680 I mean, we put every meeting we we can think of on there because what I've learned is, and I'm my teachers will tell you, I can't tell you how many times I cancel meetings, and you know how much they love it when they get an email from me and says, Hey, we're canceling today's faculty meeting. 00:10:27.680 --> 00:10:28.640 Uh yeah. 00:10:28.640 --> 00:10:35.200 And they will tell you, I mean, it it is a big deal if I call a meeting. 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:38.079 And they know it's a big deal because I I don't do it. 00:10:38.079 --> 00:10:44.879 Uh, because it's so much easier to put it on the calendar and then pull it off than it is to put it on the calendar because you're gonna gore somebody somewhere. 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:51.759 You know, a coach who's got a plan practice or somebody who was gonna, you know, try to get their test graded, who knows? 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:55.839 And so again, I the the one thing teachers never have enough of is time. 00:10:55.839 --> 00:10:59.519 And I'm really big about them doing the work on company time. 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:09.680 So I work really hard and I and not just me, I keep saying I our team understands the philosophy is we are going to guard our teachers' time because it's the most valuable thing they have. 00:11:09.680 --> 00:11:12.559 It's the only thing that we can't give them more of. 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:16.879 And if they can't do it on company time, they're gonna have to do it on personal time. 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:23.039 And, you know, with all the coaches we have, all the extracurriculars, all the people serving clubs, that's just more. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:30.960 And so we just that that's just something I'm you know that I'm I try to be religious about is let's not take away our teachers' time. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:36.640 God forbid they have another opportunity to grade some papers while they're at school and not have them take it home. 00:11:36.640 --> 00:11:41.039 You know, you know, you hear about well, they're you know, they give them all this planning time. 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:50.319 And your point is, yeah, they're they don't have to plan all the time, they can sit in their room and grade papers, they can sit in their room and and get get you know get prepared. 00:11:50.319 --> 00:11:53.440 They don't always have to be meeting with somebody all the time. 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.400 And uh, you know, I think that's a philosophy that drives me crazy. 00:11:56.400 --> 00:11:58.960 I'm all about the PLC process, don't misunderstand me. 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:06.559 But I'm also about giving our teachers company time to get ready and not

have to take it home, if possible. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:07.359 Awesome. 00:12:07.359 --> 00:12:07.920 I love that. 00:12:07.920 --> 00:12:08.720 I love that. 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:18.480 And so you you also I'm sitting here thinking, like, you know, you talk about you know giving them time, you know, the more time you can give them, the more they can get their work done. 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:21.680 And I really appreciate that you do that as well. 00:12:21.680 --> 00:12:24.079 Something I believe in, and I think that's awesome. 00:12:24.079 --> 00:12:26.400 I think more people out there need to do that. 00:12:26.400 --> 00:12:29.119 So, you know, you've been a teacher for a while. 00:12:29.119 --> 00:12:31.759 You know, you said you're 10 years in the classroom. 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:34.240 What inspired you to take that next step? 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:38.319 You know, some people like to call it the dark side, but you know, it's not really the dark side. 00:12:38.319 --> 00:12:39.039 Come on now. 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:45.119 It's it's one of those things like you kind of get called into it or pulled into it or tapped on the shoulder. 00:12:45.119 --> 00:12:50.960 What was that for you when you decided, hey, I'm gonna go from teaching into administration? 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:52.960 Well, there was really two things that happened. 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:55.759 One was in it was about, I don't know, February 2007. 00:12:55.759 --> 00:13:02.160 I was actually, uh I I've told the story how many times I we had just escorted our uh students to connections. 00:13:02.160 --> 00:13:05.279 And I had I had one of the best principals in the world's name is Dr. 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:06.160 Richard Holland. 00:13:06.160 --> 00:13:09.599 He was my principal for 15 years, and we were standing there talking. 00:13:09.599 --> 00:13:17.359 He and some other teachers, anyway, the teachers walked off, and he and I were just having a philosophical conversation, and he asked me a question. 00:13:17.359 --> 00:13:20.720 He said, Lindsay, have you ever considered getting into administration? 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:23.759 And I said, Why would I want to do that? 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:27.519 You know, I love leading my students, I love uh working with my team. 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:33.359 And he goes, Well, let me ask you this question Why did you get into education to begin with? 00:13:33.359 --> 00:13:41.200 And I was like, Well, because I want to influence people and I want to, you know, influence as many students as I can in my career. 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:44.240 And he goes, Well, so let me explain something to you. 00:13:44.240 --> 00:14:05.860 If you're a teacher, your influence is really limited to the kids in your classroom. 00:14:05.860 --> 00:14:12.100 But if you become an administrator, the entire school, you will be able to influence every kid in the building. 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:16.899 He goes, So if that's what you think is your mission,

he goes, you really need to get into administration. 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:19.780 And I mean, that was like a light bulb going off. 00:14:19.780 --> 00:14:21.460 I I never thought of it that way. 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:33.620 That I had the what if I really wanted to expand my influence, it was, and that was that's my personal mission statement is you know, to make a difference in people's lives by positive influencing their thinking, development, and direction. 00:14:33.620 --> 00:14:36.740 And if that's the case, then that's why I did it. 00:14:36.740 --> 00:14:42.020 It wasn't for more money, it wasn't for the prestige of it, because you and I both know there's not a lot of prestige a lot of times. 00:14:42.020 --> 00:14:48.260 You take on people's problems, but really it was about trying to fulfill what I believe was my mission statement. 00:14:48.260 --> 00:14:51.300 And so anytime I take a job, that's what I think. 00:14:51.300 --> 00:14:56.500 Does this help me move closer to influencing more people and making a difference in their lives? 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:59.699 And so that that was that was probably the aha moment. 00:14:59.699 --> 00:15:14.340 The other one was, believe it or not, I had a uh a medical situation not a few months after that that almost took my life, and I realized that I wasn't given tomorrow and that I wasn't necessarily all these dreams and hopes and plans that I had, I wasn't promised those days. 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:16.899 And so if I was going to do it, I needed to get into it. 00:15:16.899 --> 00:15:22.580 And that that's really the two the two events that really happened that got me into administration here. 00:15:22.580 --> 00:15:24.020 I'm 18 years later. 00:15:24.340 --> 00:15:24.980 Awesome. 00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:28.100 Well, I really appreciate you being vulnerable on that. 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:33.060 I mean, not everybody goes through those types of experiences and things like that. 00:15:33.060 --> 00:15:34.580 So I really appreciate that. 00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:42.899 So you've served a lot of different roles as an administrator because I'm going through your bio, man, we could talk about this, this, this, this. 00:15:42.899 --> 00:15:45.139 I'm gonna let you pick and choose a little bit. 00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:56.419 Like, talk about the different roles you have and kind of go through them that led you into your principalship today, and just you know, tell us a little bit about each one. 00:15:56.419 --> 00:16:00.419 What did you learn from each role, and how did they help you into the next role? 00:16:00.419 --> 00:16:04.500 Because, like I said, you've done a lot of different things as an administrator. 00:16:04.820 --> 00:16:06.899 Yeah, it it's it's a little deceiving. 00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:11.220 Well, I, you know, I was assistant principal for six years with that principal I told you about who influenced me. 00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:13.540 I ended up being his assistant principal for six years. 00:16:13.540 --> 00:16:16.899 But I also served as a hearing officer for Gwinnett County Public Schools. 00:16:16.899 --> 00:16:19.060 So it was actually a dual role that I did. 00:16:19.060 --> 00:16:28.340 And I'll be honest with you, you know, everything from kind of gets you ready for principals because we have difficult conversations, but nothing's better than being a hearing officer. 00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:36.580 Uh, and I did over 700 plus hearings for Gwinnett County Public Schools and learning how to, you know, uh navigate those processes. 00:16:36.580 --> 00:16:37.540 Everything's recorded. 00:16:37.540 --> 00:16:39.460 You could end up, you know, on the news. 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:41.300 I mean, you it was all sorts of stuff. 00:16:41.300 --> 00:16:44.179 But it really helped me to choose my words wisely. 00:16:44.179 --> 00:16:48.419 It really helped me to know how to deal with difficult situations, particularly with parents. 00:16:48.419 --> 00:16:59.699 They're coming into a hearing knowing that they're gonna potentially be combative or they're concerned with the the what how the school's case is, but also working with the school and helping sure, making sure their processes are clean. 00:16:59.699 --> 00:17:05.939 So, you know, you just had to learn you learn how to have the uncomfortable conversations every hearing. 00:17:05.939 --> 00:17:09.220 So um, so that that that was a real good training. 00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:13.619 The other part, you know, I end up Gwynette is a very large system. 00:17:13.619 --> 00:17:21.139 I end up uh my wife and I end up moving, and my kids, we end up moving down to Macon, Georgia, which is the middle of the middle of the state, which is where I'm actually from. 00:17:21.139 --> 00:17:24.579 My my father had passed away, and and I'm my mom's only child. 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:40.099 So we moved back down there and I took over a Title I school uh that was in the bottom five percent of all schools in the state of Georgia, and it's it's 90% African-American community uh students, and all of my kids were either in poverty or one or one generation out. 00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:42.179 They were 100% free and reduced lunch. 00:17:42.179 --> 00:17:46.579 And the school I came from in Gwynette, we were we had a real diversity. 00:17:46.579 --> 00:17:50.579 We had kids from almost every continent in different languages, everything else. 00:17:50.579 --> 00:17:53.859 So two very different worlds that I had grown up in making. 00:17:53.859 --> 00:18:04.740 And what I learned in that school was the importance of believing your kids can do it, and making sure you hire people that believe your kids can do it. 00:18:04.740 --> 00:18:10.019 And don't look at their skin color, don't look at their background, but believe their kids can do it. 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:12.659 The other thing was setting a standard and not wavering. 00:18:12.659 --> 00:18:15.779 You know, you hear Nick Saban say the standard is a

standard. 00:18:15.779 --> 00:18:16.980 That's exactly right. 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:22.899 We set a standard, we held the standard, and teachers, if they didn't want to beat that standard. 00:18:22.899 --> 00:18:27.779 I had a hundred staff members after that first year, 15 of them, I let them go. 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:30.099 Because they didn't want to work with our kids. 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:33.460 They wanted them to be looking, look, do like them or be like them. 00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:35.059 That's fine. 00:18:35.059 --> 00:18:36.579 You need to find somewhere else to do it. 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:41.459 And we hired the right people, we created the right culture, we taught our kids, we believed in them. 00:18:41.459 --> 00:18:46.179 And within three years, we were the distinguished high progress middle school for the state of Georgia. 00:18:46.179 --> 00:18:48.739 And, you know, our kids were getting high school credits. 00:18:48.739 --> 00:18:49.699 They never thought they'd get it. 00:18:49.699 --> 00:18:52.979 We we had kids walking out of high school, I mean middle school with five high school credits. 00:18:52.979 --> 00:18:54.499 They never even thought about doing that. 00:18:54.499 --> 00:18:59.779 But it was all about, again, setting the standard, believing those kids could do it, building relationships with their parents. 00:18:59.779 --> 00:19:04.659 You know, that that was that was probably one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever done. 00:19:04.659 --> 00:19:05.779 It was a little tough. 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:10.179 It was a fight every day for different reasons, but it was it was really rewarding. 00:19:10.179 --> 00:19:14.979 I end up while I was there, I worked for the national superintendent of the year, Dr. 00:19:14.979 --> 00:19:16.099 Curtis Jones. 00:19:16.099 --> 00:19:18.499 And he pulled me to the district office. 00:19:18.499 --> 00:19:25.139 We had 12 uh secondary schools, and he asked me to help them kind of do what we did at our school. 00:19:25.139 --> 00:19:28.259 And they had we had great great principals all across Bibb County. 00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:29.779 We just you know needed some guidance. 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:31.059 And so I worked with them. 00:19:31.059 --> 00:19:40.979 I spent two years working with the University of Washington Center of Educational Leadership, them developing me as a principal supervisor, which my job was really just to help develop principals and their leadership capacity. 00:19:40.979 --> 00:19:42.579 Love doing that. 00:19:42.579 --> 00:19:48.899 Then my we had an opportunity to move back up to North Georgia where my wife's from and her family's from. 00:19:48.899 --> 00:19:52.499 And uh my mom ended up getting remarried, and so she was okay. 00:19:52.499 --> 00:20:00.899 And uh we moved back and I worked at Buford High School for a year, and then we transitioned over to where I am now in Walnut Grove High School. 00:20:00.899 --> 00:20:08.739 So those eight of those so 12 years as a as a as a principal, past seven of us as a high school principal, but I've done all three levels. 00:20:08.739 --> 00:20:16.339 I've even been an elementary, an elementary school assistant principal, which after 11 months and three weeks, I was like, I'm going back to secondary. 00:20:17.379 --> 00:20:20.179 It takes special people for those elementary jobs. 00:20:20.179 --> 00:20:20.819 I'll tell you, yeah. 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:25.699 And as soon as you realize maybe you're not that, it's okay, you know. 00:20:26.019 --> 00:20:35.539 Yeah, no, I mean I love like I've been a like 712 principal in Nebraska, so it's like a middle school, high school, and rural schools, you know, I've done that. 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:40.419 And so what I liked about that is taking my seventh and eighth graders and getting them whipped into shape. 00:20:40.419 --> 00:20:47.059 So when they come to when they get into the high school side of things, they already know, like, okay, this is for real and all that. 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:56.019 Hard for me now being a 9-12 principal is like bringing in those freshmen and go, hey, we have a standard here, we have things we gotta have you uphold, like we have expectations. 00:20:56.019 --> 00:21:07.699 No longer can you just get by because in Nebraska, you don't you don't have to get credits, you just get pushed on until you hit freshman year, and then you have to get credits all the way through. 00:21:07.699 --> 00:21:16.339 And so yeah, we have that issue, and that's statewide, which I really think is something we should change, but I won't get into that. 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:19.379 It's another conversation we could spend hours on. 00:21:19.379 --> 00:21:22.739 So I really appreciate all the different things you've done. 00:21:22.739 --> 00:21:23.699 That's really cool. 00:21:23.699 --> 00:21:26.979 I've actually ate at the Waffle House in Macon, Georgia. 00:21:26.979 --> 00:21:27.699 Really? 00:21:27.699 --> 00:21:28.499 Yeah. 00:21:28.499 --> 00:21:32.899 So I'm driving through the whole great state of Georgia, going down to Florida. 00:21:32.899 --> 00:21:36.899 Um my oldest daughter did a talent comp not. 00:21:36.899 --> 00:21:38.739 Talent search type thing. 00:21:38.739 --> 00:21:39.939 I'm in Orlando. 00:21:39.939 --> 00:21:42.499 So we drove all the way down from Nebraska. 00:21:42.499 --> 00:21:45.059 It takes about 24 hours to do it. 00:21:45.059 --> 00:21:51.859 But we actually drew drove through Tennessee, down through Chattanooga, which is really pretty, and went through the whole state. 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:58.979 So yeah, like that was the first time my wife, my current wife now ate at a Waffle House, was in Macon, Georgia. 00:21:58.979 --> 00:22:00.979 And I'm like, dude, because I was in the military. 00:22:00.979 --> 00:22:05.699 So I was up and down the eastern seaboard in South Carolina, North Carolina, all that. 00:22:05.699 --> 00:22:08.499 And I'm like, oh, dude, waffle houses

are the bomb. 00:22:08.499 --> 00:22:09.219 We gotta go. 00:22:09.219 --> 00:22:11.779 The closest one to us right now is Kansas City. 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:20.339 So anytime we go back towards the my daughter lives in Kansas City now, where she's a school teacher, we go back, I hit up a waffle house while I'm there. 00:22:20.339 --> 00:22:22.659 So that's the closest one to us. 00:22:22.659 --> 00:22:26.019 So yeah, there's a little bit of history there for you. 00:22:26.179 --> 00:22:28.419 Yeah, there are waffle houses everywhere around here. 00:22:28.979 --> 00:22:29.539 Well, no doubt. 00:22:29.539 --> 00:22:30.739 It's like the thing, right? 00:22:30.739 --> 00:22:32.099 It's like a gas station there. 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:33.539 It is, it is, it is. 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:36.419 Uh, and I'll tell you what, you can it is fantastic. 00:22:36.419 --> 00:22:38.099 I mean, you know, you can like get whatever you want. 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:40.099 You can you can even get a stake there if you want one. 00:22:40.339 --> 00:22:41.219 Oh, yeah, oh yeah. 00:22:41.219 --> 00:22:47.779 Like my first time going to a Waffle House is when I had an off post pass in Jackson, uh, South Carolina. 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:50.019 And I was at Fort Jackson of Columbia. 00:22:50.019 --> 00:22:54.659 Fort Jackson was the base, but Columbia, South Carolina, people, oh, you gotta go to this. 00:22:54.659 --> 00:22:55.539 I'm like, what? 00:22:55.539 --> 00:22:56.979 What's all what's all the fuss? 00:22:56.979 --> 00:22:57.619 Went to it. 00:22:57.619 --> 00:22:59.059 I'm like, I get it. 00:22:59.059 --> 00:23:00.099 I get it. 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:00.819 That's right. 00:23:00.819 --> 00:23:05.699 It's good stuff, and you know, like I love the grits and the collar greens and all that stuff. 00:23:05.699 --> 00:23:10.819 Like, I'm a guy from Nebraska, and that's my first time having you know some southern comfort food. 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:12.979 And I love southern comfort food, that's for sure. 00:23:12.979 --> 00:23:15.139 So let's get back to it here. 00:23:15.139 --> 00:23:20.819 I kind of got off on a tangent there, but hey, you kind of done a lot of leadership roles there. 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:25.459 And let's talk about like your current role at Walnut Grove High School. 00:23:25.459 --> 00:23:31.939 You know, when you look at the growth and the success you have, what do you believe has driven the process, the success that you have? 00:23:31.939 --> 00:23:38.019 Is there something you can say this has kind of you know, kind of spurred that spurred us on to what we're doing today? 00:23:38.339 --> 00:23:46.259 Well, I've I think it's like with any any leader, it's having clarity of vision. 00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:48.499 And I think it starts with that. 00:23:48.499 --> 00:23:52.179 You know, when I started, it was actually April of 2020, right? 00:23:52.179 --> 00:23:54.339 COVID is when I took the job. 00:23:54.339 --> 00:23:58.499 What I did was just

I met about with about a hundred different people, believe it or not. 00:23:58.499 --> 00:24:02.419 And I just asked them, what do you like about Walnut Grove? 00:24:02.419 --> 00:24:04.419 You know, where do you want us to go? 00:24:04.419 --> 00:24:06.419 What are some things we can improve in? 00:24:06.419 --> 00:24:09.299 And then I asked them, you know, what do you what questions do you have for me? 00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:11.699 And all I do is just listen. 00:24:11.699 --> 00:24:15.539 And the community will tell you what they are wanting to accomplish. 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:23.139 And then my job was to craft the vision that married with what the community wanted. 00:24:23.139 --> 00:24:35.219 And so we were the rally cry for us has been for the past six years, we want all of our students to have a meaningful school experience, to graduate on time, and to leave enrolled, enlisted, andor employed. 00:24:35.219 --> 00:24:37.459 And so it's those three things. 00:24:37.459 --> 00:24:46.339 And we perseverate actually on that end part because in the end we realize that high school is not about graduation, that's just a mile marker in their lives. 00:24:46.339 --> 00:24:49.939 You know, I actually draw, I actually do this with every every kid that comes in our building. 00:24:49.939 --> 00:24:54.899 I do this talk with them where I draw a line from zero to 80, and I say, guys, that's your life. 00:24:54.899 --> 00:25:01.859 And then I show them from five to eighteen, that is where you're in school. 00:25:01.859 --> 00:25:05.619 And I said, look out how much left of that line is left. 00:25:05.619 --> 00:25:09.379 And I said, This these four years is all you have left. 00:25:09.379 --> 00:25:11.059 What are you gonna do? 00:25:11.059 --> 00:25:18.659 Because so much of that's gonna determine what the next part of this line is gonna look like, from the kind of job you have to what your retirement's gonna look like. 00:25:18.659 --> 00:25:22.339 So we really talk a lot about enrolled enlisted employees. 00:25:22.339 --> 00:25:28.099 And so I tell them, there's nothing worse than the kid getting a handshake, going down the stairs, and having no idea where they're gonna go. 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:31.139 I said you're gonna end up in a low-wage, high demand job. 00:25:31.139 --> 00:25:36.899 And again, I'm I'm not disparaging you going to those jobs, but I believe you're meant for more than that. 00:25:36.899 --> 00:25:39.859 And so that's just been that's been our mantra. 00:25:39.859 --> 00:25:43.299 And when I say meaningful school experience, we talk all about about that. 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:48.899 What are the new trends coming around? 00:25:48.899 --> 00:25:51.139 We we make changes in CTAE all the time. 00:25:51.139 --> 00:25:55.779 Like, for example, you know, the number one job in the state of Georgia is construction. 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:57.219 So we started construction. 00:25:57.219 --> 00:26:00.819 I talked to my superintendent, he

got on board and we build a construction lab. 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:02.899 The number two job is health care. 00:26:02.899 --> 00:26:07.859 Well, we have healthcare science, you know, we have engineering, which is also marries with the construction. 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:09.779 So, you know, we we look at those things. 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:18.339 And the other part for us, this is something that was a big deal, but I felt we had an inequity was that you know, we have the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech right here at us. 00:26:18.339 --> 00:26:23.459 Our students were not able to get into those schools because we didn't have enough AP classes. 00:26:23.459 --> 00:26:26.659 When I walked in Walnut Grove, we offered five AP courses. 00:26:26.659 --> 00:26:36.019 Well, just the University of Georgia alone, the average number of AP courses that students have taken and gotten, you know, threes or higher is like 10 plus. 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:37.459 We only have five. 00:26:37.459 --> 00:26:42.579 Now, I'm not even talking about Georgia Tech, which is a whole nother ball of wax when you talk about level of rigor. 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:53.939 And so, you know, we began to change all a lot of our coursework because again, enrolled and listed or employed, and our kids wanted to get to compete and go to these schools, so we need to provide that meaningful school experience. 00:26:53.939 --> 00:27:01.699 And so we began to transition to that, and now we offer 18 AP courses in just six years, and that was a big change. 00:27:01.699 --> 00:27:09.779 I mean, that we moved a lot of people's cheese, but I we got I got a new assistant principal, and I we had one that was already there, and they helped me figure that out. 00:27:09.779 --> 00:27:11.059 And you know, how does that look? 00:27:11.059 --> 00:27:18.979 And right now, I mean, we had our largest number of students who were accepted to the University of Georgia as early or early enrollees ever. 00:27:18.979 --> 00:27:21.299 And that was just two weeks ago in Georgia Tech. 00:27:21.299 --> 00:27:22.419 We had a ton again. 00:27:22.419 --> 00:27:28.179 So, but again, they're able to compete with kids around the country and the world where they weren't before. 00:27:28.179 --> 00:27:30.179 So that's where it comes back to that vision. 00:27:30.179 --> 00:27:39.379 Everything we do, that is our distillery, does what our decision get us closer to what we're trying to accomplish because that's what the community wants, and how do we do that? 00:27:39.379 --> 00:27:41.299 So that's that's what I would say. 00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:42.659 We just that's what we did. 00:27:42.899 --> 00:27:44.179 Yeah, I think that's great. 00:27:44.179 --> 00:27:51.539 It kind of like what I really liked is what you did is you came in and you go, What do you guys want to see? 00:27:51.539 --> 00:27:53.059 What's your vision? 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:57.459 And you're able to understand, like, okay, I see where they're at.

00:27:57.459 --> 00:27:59.779 How can I help that vision come alive? 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:08.339 And I think that's really important to point out because you weren't coming in saying, I have all the answers, I have this big vision for everybody. 00:28:08.339 --> 00:28:12.739 You were listening to the people and going, okay, what do the people want? 00:28:12.739 --> 00:28:15.299 How can I help get to where we are? 00:28:15.299 --> 00:28:19.459 And you found solutions to that, and so you're able to just build. 00:28:19.459 --> 00:28:23.139 And so I think that was really, really great to hear. 00:28:23.139 --> 00:28:25.379 And you know, great job for doing that. 00:28:25.379 --> 00:28:29.299 I mean, taking a school that had five AP classes, now you have 18 offerings. 00:28:29.299 --> 00:28:31.139 I mean, that's a big shift. 00:28:31.139 --> 00:28:36.019 And I we we have quite a few AP offerings and do credits in our school too. 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:44.739 Like, I know it's like it's a big deal to have those things, and that's what draw people in on us because we can offer things schools around us can't. 00:28:44.739 --> 00:28:46.259 So I think that's really great. 00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:52.419 And congratulations on making all your little Georgia Tech yellow jackets and bulldogs for future. 00:28:52.819 --> 00:29:00.339 Uh that's yeah, I'm happy, I'm happy for the yellow jackets, but I really root for my bulldogs, but you know, that's a whole nother thing. 00:29:00.739 --> 00:29:08.339 That's another we'll get into a conversation maybe at the end here, but I will say that Nebraska stole your offensive line coach from Georgia Tech. 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:09.459 So I'm sorry, guys. 00:29:09.779 --> 00:29:11.539 Yeah, well, they can steal them all. 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:12.899 I don't bother me from Georgia Tech. 00:29:13.219 --> 00:29:14.339 I don't bother you. 00:29:14.339 --> 00:29:16.179 Yeah, not right now. 00:29:16.179 --> 00:29:18.419 All right, okay. 00:29:18.419 --> 00:29:27.059 So, Lindsey, you were named the 2025 principal of the year for the state of Georgia. 00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:28.579 What was that like? 00:29:28.579 --> 00:29:33.539 Like, how how did you find out about the the award? 00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:35.779 You know, was there a big celebration? 00:29:35.779 --> 00:29:37.939 Was it a phone call? 00:29:37.939 --> 00:29:41.379 Like, was it a big surprise, or was it kind of just a casual thing? 00:29:41.379 --> 00:29:44.339 I was just curious how people get notified for these things. 00:29:44.659 --> 00:29:46.099 Mine was a big surprise. 00:29:46.099 --> 00:30:41.359 Uh, so my superintendent, who had just been appointed, decided to call a faculty meeting on a Friday afternoon because he wanted to celebrate our staff's results for things we done. 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:42.960 I'm going, oh my, are you kidding me? 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:45.839 He's doing a and by the way, this was football Friday night. 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:47.359 This is not just a regular Friday. 00:30:47.359 --> 00:31:02.720 I'm like, anyway, so we did it, and the uh GASSP uh president, uh he was there, and so the superintendent brought me on stage, and then he came out, like my family came out, and and you know, they they let me know then. 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:05.119 And it was uh it was special. 00:31:05.119 --> 00:31:12.240 It was special really to be with my staff and my family because you and I both know you don't get those awards without them. 00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:25.279 And really, I told them there, I said that this award is really more about the sacrifices my family has has is made for me to do this job well, and it's about the staff who believe in what we're trying to accomplish. 00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:28.160 And it's about the kids who've also bought in as well. 00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:35.359 So, you know, I I told them, while this is a it's got my name on the award, this is as much everybody in this room as is mine. 00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:37.839 And uh, I just happen to be the one getting it. 00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:49.039 And so it was really humbling because I I just know what my 18 years administration, you know, you don't get there if you don't have a supportive wife and a supportive family because you're not there a lot. 00:31:49.039 --> 00:31:57.599 And you don't get those awards if you don't have a staff that believes in division, that you're cascading and gets behind you and supports you and a community that way. 00:31:57.599 --> 00:32:02.720 And you know, I you know, I it was again, it's still humbling, truthfully. 00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:09.519 I wish I could get every one of them an award with their name on it because that award is as much theirs it is mine. 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:10.639 Well, that's awesome. 00:32:10.639 --> 00:32:11.839 I'm glad you got a surprise. 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:15.039 I'm really surprised your family was able to keep it from you. 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:18.319 Yeah, that doesn't happen very easily. 00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:20.480 Yeah, I noticed things, man. 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:24.319 I'm uh yeah, I'm a detailed person as they would I'll drive them crazy. 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:27.359 I'm so detailed, but but uh they were able to pull that one over. 00:32:27.359 --> 00:32:33.200 It really, my uh my administrative assistant, uh Miss Gibson, she was really the culprit. 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:36.240 She was the one and and she's unbelievable. 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:40.720 I mean, just unbelievable lady and just uh a great leader of our school, too. 00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:47.759 But it was really it was really her who was uh this who was able to deceive me to orchestrate everything. 00:32:48.079 --> 00:32:51.680 Yeah, She's just well that's awesome. 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:58.720 So, you know, after being named the principal of the year for the state of Georgia, so what opportunities have opened up for you? 00:32:58.720 --> 00:33:05.200 So

what what is how is that the you know with this recognition, you know, what has that been like for you? 00:33:05.200 --> 00:33:06.720 It's been a whirlwind. 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:09.359 What's what's you know that like for you? 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:11.279 Not really a whirlwind. 00:33:11.279 --> 00:33:15.200 I I think what I I have I don't know how to say this. 00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:16.559 I guess I would say this way. 00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:20.079 It's just giving a little more credibility to when I make when I say things. 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:35.359 You know, I'm saying like there's a little more weight when I share things, whether it's in the district or in the state or you know, in our community, you know, there's just uh a little bit, a little heaviness if Lindsay says that, you know, well, let's let's consider it or whatever. 00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:40.079 So, you know, and I leverage that as best I can for Walnut Grove and for Walton County. 00:33:40.079 --> 00:33:41.359 I think that's one thing. 00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:47.599 The opportunity, again, to share our story and figure out how I can help other principals. 00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:52.799 You know, our our principals are struggling, whether they want to admit it or not, but they're struggling. 00:33:52.799 --> 00:33:54.399 I mean, talking to Dr. 00:33:54.399 --> 00:34:04.319 Alan Long, who who uh is our president GASSP, he was telling me because there's so many new leaders in our in our in our county, I mean, excuse me, in our school system and in throughout the state. 00:34:04.319 --> 00:34:08.719 And they don't really have a network of of people to talk to and connect with. 00:34:08.719 --> 00:34:16.480 So, you know, I've been able to serve as a mentor for some of the assistant principals that are aspiring to be principals and kind of talk through that with that. 00:34:16.480 --> 00:34:19.279 And so that's that's I've enjoyed that. 00:34:19.279 --> 00:34:22.159 But I mean, it's I don't know. 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:23.359 Uh you know, that's about it. 00:34:23.359 --> 00:34:23.920 I mean, it's been great. 00:34:23.920 --> 00:34:34.480 I'm gonna tell you what, going to NASSP, getting to connect with all those state principals, and I mean, you know, like Tony Katani, who is uh the national superintendent, I mean principal of the year in New Jersey. 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:37.920 He and I just hit it off probably because I'm married to a New Jersey girl. 00:34:37.920 --> 00:34:39.839 So I think that helped a little bit. 00:34:39.839 --> 00:34:49.920 You know, Tony, Matt Epps, you know, over in Alabama, you know, it's just there's so many people that we've just you've been able to connect with and and reach out to. 00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:51.359 That's that's been really cool. 00:34:51.359 --> 00:34:54.480 This you know, like you and I met, I I think through Tony. 00:34:54.480 --> 00:34:58.079 Uh and you know, so that's some of those opportunities. 00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:01.920 Yeah,

I really want to want to build the profession and I want to invest. 00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:06.639 Again, I told you I got into I got into leadership because I wanted to influence more people. 00:35:06.639 --> 00:35:12.720 So this is just another platform to to have an opportunity to influence people beyond now, even our state. 00:35:12.720 --> 00:35:15.360 So, but that's that's probably what I would say. 00:35:15.680 --> 00:35:16.720 Yeah, that's awesome. 00:35:16.720 --> 00:35:18.480 I really appreciate you sharing that. 00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:21.360 And yeah, Tony Katani, I actually met him. 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:28.480 I was actually out in Seattle for the NASSP National Convention there, and so that was a really good time. 00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:41.840 But actually listened to the podcast he did with Darrin Peppard leaning into leadership because he was doing all the national finalists for the NASSP, um, middle school, high school contestants. 00:35:41.840 --> 00:35:45.680 And so I listened to his and he talked about this peer observation thing. 00:35:45.680 --> 00:35:50.000 And so I had the opportunity to meet Tony um in person. 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:59.440 I had him on my podcast, and he's like, Hey, this is be somebody, you know, here's some people, you know, because we really enjoy just sharing other people's stories. 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:05.360 And my thing is I learn, you know, the great things that you're doing, and I learn from that. 00:36:05.360 --> 00:36:07.440 Is there something I could steal from Lindsay Allen? 00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:07.840 Probably. 00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:09.440 I'm gonna figure that out tonight. 00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:11.920 So uh so that's kind of what we do, right? 00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:20.400 And so just being a part of this podcast and having you on to help other leaders get those insights, and I think another thing is also confirmation, right? 00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:25.119 Hey, I'm doing some of the same things that these people are doing, so I'm on the right track. 00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:27.920 So it gets you excited about what you're doing. 00:36:27.920 --> 00:36:30.000 So I think that's important as well. 00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:35.680 You kind of talked about helping, you know, people in you know, new leadership, right? 00:36:35.680 --> 00:36:37.840 People that are coming into the job. 00:36:37.840 --> 00:36:42.160 What advice would you give to aspiring administrators? 00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:46.720 I I'd probably start with Abraham Lincoln. 00:36:46.720 --> 00:36:52.080 He he once said that you're not a leader when you get the title, you should have been leader before you got it. 00:36:52.080 --> 00:36:59.680 And so what I I see a lot of people want the position, but they really didn't prepare themselves for the position. 00:36:59.680 --> 00:37:03.200 Like, you know, experience is a brutal teacher. 00:37:03.200 --> 00:37:04.880 It is a brutal teacher. 00:37:04.880 --> 00:37:10.000 And my my view is

the best leaders, they do a few things. 00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:11.280 Number one, they read. 00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:16.560 You know, Harry Truman says not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers. 00:37:16.560 --> 00:37:21.200 And I I can tell you, and my staff will tell you, you won't you won't outread me. 00:37:21.200 --> 00:37:26.480 So I might not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I can tell you this: you're not gonna outread me. 00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:35.600 I'm gonna read research, I'm gonna look at leadership books, I'm gonna continually try to build my capacity because I believe in the law of the lid, to quote John Maxwell. 00:37:35.600 --> 00:37:38.800 And as far as I've gone is as far as I can take anybody else. 00:37:38.800 --> 00:37:42.240 So I think it's behooves anybody who wants to get into leadership. 00:37:42.240 --> 00:37:44.560 It is your responsibility to develop yourself. 00:37:44.560 --> 00:37:46.480 And that starts number one with reading. 00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:53.360 And number two is to find somebody who's doing it well and become their friend. 00:37:53.360 --> 00:38:03.200 And, you know, my pastor says this way he goes, tell me who the five people, who your who their closest five friends are, and what you're reading, and I'll tell you where you'll be in 10 years. 00:38:03.200 --> 00:38:11.519 Because what you read and who you're around are going to influence you, they're gonna influence how you think, what your beliefs are gonna be, what your values are gonna be. 00:38:11.519 --> 00:38:27.040 And I just can't express enough how important it is to get around people who are doing the job and doing it well, because a wise man learns from experience, a wiser man learns from other people's experience, and it sure is a whole lot less painful. 00:38:27.040 --> 00:38:29.200 So those are the two things I would tell them. 00:38:29.200 --> 00:38:32.480 And and they sound simple, but I I can't tell you. 00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:33.840 I mean, I I can't tell you. 00:38:33.840 --> 00:38:37.680 I I ask all the time the people that I mentor to what book are you reading? 00:38:37.680 --> 00:38:41.280 You know how many people have told me a leadership book? 00:38:42.480 --> 00:38:43.920 Oh, how many? 00:38:43.920 --> 00:38:44.720 Zero. 00:38:45.760 --> 00:38:46.320 Not one. 00:38:46.560 --> 00:38:47.120 We're not talking about. 00:38:47.120 --> 00:38:51.600 I think that might be my next interview question when I have to bring in a new administrator. 00:38:51.600 --> 00:38:54.080 Well, how are you personally uh growing? 00:38:54.080 --> 00:39:15.920 So I think that's really important to hit on because I think, you know, like you said, you know, yeah, you go through college, you get the administrative degree, but there's there's more to it than just theory and what you may think you're gonna have to do when you actually gotta be in the mix of it and actually doing the job. 00:39:15.920 --> 00:39:27.760 And so when you learn

from people that have actually done it and they've done it well, I think that's really important to understand because that's kind of what I'm learning, you know, doing this podcast. 00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:35.280 I've learned from so many different people, but I'm able to get ideas because I'm not shrinking, my box isn't shrunk. 00:39:35.280 --> 00:39:41.360 It's like I've expanded the people that I've connected with, but that's helped me grow personally. 00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:50.560 And I'm, you know, and I'm hearing you say some of the same things here is like, you know, hey, I'm gonna expand my network, I'm gonna learn from other people and and things like that. 00:39:50.560 --> 00:40:01.200 So if there's a leadership book that you have read that you would, you know, you know, not you know, endorse, but what leadership book would you say, hey, this would be a great one for you to think about? 00:40:01.200 --> 00:40:02.320 Oh my god. 00:40:02.320 --> 00:40:07.040 You know, and I and there's still there's a lot of them out there, but I just want to know one. 00:40:07.519 --> 00:40:10.880 Well, you know, I tell people is tell me what you want to get better at. 00:40:10.880 --> 00:40:18.800 And that's what I that's what if if they're talking about just general leadership knowledge, I tell them to go read John Maxwell's Developing Leader Within You 2.0. 00:40:18.800 --> 00:40:21.360 That is a great broad overview. 00:40:21.360 --> 00:40:28.720 If you're looking at, you know, leadership laws, you know, you do John Maxwell's 21 laws of irrefutable laws of leadership. 00:40:28.720 --> 00:40:35.200 If you're looking at how to develop teams, go read Patrick Lencioni's, you know, five dysfunctions of a team. 00:40:35.200 --> 00:40:40.960 Uh, if you're looking at hiring, go read Patrick Lencioni's I'd say Ideal team player. 00:40:40.960 --> 00:40:42.640 That's a great book. 00:40:42.640 --> 00:40:48.240 If you if you're what if you're thinking about getting to leadership, go read The Motive by Patrick Lencioni. 00:40:48.240 --> 00:40:54.480 As you he has got so many leadership books, and I'm they're not education-based in any way, but they're about leadership. 00:40:54.480 --> 00:40:55.600 Go read those. 00:40:55.600 --> 00:40:57.760 I'm reading a book right now called Influence. 00:40:57.760 --> 00:41:05.200 If you want to under try to better understand that what we do in our job is about uh influencing the behavior of adults. 00:41:06.480 --> 00:41:08.000 Well, you're heading on something there. 00:41:08.000 --> 00:41:09.440 I might have to check this one out. 00:41:09.600 --> 00:41:14.800 Yeah, it is it is actually I was I was actually coaching up my assistant principal today about that. 00:41:14.800 --> 00:41:22.640 One of those it's in chapter two about reciprocation and the power of reciprocation and how to leverage that, you know. 00:41:22.640 --> 00:41:32.160 And I and I gave her the example in the book where this this this uh I think it was a Scott Psychologist, just to prove the point, sent out a bunch of Christmas cards to people he didn't know. 00:41:32.160 --> 00:41:40.560 And you wouldn't believe how many of them send them Christmas cards back because of the power of reciprocation and how you could, you know, how you can leverage that. 00:41:40.560 --> 00:42:00.160 And you know, so but understanding that we as what we do as leaders is we're trying to influence adults to go to a place they probably don't want to go, and sometimes we've got to know how to do that because pedagogy, which is the practice of teaching, is very different than andragogy, which is about adult learning theory. 00:42:00.160 --> 00:42:08.960 And what we do is we put leaders from teachers into administrators, and they are still trying to use pedagogy with adults and it doesn't work. 00:42:08.960 --> 00:42:16.080 Androgogy is a very different concept, and so that's that's what I would say is uh again, there are lots of great leadership. 00:42:16.080 --> 00:42:19.040 I could keep go all day about leadership books, it just depends again. 00:42:19.040 --> 00:42:21.200 What you're trying to hone in on. 00:42:21.200 --> 00:42:27.920 But if you're just trying to start out, hey, I just want just want to start, I would tell you, you know, do the developing leader within you 2.0. 00:42:27.920 --> 00:42:33.760 Another book I would say when it comes to leaders, a lot of leaders don't know themselves well. 00:42:33.760 --> 00:42:40.400 They don't know what their strengths are and don't know that they should know their strengths so they can leverage those so they know their blind spots. 00:42:40.400 --> 00:42:42.560 They hire with your blind spots. 00:42:42.560 --> 00:42:55.200 And but if you don't know what your your strengths are, well, go to Strengths Finder 2.0 by Gallup, and that'll give you kind of your strengths and kind of understand why you do what you do and how you leverage those strengths. 00:42:55.200 --> 00:42:56.320 Like I'm an achiever. 00:42:56.320 --> 00:42:59.200 So, you know, you talked about how I talked about meetings. 00:42:59.200 --> 00:43:00.240 Well, I'm an achiever. 00:43:00.240 --> 00:43:02.480 You don't want to ask me to a meeting unless it has a purpose. 00:43:02.480 --> 00:43:03.920 I'll call someone else. 00:43:03.920 --> 00:43:08.400 And so, but but but I know that about myself, if that makes sense. 00:43:08.400 --> 00:43:10.240 I'm also my number one is a learner. 00:43:10.240 --> 00:43:13.040 As you can see, I like to read, so I leverage that. 00:43:13.040 --> 00:43:15.840 So, but I'm not Mr. 00:43:15.840 --> 00:43:18.080 Woo hugging everybody. 00:43:18.080 --> 00:43:19.760 So, you know, that's one of the strengths. 00:43:20.160 --> 00:43:21.200 Yeah, I know the woos. 00:43:21.200 --> 00:43:29.519 I know exactly what you're talking about because I've actually done that strength finder, and we've actually done it here at our district with all our admin a couple years ago. 00:43:29.519 -->

00:43:35.120 I actually did it when I was in my leadership academy when I was at my what Ralston High School. 00:43:35.120 --> 00:43:35.920 I worked with Dr. 00:43:35.920 --> 00:43:37.280 Adler, he did it there. 00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:44.480 I did it again um within my first couple of years here, and I go, Well, I'll redo it because you know things have changed, and they did. 00:43:44.480 --> 00:43:50.160 My leadership style has grown since you know I've been a principal when I started eight years ago up to now. 00:43:50.160 --> 00:43:53.920 And so I really think you know revisiting those things. 00:43:53.920 --> 00:44:47.720 We started saying woo because we have a guy that was a woo, and we always like, yeah, that's your woo coming out. 00:44:49.160 --> 00:44:52.520 I didn't say yeah, I have Coach Cochran and I have Dr. 00:44:52.520 --> 00:44:54.280 Branley, and they are both woo. 00:44:54.280 --> 00:44:55.400 I am not woo. 00:44:55.400 --> 00:44:58.040 And uh, but but you know, I hired that way. 00:44:58.040 --> 00:45:08.280 I mean, I knew my team and I knew what I'm not, and that's another thing the administrators don't realize is the principal hires that to compliment their team. 00:45:08.280 --> 00:45:10.360 It's about the it's about the principal. 00:45:10.360 --> 00:45:31.160 It's really they don't realize that it's about you because you're the chief leader of that school, and you gotta know what you do well so you don't overhire what you already are good at and hire a bunch of you, hire people that aren't like you and they can compliment your your where your blind spots are so you can shrink that blind spot. 00:45:31.160 --> 00:45:34.040 And you know, and again, I could keep going, man. 00:45:34.040 --> 00:45:41.240 I mean, the other one I tell them to take the disc assessment, which is about your personality, you know, it is just so many things. 00:45:41.240 --> 00:45:45.400 Like I said, so I can go all day about what they should read or what they should do. 00:45:45.400 --> 00:45:48.920 And and again, the the more you know about yourself, better off you're gonna be as a leader. 00:45:49.160 --> 00:45:49.640 You bet. 00:45:49.640 --> 00:46:00.600 And I appreciate all the things that you have mentioned there, because there's a lot of great advice in there about you know, wanting to get in the leadership, knowing who you are, you know, how do you work? 00:46:00.600 --> 00:46:06.360 Because I think that's really important because that helps inform you so you can make better decisions. 00:46:06.360 --> 00:46:16.600 And I really like the thing that you pointed out about getting staff around you that aren't you, because that's kind of what I did when I had an assistant principal to hire. 00:46:16.600 --> 00:46:22.040 I wanted to find somebody that had certain things, but also had strengths that I don't have. 00:46:22.040 --> 00:46:24.200 Like, oh, this person can do this. 00:46:24.200 --> 00:46:26.520 This is you know, there you go, buddy. 00:46:26.520 --> 00:46:41.160 You know, you can do these things, and I'll continue to do these things, but you know, the have you know things complement each other is really important because we all have our strengths, and I think that's really important for people to know and understand of when they're in that role as well. 00:46:41.160 --> 00:46:44.760 So I really appreciate you pointing that out as well. 00:46:44.760 --> 00:46:52.120 So, future of education, what gets you really excited about when you think about you know the future of education? 00:46:52.120 --> 00:46:57.240 I know a lot of people are doom and gloom in education right now, but let's talk about some positive. 00:46:57.240 --> 00:47:01.800 Let's talk about something that maybe you know gets you excited about the future. 00:47:02.280 --> 00:47:04.920 I mean, uh it I'm excited about AI. 00:47:04.920 --> 00:47:07.800 We've been we've been talking about it for almost three years now. 00:47:07.800 --> 00:47:10.200 I mean, well, two and a half years now. 00:47:10.200 --> 00:47:21.240 When when I I tell you, I saw the Khan Academy video and and I got to watch Khan talk about what he was doing with AI, with open AI on that TED talk. 00:47:21.240 --> 00:47:29.240 I I just realized for the first time ever, we're really going to be able to individualize instruction at some point in time. 00:47:29.240 --> 00:47:45.480 And that was exciting to me because again, I taught for 10 years and I had 30 kids in my Algebra one class and trying to give them feedback and trying to meet all their needs and all the different levels, you know, it and throwing out the worst different instruction and all this other stuff. 00:47:45.480 --> 00:47:48.840 Basically, you want me to be multiple of me to try to meet it. 00:47:48.840 --> 00:47:51.000 Well, AI is gonna be able to do that. 00:47:51.000 --> 00:47:59.880 Um, and I believe that if done well, our teachers are gonna be able to have a tool that'll help individualize instruction. 00:47:59.880 --> 00:48:04.440 I mean, I'm already, you know, so what we did is we actually leveraged, we knew how they were gonna respond. 00:48:04.440 --> 00:48:09.000 We stood, I started talking to them about it, immediately they go to, well, they're gonna be able to cheat. 00:48:09.000 --> 00:48:11.080 And so we didn't leverage that. 00:48:11.080 --> 00:48:12.280 We leveraged time. 00:48:12.280 --> 00:48:14.440 Again, you know, I'm all about time for my staff. 00:48:14.440 --> 00:48:16.760 So we showed them how they could get time back. 00:48:16.760 --> 00:48:28.040 And when I started getting some of my best and veteran teachers, uh starting to realize I don't have to spend 10 hours doing a rubric, I can get it done in two minutes, you know. 00:48:28.040 --> 00:48:30.280 And uh they they began to realize. 00:48:30.280 --> 00:48:32.040 So I'm excited for that. 00:48:32.040 --> 00:48:41.320 I think that's gonna help, it's gonna give some time back to our teachers so they can

have normal lives as best they can at home and be able to leave some stuff at work. 00:48:41.320 --> 00:48:44.440 You know, also, I mean, it's it's a I'm excited because it's a companion. 00:48:44.440 --> 00:48:45.480 You know, think about you and I. 00:48:45.480 --> 00:48:51.240 We went to we went to college, we're writing these lesson plans and trying to figure all this stuff out. 00:48:51.240 --> 00:49:07.560 Man, you've now got you've now got a white-collar worker that's an expert that can help you figure out the best pedagogical methodology of how to deliver this lesson or give you some ideas about what that might look like, or to help you find resources that are that could be at your fingertips. 00:49:07.560 --> 00:49:09.240 So that's what I'm excited about. 00:49:09.240 --> 00:49:16.760 I'm excited about it a tool to help our teachers get some time back and also to improve them, you know, themselves. 00:49:16.760 --> 00:49:18.600 So that's what I'm excited about. 00:49:18.840 --> 00:49:21.080 I think you mentioned something really important there. 00:49:21.080 --> 00:49:26.600 You said tool, yeah, like it's a tool that we can use to leverage and see. 00:49:26.600 --> 00:49:32.600 And I've hear people like, oh my gosh, AI is the worst thing in the world, you know, all these things are gonna happen. 00:49:32.600 --> 00:49:42.760 And but if you utilize the tool correctly, like AI needs a person to prompt it, AI needs the person to tell it what to do, it can't just do whatever it wants. 00:49:42.760 --> 00:50:03.320 And so something that we did last spring is we piloted the magic school AI platform and my teachers, and I sold it with I sold it with, hey, this will help you differentiate instruction, this will help you save time, and that's how I leveraged it, just like you just talked about. 00:50:03.320 --> 00:50:08.120 And so when they started seeing it and I started asking questions, they really enjoyed it. 00:50:08.120 --> 00:50:19.880 Even some of my, you know, like you said, teachers that have been doing this for a while, were like, Oh wow, this really does help me able to do my job better because I'm able to do these things. 00:50:19.880 --> 00:50:37.720 I would take me hours to do, and so even like my English teacher being able to differentiate instruction, she was like, Man, I'm able to save so much time now because I have a tool, and so then we went ahead and we got the you know, the the full package we're in the enterprise package um for my building. 00:50:37.720 --> 00:50:41.160 I'm trying to get my district to pay for it, but that's another story. 00:50:41.160 --> 00:50:44.520 But we're utilizing it, it's really working well. 00:50:44.520 --> 00:51:07.400 You know, I I found some money in my budget and I was able to get it, but at the same time, the staff has used it really well, they used it to leverage to get time back, and they really, really like if they don't, it's one of those things you give them something, there's no way I

can take it away from them now because it's something that they they go, you know what, this is something we needed, even though they didn't realize it. 00:51:07.400 --> 00:51:14.120 And I was just like, I don't want to push anything on you, but I'm gonna give you an opportunity to leverage something that not a lot of people have done. 00:51:14.120 --> 00:51:21.640 I think we were the third high school in the state of Nebraska that leveraged that tool, and I think there's a lot more schools now starting to get on board with it. 00:51:21.640 --> 00:51:24.600 So I think you know, AI is here to stay. 00:51:24.600 --> 00:51:30.840 We might as figure out a way to leverage it to help us and not worry about what it's you know, it's gonna take jobs. 00:51:30.840 --> 00:51:33.320 I don't think it's gonna take jobs, I think it's gonna make us better. 00:51:33.320 --> 00:51:36.040 And that's I I really appreciate you saying that. 00:51:36.280 --> 00:51:42.920 Well, we had I'll say this for your for your listeners we had a speaker come and he said AI is not gonna take your job. 00:51:42.920 --> 00:51:48.360 The person who understands how to use AI is gonna take your job, and that's that's what you need to understand. 00:51:48.680 --> 00:51:51.000 Bingo, bingo, you're right on that. 00:51:51.000 --> 00:51:53.640 So, hey man, this has been a lot of fun. 00:51:53.640 --> 00:51:58.760 I mean, I've really enjoyed getting to listen to your story and learn from you today. 00:51:58.760 --> 00:52:01.000 So, what's next for you? 00:52:01.000 --> 00:52:04.680 What you got some things coming up, you got some things in the fire, you know. 00:52:04.680 --> 00:52:12.200 You know, I know you're the principal at Walnut Grove High School, but you know what what's next for for Lindsey Allen coming up? 00:52:12.440 --> 00:52:16.600 You know, I really don't to be honest with you, right now it's gonna be the principal Walnut Grove High School. 00:52:16.600 --> 00:52:20.360 You know, I we you know it's hard, you know how it is. 00:52:20.360 --> 00:52:22.280 It's hard to predict the future in education. 00:52:22.280 --> 00:52:28.200 You don't know what's gonna come around the corner, you don't know who's gonna, you know, what what opportunities may open up. 00:52:28.200 --> 00:52:33.480 But my my my most immediate plans are to continue to be the principal of Walnut Grove High School. 00:52:33.480 --> 00:52:37.160 I have my last last kid graduating this year. 00:52:37.160 --> 00:52:40.520 I'll have give all all giving all three of my kids their diploma. 00:52:40.520 --> 00:52:45.160 And I've got my first grandkid due in May, so I'm excited about that. 00:52:45.160 --> 00:52:47.720 So that that may play into what I do next. 00:52:47.720 --> 00:52:56.520 But uh, but right now my most immediate focus is gonna be can getting ready for next year, which you know, right on the corner will be getting ready for next year. 00:52:57.000 --> 00:52:58.200 Already planning it. 00:52:58.360 --> 00:52:59.160 Yeah, exactly. 00:52:59.160 --> 00:53:02.600 So a lot of people don't realize that good principles are six months ahead. 00:53:02.600 --> 00:53:05.080 So we're already thinking about summer within my summer planning. 00:53:05.080 --> 00:53:12.200 We're thinking about you know what are we looking at next year already, and uh so right now that's my that's what I plan to do right now. 00:53:12.440 --> 00:53:15.640 Well, I want to say congratulations on becoming a grandpa. 00:53:15.640 --> 00:53:21.160 I'm a grandpa too, I have almost a three-year-old granddaughter, so it's a lot of fun. 00:53:21.160 --> 00:53:23.800 It was one of those surprise things. 00:53:23.800 --> 00:53:25.560 I'm like, I'm too young to be a grandpa. 00:53:25.560 --> 00:53:27.800 I was a grandpa at what age 44. 00:53:28.040 --> 00:53:30.520 I got yeah, you know, and I'm just like, really? 00:53:30.840 --> 00:53:36.440 Like that's supposed to be like 50 or 60 or something, but it's a blessing. 00:53:36.440 --> 00:53:40.760 So I'll be honest with you, being a grandparent is so much better. 00:53:40.760 --> 00:53:44.280 Yeah, well, it's better to be like spoil them and kick them back. 00:53:44.280 --> 00:53:44.920 See ya. 00:53:44.920 --> 00:53:47.080 I've heard that, I've heard that quite a bit. 00:53:47.080 --> 00:53:48.840 Yeah, no, you'll enjoy it. 00:53:48.840 --> 00:53:53.080 And I and I say, Yeah, I enjoy that the grandkid when it comes for sure. 00:53:53.080 --> 00:53:54.600 And congratulations on that. 00:53:54.600 --> 00:53:57.480 So, Lindsay, you know, we've been talking a lot. 00:53:57.480 --> 00:54:02.520 You know, people are really interested in the things you're doing and want to get connect with you. 00:54:02.520 --> 00:54:04.280 How could people do that? 00:54:04.600 --> 00:54:06.200 I just tell people to email me. 00:54:06.200 --> 00:54:10.040 I that's how people have been reaching out, and I mean I'll respond that way. 00:54:10.040 --> 00:54:22.920 And uh my uh email is Lindsay L-I-N-D-S E Y dot allen a l-l-en at walton.k twelve dot g a dot us. 00:54:22.920 --> 00:54:32.520 And it you can go also go to the Walnut Grove High School website, and uh you can also see my uh email there, and you can email me directly from that as well. 00:54:32.520 --> 00:54:36.360 But you know, I'm I'm happy to help if I anywhere I can or share anything I can. 00:54:36.360 --> 00:54:41.640 Uh we we we we're you know, I believe it I'm a learner and I'm and I'm a teacher all the time. 00:54:41.640 --> 00:54:46.520 So I'm uh I try to share whatever, I try to learn from as much of people as I can as many people as I can. 00:54:46.520 --> 00:54:49.720 I'm the sum of the of the people I've been around in my lifetime. 00:54:49.720 --> 00:54:54.200 And so I believe it's my responsibility to share as much as I can and invest where I can. 00:54:54.520 --> 00:54:55.000 Awesome. 00:54:55.000 --> 00:54:55.880 I appreciate that. 00:54:55.880 --> 00:55:03.480 And we will have that information in the show notes so you guys can just scroll down and grab his email and connect with Lindsay here. 00:55:03.480 --> 00:55:06.280 So Lindsay, it was great having you on the show. 00:55:06.280 --> 00:55:09.720 And before we go, do you have any last things you'd like to say? 00:55:10.280 --> 00:55:14.200 I I just, you know, I I just a firm believer in public education. 00:55:14.200 --> 00:55:14.920 I'll tell you that. 00:55:14.920 --> 00:55:16.520 That was a that's my platform. 00:55:16.520 --> 00:55:19.800 You know, I believe you can't remain both ignorant and free. 00:55:19.800 --> 00:55:23.160 And uh I am to quote one of our founding fathers. 00:55:23.160 --> 00:55:33.400 And so I am a big proponent of public education, and uh I believe that public education can solve so many of our problems in our country, and I believe it's the foundation of our country. 00:55:33.400 --> 00:55:41.800 And uh I appreciate all educators who've put their hand to the plow and every day get up and go to try to make a difference in kids' lives and their communities. 00:55:41.800 --> 00:55:45.240 And and I I sincerely appreciate that and and thank you. 00:55:45.640 --> 00:55:48.280 Well, thank you, Alan, for all you do as well. 00:55:48.280 --> 00:55:50.360 So I'm gonna go ahead and let you go. 00:55:50.360 --> 00:55:52.040 I'll talk to you soon. 00:55:52.040 --> 00:55:55.480 What an awesome conversation with Mr. 00:55:55.480 --> 00:55:56.520 Lindsey Allen. 00:55:56.520 --> 00:56:04.840 If today's episode gave you insight, encouragement, or spark you needed, share it with another educator or leader in your circle. 00:56:04.840 --> 00:56:11.720 And don't forget to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss another impactful conversation like this one. 00:56:11.720 --> 00:56:16.920 Until next time, be curious and one percent better.