School Sparks with Dr. Desi Cameron

Spark 18: When to email, call, or meet in person!

For anyone who works at a school: There are only three reasons you should send an email! Phone calls are great to schedule in person meetings and address smaller issues. In person meetings should be for the bigger, heavier, crucial, or more emotional meetings.

Spark 17: Stand out as a job applicant!

For leaders, teachers, and staff: This podcast outlines 4 tips to stand out in the application process for a K-12 school or university! It doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the job, but it will give you a leg up!

Spark 16: How to make meetings more effective

For leaders: Tips on how to prepare for a meeting, what to do in a meeting, and follow-up steps after the meeting! And, consider if the meeting is essential!

Spark 15: How to introduce yourself in an unusual and more impactful way!

For teachers, leaders, and staff: Go beyond the typical name and job title introduction and focus on telling the story of your impact! Notice the difference in your interactions and how this simple practice can root you in your purpose!

Spark 14: Why our schools need the arts!

For school leaders: The arts are essential to an excellent education. On this podcast, I talk about arts for arts sake and arts as a learning medium! Also, big shout out to WNS, a school that values the arts as central and part of the core curriculum! Improve your arts education programs at your school, and watch attendance rise, see increased academic achievement, and improvement in social and emotional learning! The arts are transformative!

Spark 13: The importance of setting intentions!

For teachers, leaders, and staff: Tips of how to set up intentions for your day or a part of your day, focused on what you will bring to the table and what you hope to gain and learn from that experience!

Spark 12: Emergency Sub Plans!

For teachers: When a teacher is not feeling well, the last thing they wanna do is write sub plans. To get ahead of that, I highly recommend every teacher has an emergency sub folder, including seating chart, information about the students, the schedule, rules and expectations on the classroom, a map of the school, and of course, the actual lesson plan and handouts needed for the lesson! These should be plug and play lessons that could work anytime in the year and are still beneficial for students!

Spark 11: Writing better report card comments!

For teachers: Three tips: start collecting specific data early, make sure the student and family know that you really know their kid (highlight their work and tell stories), and include specific positives with ideas on how to grow them (problem solve rather than problem pose).