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In today’s episode, I wanna talk about creating your personal summer PD plan. That’s all coming up next, right here on The Principal’s Handbook. Stay tuned.

Welcome to The Principal’s Handbook, your go-to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self-care.
I’m Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Tune in each week as we delve into strategies for boosting mental resilience, managing time effectively, and nurturing overall wellness.

From tackling daily challenges to maintaining a healthy work-life balance, we’ll navigate the complexities of school leadership together. Join me in fostering your sense of purpose as a principal and reigniting your passion for the job. Welcome to a podcast where your wellbeing is the top priority.

Your Summer PD Plan

Well, welcome to The Principal’s Handbook. Today we are talking about creating your summer PD plan — and I’m talking about your summer PD plan for you, not for your teachers or anybody else. It’s really about the things you want to do to sharpen your leadership skills or improve based on what happened this school year, so you can make next year even better and continue growing as a leader.

I love this topic because often we think about how we want others to grow professionally, or we just don’t focus on growing ourselves in an intentional way. And if we’re not intentional, it’s hard to continue that growth. The goal as a leader is to keep growing and developing, whether that’s to move into a new role eventually or just to continue being a better principal.

So today, I’m going to give you three steps to create your own personal summer PD plan.

Step 1: Reflect on the School Year

Take a few minutes to go back and really reflect on the school year. I’ll give you some questions to think about, but if you haven’t listened to episode 41 of the podcast, I have a whole episode there about reflecting on the school year that you could go back and listen to.

Before you think about areas you want to improve, it’s important to reflect on what went well.

• Celebrate your strengths.

• How did your leadership style improve this year?

• What relationships did you build?

• What positive outcomes happened?

• Did you get positive feedback on your evaluation from your evaluator?

• Maybe you got positive feedback from a teacher.

What are some things you’re really proud of? Maybe you got better at communicating with parents, saw it on a survey, or noticed discipline referrals went down. Whatever it is, celebrate that.

Then think about any negative feedback you got from staff or parents. Sometimes that feedback isn’t valid — for example, if a parent always complains, I didn’t think much of it. But if a usually positive parent shared something negative, I took that to heart. So know who the feedback is coming from.

Also, for yourself:

• Did you struggle with certain tasks?

• Feel out of your element in some areas?

• Were there things you hated doing because you didn’t feel as strong?

Get curious about it. Acknowledge it without judging yourself. The more we explore where things felt uncomfortable, the more we can grow.

Step 2: Find Resources

Once you know where you want to improve, now it’s time to find resources.

There are so many ways to gather skills now. When I first started, it felt like the only option was a book study. Now there are podcasts, online courses, books, coaching, mastermind groups, conferences, and more.

For example:

• One year, my evaluation showed I needed to improve on hard conversations. I bought books, did some studying, and joined a mastermind.

• Another year, I wanted to work on PBIS tier two. I bought books on tier two systems and behavior academies.

• Another year, I worked on confidence. I listened to Trish Blackwell’s The Confidence Podcast all summer, and that was my personal/professional development.

So find what works for you — whether it’s podcasts, books, courses, coaching, or local PD. Maybe your educational service center offers workshops, or you attend a state conference to network with other principals.

Step 3: Set Goals for the Next School Year

Once you know what you want to improve and how, set clear, actionable goals. Think about:

• What will success look like next year?

• How will you reach that goal?

• How will you measure progress?

For example, if you’re implementing a new PBIS strategy, track if your data improves. If you’re working on reading strategies, look at student achievement data.

Some goals are harder to measure. For instance, confidence is tough to quantify. One exercise I use with clients is thinking about your 1.0 vs. 2.0 self — who is your more confident version? What does that leader look like? Maybe your 2.0 self handles discipline calmly and goes home without replaying the incident all night.

Then plan your timeline.

• Break your goal into smaller tasks.

• Maybe you check in on it at the start of the school year, then every nine weeks.

• Whatever works for you, just have a plan to revisit it.

Quick Recap

So to create your summer PD plan:

1. Reflect on the school year. Go back to episode 41 if you want more.

2. Find resources to help you grow.

3. Set goals and visualize success, with a plan to check your progress.

A Few Final Notes

You can always reach out to me at barb@barbflowerscoaching.com if you’re interested in a free consultation to see if coaching is right for you. I also have resources like The 8 to 4 Principal Blueprint, a course that helps you leave work at 4:00 every day. Visit barbflowerscoaching.com/courses — whether you want better time management or help with behaviors, there might be something there for you.

By putting plans into action, you’ll be better equipped to lead next year with confidence and make meaningful improvements. Remember: things don’t just magically get better after a break. If you want to get better at hard conversations, managing behaviors, or managing your time, you have to do the work. These things don’t improve just because summer passes.

So be intentional and put your plan in place.

Thank You

Thank you so much for tuning into The Principal’s Handbook today. If you love the show, scroll down in your Apple Podcasts app and leave a review.

I’ll see you next time with more tips to support your growth as a school leader. Keep in mind: you have the power to shape your life according to the mindset you choose.

I hope you have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time.

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