Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone Lessons for School Leaders

This book proves that great things can happen when school leaders refuse to settle for business-as-usual. You can achieve success for your schools and students if you steer clear of the familiar and the comfortable. With over 34 years of experience in educational leadership, Nelson Beaudoin was Maine's 2000 NASSP Principal of The Year. His book demonstrates how to generate school-wide enthusiasm for replacing timeworn routines and procedures, give students a voice and personalize the learning process, initiate innovative programs and practices, implement comprehensive school reform, nurture and inspire your faculty,and have fun at work and let your humanity show.

With over thirty-four years of experience in educational leadership, Nelson Beaudoin brings practical and exciting ideas to the discussion on school reform. His work is guided by the belief that leaders should listen more than talk, care more than judge, and understand more than guess.Beaudoin has led two high schools through a Comprehensive School Reform grant. His schools have received national recognition both as a Service Learning Leader School (2001) and as a First Amendment Project School (2004). He was selected Maine's 2000 NASSP Principal of the Year.He has presented his message about inspirational leadership, the magic of student voice, and creating a culture of change throughout the country. His faculty's work on Professional Learning Communities, Student-Led Conferences, and Student Engagement has been replicated in a number of schools.Nelson Beaudoin is currently principal at Kennebunk High School in Kennebunk, Maine.

Chapter 1 Making a Difference; Beacons of Hope; A Haircut and an Oil Change; I Love This Job; Missing My Exit; A Voice From the Past; Championship Moments; Having Fun at Work; Leaving a Legacy; Chapter 2 Images of Leadership; Stand for Something; Teacher Leaders; A Weird Idea That Worked; Inspirational Models; Success Is in the Details; Timing Is Almost Everything; A Tipping Point; Sometimes Wrong Is Right; Lost in Translation; Chapter 3 Giving Students a Voice; Giving Students a Voice... Brilliant; Magical Microwaves; Elevating Student Voice; The Principal with Two Heads; Tripping Over a Gem; As Good As It Gets; VP and the Suspensions; Government by the Students; Thanks, But No Thanks! No WaitI Thank You!; Chapter 4 Educational Change; Start at NO-and Go from There; When Given Lemons...; Leverage Points; Seeds of Mutiny; The Paper Debate; Incentives and Resources; A Hard Change; There Is Something Fishy Here; Making Time for Change; The Comfort Zone Revisited;