Big Lo Off Da Land

09/12/2026

There is a moment school leaders know all too well.

A student is sitting in the office.
A referral is in your hand.
The teacher is frustrated.
And instruction has already been interrupted.

Now, you are expected to make sense of what happened—often from a few lines written after the situation has already reached a breaking point.

I keep coming back to this:

By the time it reaches your office, something has already happened.

That does not mean the student should not be held accountable.

It does not mean the teacher was wrong to ask for support.

It means the referral may tell us how the situation ended—but not everything about how it began.

So, I’m sitting with one important question:

What happened before the referral?

I’ve been working on something specifically for middle school leaders.

More soon. 👀

09/12/2026

TGB InspirED Solutions helps middle-school leaders address the instructional-time loss that occurs before classroom disruption becomes an office referral. Through practical professional development, leaders and teachers develop shared language and a consistent approach for moving from disruption back to instruction.

05/18/2026

04/15/2026

“I have been both women in that hallway. And so have been many of you.”

Look at this image.

Same person. Same hallway. One on the floor, head down, and holding herself together. The other reflected in the glass — composed, arms crossed, ready.

Both are real. Both are her.

If you’ve led a school for more than five minutes, you’ve been both. We are extraordinarily good at putting the floor version away before anyone sees her. We are extraordinarily bad at building cultures that acknowledge she exists.

We would rather silently scream than admit we need help supporting teachers who truly need help. Each day we simply continue to pour out drops from empty cups.

To district leaders: Your principals are getting up off the floor every single day before they walk into your meetings. The question isn’t whether they struggle, it’s whether you’ve built a culture where that’s allowed to be true.

To every educator reading this: The reflection doesn’t cancel out the floor. They’re both you. Both necessary. Both worth something. The hallway isn’t the problem. What we do — or don’t do — in it is.

EdLeaders AuthenticLeadership