👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

Subscribe now

You think keeping the peace means avoiding the hard conversation.

Wrong.

Every time you dodge that difficult talk with the teacher who’s undermining you, or that AP who never follows through, or that parent who bulldozes boundaries...

You’re not keeping peace.

You’re compounding problems.

Here’s what actually happens:

Read more

👋 Welcome to a 🔓 free edition 🔓 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive…

Read more

👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

Subscribe now

I was on a coaching call last week with a school leader who’d just made a huge transition.

Elementary to middle school. New principal. New team. And for the first time in years, they were finally working with people who wanted to lead.

They told me about their assistant principal – a genuinely nice person who’d been at the school for five years. The kind of colleague you actually enjoy working with.

But there was a problem.

Simple tasks that should take minutes were becoming recurring problems. Like sending a school-wide message through their communication system. The AP didn’t know how to do it. After five years.

So this leader did what most of us do ...

They walked the AP through it step-by-step. Showed them every click. Made sure the message went out. Problem solved, right?

Not quite.

Because halfway through explaining this to me, they paused and said something that hit hard:

“I know that you have to do it a few times. I’m not sure what would have made him not come to me again.”

That’s when I knew we’d found the real issue.

The Hidden Cost of Being Helpful

Here’s what nobody tells you about being a supportive leader: Your helpfulness can accidentally create dependency.

Every time you solve a problem for someone, you’re making a trade. You’re trading your time now for... more of your time later.

Because here’s the thing – if they don’t truly own the solution, they’ll be back. And back again. And again.

Meanwhile, you’re wondering why you can’t focus on the strategic work that actually moves your school forward.

You’re not building capacity in your team. You’re building a queue at your door.

The Two-Tool Fix

The solution? It’s embarrassingly simple, but most leaders never implement it.

Read more

👋 Welcome to a 🔓 free edition 🔓

of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

💡 Premium subscribers get access to custom GPTs, full archives, advanced tools, and Digital Danny — your AI-powered coach. Upgrade here.

Subscribe now

🎯 The Ruckus Report

Quick take:

What if the most disruptive thing you could do as a school leader isn’t another program — but rethinking when school starts? In this candid and funny conversation, Danny Bauer and Mitch Weathers dig into how protecting sleep actually protects learning, how parent boundaries preserve teacher sanity, and why even job postings reveal whether we’re truly Doing School Different or just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

Mitch Weathers is a veteran educator, author, and founder of Organized Binder, a system that helps schools build executive functioning and academic success for every student. He’s spent decades teaching and coaching educators on how structure, sleep, and small shifts create massive change. Mitch is known for turning everyday challenges — like communication overload or bell schedules — into opportunities for innovation and calm confidence in the classroom.

🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules

In this episode, Danny and Mitch challenge the old-school thinking that keeps leaders exhausted, students disengaged, and parents emailing at 2 am.

💡 Key Insight #1: The Sleep Revolution Starts at School

• What’s broken: Early start times and late-night device use rob students (and teachers) of rest, and learning suffers.

• The shift: Ruckus Makers reimagine schedules to protect sleep, boost attention, and honor the science of rest.

• Impact: Districts that start high school later see stronger academic outcomes, better moods, and fewer discipline issues.

💡 Key Insight #2: Boundaries Are the New Professional Development

• What’s broken: Teachers feel pressured to respond instantly to parent emails — even the ones that hit inboxes at 2 am.

• The shift: Clear, community-wide communication norms create psychological safety for staff and preserve trust with families.

• Impact: When schools set and model boundaries, teachers stay longer, burnout decreases, and parent relationships improve.

💡 Key Insight #3: Hiring Isn’t HR — It’s Leadership Marketing

• What’s broken: Bland job postings and checkbox hiring processes repel the best talent.

• The shift: Treat every open position like a story about your culture — highlight your vision, values, and what makes your campus unmissable.

• Impact: Schools that “market their mission” attract stronger candidates, reduce vacancies, and build a team aligned with their purpose.

💬 Quotable Ruckus

“If the most disruptive thing you do this year is let your students (and teachers) sleep — you’re already Doing School Different.”

— Mitch Weathers

🧩 Your Do School Different Challenge

Ready to turn these insights into action? Start here:

• Tomorrow: Ask your leadership team, “What’s one low-effort way we could protect rest for students and staff?”

• This Month: Draft and publish clear communication norms between teachers and families.

• This Semester: Reevaluate your bell schedule and hiring language. Does it reflect a traditional system — or a Do School Different mindset?

💌 Connect & Continue

🎯 Get the full episode transcript here 🔗 Join us on the Adorable Red Hats show. Write an email to hello@adorableredhats.com with your pitch.

Learn more at adorableredhats.com.

📌 Ruckus Makers Don’t Just Listen — They Act

If education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning?

This show isn’t about doing school better.

It’s about Doing School Different — and joining a movement of bold, creative leaders reimagining what’s possible.

🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:

📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — Tools, mindset shifts, and leadership strategies that actually work: ruckusmakers.news

🗞 Read Ruckus Maker Media — Exclusive essays, AI prompts, and early book access: ruckusmakers.media

💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club — Our private network, workshops, and leadership tools: ruckusmakers.club

🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching and peer mentorship for visionary leaders: betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind

🎙 Today’s RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:

ODP Business Solutions®

Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let’s Do School Different.

IXL

Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it empowers them to make better decisions with reliable data and adapts instruction based on student performance. Get started today at ixl.com/leaders.

Play Piper

Kids love gaming and tech — but often disengage from math and science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and a coding curriculum. Learn more at playpiper.com.

Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain’t a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?

👋 Welcome to a 🔓 free edition 🔓

of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

💡 Premium subscribers get access to custom GPTs, full archives, advanced tools, and Digital Danny — your AI-powered coach. Upgrade here.

Subscribe now

🎯 The Ruckus Report

Quick take: What if you could deliver six weeks of learning in a single hour? Simon Strong did exactly that — and the results are challenging everything we think we know about teaching, memory, and curriculum.

🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

Simon Strong is the founder of Download Learning, a UK-based company partnering with schools and organizations to dramatically accelerate learning by sequencing information to align with how the brain actually works.

🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules

🧠 Key Insight #1: Speed doesn’t kill learning — distraction does.

• What’s broken: Slow, disjointed lessons overloaded with irrelevant detail.

• The shift: Simon’s team scripts, edits, and delivers content at 220 words per minute — nearly double classroom pace — to keep attention and trigger retention.

• Impact: Students retain foundational knowledge more effectively, especially those with ADHD or learning differences.

🧠 Key Insight #2: One hour, one-half term (seriously).

• What’s broken: Teachers covering complex topics in 6-week units with minimal retention.

• The shift: A single high-impact video lesson designed to fire synapses in precise time intervals.

• Impact: One hour of Simon’s approach produced equivalent learning outcomes to an entire half term of traditional instruction. Add teacher support, and outcomes doubled.

🧠 Key Insight #3: Flipping modes ≠ mastery.

• What’s broken: Constantly switching between direct instruction, stories, and activities in class.

• The shift: Presenting one “mode” at a time to avoid cognitive overload.

• Impact: Improved comprehension, less classroom disruption, and deeper long-term understanding.

💬 Quotable Ruckus

“Education doesn’t build character — it reveals it. Our job is to help students discover who they are and become the best version of themselves.”

– Simon Strong

🚀 Your Do School Different Challenge

Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

• Tomorrow: Audit your next lesson for unnecessary mode-switching. Stick with one mode longer.

• This Month: Try introducing a complex topic through a story, not a slide deck.

• This Semester: Partner with a colleague to design a one-hour “burst” lesson using Simon’s three-mode model.

🔗 Connect & Continue

🎯 Get the full episode transcript here.

🔗 Learn more about Simon’s work:

https://downloadlearning.co.uk

• 🌐 Website

• 🔗 LinkedIn

• 📄 Peer-Reviewed Research

📌 Ruckus Makers Don’t Just Listen — They Act

If education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning?

This show isn’t about doing school better.

It’s about Do School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what’s possible.

🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:

• 📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter – Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work (3x a week).

• 🗞 Read Ruckus Makers – Exclusive content on Substack featuring leadership insights, AI prompts, and new books before the bookshelf.

• 💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club – Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, and AI Prompt Library.

• 🧨 Apply to the Mastermind – Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven Ruckus Maker Flywheel™.

• Every tool, community, and coaching program we offer is built to help visionary school leaders play the new game — one where leadership is creative, tech-enabled, and unapologetically student-centered.

The podcast is your starting point. The movement is just getting started.

🎙 Today’s RUCKUScast in Partnership With:

ODP Business Solutions®

• Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: odpbusiness.com/education

IXL

• Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it empowers educators with real-time data and adaptive instruction. 🔍 Learn more: ixl.com/leaders

PLAY PIPER

• Play Piper bridges gaming and STEM with hands-on kits that turn curiosity into confidence — and students into makers. 🔍 Learn more: playpiper.com

Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain’t a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?

👋 Welcome to a 🔓 free edition 🔓 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

💡Premium subscribers get access to custom GPTs, full archives, advanced tools, and Digital Danny — your AI-powered coach. Upgrade here.

Subscribe now

The Ruckus Report

Quick take: If you’re facing pushback on your bold school vision, this episode is your playbook for flipping critics into raving fans. Learn how one principal shifted the narrative — and built massive community support in the process.

Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

Dr. Christopher Jones is a high school principal, leadership author, and host of the Seeing to Lead podcast. He helps educators shift from surviving to thriving by encouraging reflection, connection, and vision — even in the most resistant environments.

Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨

Key Insight #1

• What’s broken: Too many leaders are paralyzed by fear of resistance — especially from staff or community stakeholders.

• The shift: Chris started by listening deeply and showing people how they could lead without a title.

• Impact: Staff ownership grew, and culture shifted — not because mandates were handed down, but because people bought in.

Key Insight #2

• What’s broken: Traditional admin mindsets treat critics as threats rather than assets.

• The shift: Chris chose curiosity over combat, asking questions like: “What do you want to see happen?”

• Impact: Open conversations turned former critics into trusted allies who now champion his leadership publicly.

Key Insight #3

• What’s broken: Schools often ignore how powerful public perception is in building momentum.

• The shift: Chris proactively told positive stories and empowered his community to tell them too.

• Impact: The narrative shifted from doubt to celebration — with the superintendent, school board, and staff all on board.

Quotable Ruckus

“Your loudest critics might just be your most loyal supporters — if you give them the chance to lead.”

– Dr. Christopher Jones

Your Do School Different Challenge

• Tomorrow: Ask one critic what success would look like in their eyes. Listen without defense.

• This Month: Invite that person into a decision-making process — not to agree with you, but to shape the future together.

• This Semester: Create a system where feedback becomes fuel, not friction. Turn your toughest room into your greatest asset.

Connect & Continue

🎯 Get the full episode transcript here.

🔗 His Books:

• 📘 SEEing to Lead

• 📗 Isabella and the Storm

• 📕 Isabella’s Unexpected Gift

📌 Ruckus Makers Don’t Just Listen — They Act

If education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning?

This show isn’t about doing school better.

It’s about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what’s possible.

🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey

📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter – 3x/week leadership mindset shifts and tools that work: ruckusmakers.news

🗞 Read Ruckus Makers – Premium content on Substack with early access to new books, AI prompts, and more: ruckusmakers.media

💥 Join The Ruckus Maker Club – Private community, The Automatic School™ tools, and more: ruckusmakers.club

🧨 Apply to the Mastermind – Weekly coaching + The Ruckus Maker Flywheel leadership system: Apply Now

❤️ Today’s show is sponsored by:

For over 30 years, ODP Business Solutions® has helped schools transform from whiteboards to smartboards. Why? Because when you get the right tools, everyone wins. Visit odpbusiness.com/education to revolutionize your school’s learning spaces.

Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance.

Get started today at ixl.com/leaders

👋 Welcome to a 🔓 free edition 🔓 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

💡Premium subscribers get access to custom GPTs, full archives, advanced tools, and Digital Danny — your AI-powered coach. Upgrade here.

Subscribe now

🧨 The Ruckus Report

Quick take:

What if everything you believed about math education was wrong? In this episode, Ted Dintersmith, bestselling author of Aftermath and What School Could Be, pulls back the curtain on how math has been weaponized — and how school leaders can transform learning by teaching the math that actually matters.

🎓 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

Ted Dintersmith is a bestselling author, education advocate, and former venture capitalist who believes traditional math education has failed our students. In Aftermath, he unveils the life-changing, real-world math skills students deserve to learn.

🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules

🎯 Key Insight #1: Real Math Skills Are Ignored in School

• What’s broken: We spend billions teaching rote math no adult uses.

• The shift: Teach students estimation, decision-making, game theory, and data literacy.

• Impact: Students gain tools to make sense of the world — and avoid being replaced by AI.

🎯 Key Insight #2: Standardized Testing Drives Irrelevance

• What’s broken: Tests reward regurgitation over reasoning.

• The shift: Focus on deep thinking and real-life application instead of the “one right answer.”

• Impact: Students build critical thinking and communication skills that machines can’t replicate.

🎯 Key Insight #3: Career-Based Learning Isn’t “Less Than”

• What’s broken: Schools track kids into college or label them “less than” if they pursue trades.

• The shift: Elevate career-based learning, internships, and real-world skills for all students.

• Impact: Confidence, agency, and community impact — plus real jobs post-graduation.

💬 Quotable Ruckus

“The math that really matters in life does not have one right answer.” – Ted Dintersmith

🚀 Your Do School Different Challenge

Ready to implment these ideas? Start here:

• Tomorrow: Audit your math curriculum. Are you teaching skills students will actually use?

• This Month: Host a screening of Multiple Choice and start a community conversation on real-world learning.

• This Semester: Design or pilot a learning experience rooted in data literacy, estimation, or decision-making.

🔗 Connect & Continue

🎯 Get the full episode transcript here

🔗 Follow Ted: teddintersmith.com

🎬 multiplechoicefilm.com

📌 Ruckus Makers Don’t Just Listen — They Act

If education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning?

This show isn’t about doing school better.

It’s about Do School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what’s possible.

🧠 4 Ways to Do School Different

• 📬 Newsletter — Do School Different 3x/week: ruckusmakers.news

• 📖 Substack — Exclusive content, AI prompts, and book sneak peeks: ruckusmakers.media

• 💥 The Club — Network, AI tools, and workshops: ruckusmakers.club

• 🧨 The Mastermind — Coaching and the Ruckus Maker Flywheel: Apply Now

Every tool, community, and coaching program we offer is built to help visionary school leaders play the new game — one where leadership is creative, tech-enabled, and unapologetically student-centered.

The podcast is your starting point. The movement is just getting started.

🎙 Today’s RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:

ODP Business Solutions®

• Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments. 🔍 Learn more: odpbusiness.com/education

IXL

• Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and adapts instruction based on student performance. 🔍 Get started: ixl.com/leaders

PLAY PIPER

• Kids love gaming and computers, but are disengaged from math and science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and a coding curriculum. 🔍 Learn more: playpiper.com

Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain’t a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?

👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

Subscribe now

Chapter 39 —The Launch

There’s a kind of tired only educators know.

Not just body-tired — soul-tired.

The kind that comes from ten months of giving, adjusting, lifting others up, holding the pieces together.

Jordan expected to see that kind of exhaustion as she stepped into the media center for the post–spring break staff meeting. She even built in extra margin — shorter agenda, more celebration, less initiative talk.

But the moment she walked in, she froze.

Laughter.

Actual laughter.

Groups of teachers leaned over tables, animated. Not slumped in chairs, not checking watches. Talking. Smiling. Energized.

“This is … different,” Jordan whispered, almost without meaning to.

Andre caught it. “You feel that too?”

She nodded slowly. “Usually this time of year feels like dragging a piano uphill. This year… it’s like someone opened the windows.”

They started the meeting with student stories. Maria’s advisory team had just hosted a student-led planning day — gathering feedback for what next year’s pods could look like.

They called it: The Launch.

And they wanted to share their pitch.

The team stood confidently at the front — Maria, Jamal, Mia, and three others Jordan had watched come out of their shells this year. One slide showed a vision statement the students had co-written:

“A school where every kid knows their voice matters — and every adult listens like it’s true.”

Applause broke out. Some teachers even stood.

Jordan scanned the room, the faces of people who had once rolled their eyes at change now leaning forward, scribbling notes, inspired.

She hadn’t planned for this. She didn’t organize it. She didn’t approve it.

She just got out of the way.

Read more

👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

Subscribe now

You spent three days in a conference room.

Stakeholder voices. Sticky notes. A facilitator who cost more than your copier budget.

The result? A beautiful vision statement that now lives on your website, your email signature, and that poster by the main office that nobody reads.

But what if your vision statement is a liar?

Not because the words are wrong. But because words without operational clarity don’t create change — they create cynicism.

The Old Way (That Doesn’t Work)

Districts believe that if they can just nail the language, the transformation will follow. So they workshop phrases like “innovative learning community” and “prepare students for an ever-changing world” until everyone agrees.

Then they go back to their campuses and ... nothing changes.

Teachers still teach the same way. Leaders still manage the same crises. Students still experience the same school.

The vision becomes wallpaper. Inspiring, maybe. But invisible.

Why This Happens

Vision without systems is just aspiration.

Read more

👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

Subscribe now

Chapter 37 — The Letter

The cafeteria was loud in that way only a middle school lunchroom could be — trays clattering, sneakers squeaking, laughter ping-ponging between tables.

Jordan sat at a round table near the corner, half-listening to a group of eighth graders debate which hot sauce reigned supreme.

Maria slid into the seat next to her. Her smile was steady. Confident. The opposite of the girl Jordan once worried she’d lose.

“I wrote you something,” Maria said, almost too casually. She handed Jordan a folded sheet of notebook paper. “Don’t read it now. You’ll cry and make it weird.”

Jordan laughed, startled, then nodded. “Noted.”

Maria grinned and turned back to her friends, who immediately roped her into a story involving cafeteria pizza and a TikTok dare.

Jordan tucked the letter into her bag and let the moment linger.

She didn’t open it until later — after the dismissal bell, after the last bus pulled away, after the building quieted like it always did in that strange hour between chaos and night.

She sat in her office, the daylight golden through the blinds, and unfolded the letter.

Read more

👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

Subscribe now

I’m holding a tiny book in my hands. Just 36 pages. You could read it during your lunch break.

The book is called Bumpers by Nic Peterson, and it’s one of the most influential books I’ve ever read.

Here’s the thing — most people assume bigger books mean more value.

• The 500-page leadership tome.

• The comprehensive guide to strategic planning.

• The doctoral dissertation on educational reform.

But this little 36-page book? It completely revolutionized how I make decisions.

The metaphor is simple: Think about bowling with bumpers in the gutters. The ball can’t fall off track. It’s guaranteed to hit at least some pins.

Moral of the story is: One decision today can make thousands of decisions for you in the future.

Nic had this fascinating insight that most people miss …

Everyone tells us to play to our strengths. Go all in on what you’re great at. And that’s true.

But what they don’t tell you …

The fastest way to improve your overall performance isn’t just getting better at your best stuff. It’s eliminating your worst performance every single day.

Think about it like a math equation. If you removed your lowest value every day, your average automatically increases.

This same principle applies to your leadership.

That’s why I created the Ruckus Maker Rules system — a way for school leaders to establish 3-5 guardrails that keep them in their lane of excellence while automatically filtering out the stuff that drags them down.

Imagine having crystal-clear boundaries that:

• Help you say “no” without guilt

• Eliminate decision fatigue

• Keep you focused on what matters most

• Protect your time, energy, and relationships

You could create these rules two ways:

Read more

👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

Subscribe now

From The Ruckus Maker Mastermind this week:

Sarah opened her email on a Tuesday morning and felt her stomach drop.

Subject line: “Open to Transfer or Resignation”

The teacher (a former high school English star with “highly effective” written all over her file) was two months into teaching fifth grade math and having a full-blown panic attack at school.

She’d gone home early.

And now she was done.

Sarah’s principal didn’t blink.

“Let her go. We’ll figure something out.”

But here’s what made this decision brutal:

This wasn’t some lazy teacher phoning it in. This was someone who’d successfully taught 10th and 11th graders for years, led capstone projects, earned glowing evaluations ...

... who was now completely drowning.

Fifth grade math. Different content. Different age. Different universe.

And the math coach?

She’d been pushing hard on curriculum compliance, correcting the teacher’s use of “five and above, give it a shove” instead of teaching place value concepts, watching students bomb checkpoints, and cranking up the pressure.

No relationship. Just expectations.

The teacher sent the email. The principal shrugged. And Sarah had maybe 48 hours to decide:

Do you let struggling adults go when the numbers don’t look good?

Or do you fight for them when your gut says they just need the right support?

Here’s what made this harder:

There was a second fifth grade math teacher — also struggling, also likely leaving mid-year (military transfer).

Union rules meant if either resigned, they couldn’t be hired in neighboring counties for a year.

And the sub pool? Empty.

Sarah sat with it. The pressure to perform was real. The data looked bad. The staffing crisis was looming.

But something didn’t add up.

Most “performance problems” are actually diagnosis problems.

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👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

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CHAPTER 35 – “The Decision”

Jordan knocked on the open door.

Mark looked up, eyebrows raised. “Hey there. Come on in.”

She stepped into his office — calm, steady — and took the chair across from him. The same weird energy from before still hung in the air. He was sipping coffee. Waiting.

She didn’t fumble.

“I’ve thought a lot about your offer,” she began. “And I’m honored. Truly.”

Mark nodded. “It’s well deserved.”

“I know it might not make sense on paper,” she said, pausing. “But I’m staying.”

His face didn’t change. But his silence said enough.

Jordan kept going. “This isn’t fear talking. It’s alignment. We’ve built something at Franklin that’s finally starting to breathe. I’m not done yet.”

She could feel her heart rate spike — but only slightly. It wasn’t like the early days, when she’d say yes just to prove she belonged. When her calendar was packed and her vision buried under everyone else’s urgency.

Back then, she chased meaning by collecting obligations.

Now? She created meaning by protecting her purpose.

Mark shifted in his chair. “You sure?”

“I am.”

She stood. Then paused.

“One more thing,” she added, reaching into her bag and pulling out a crisp manila folder. “I put in a proposal to present at the National Leadership Conference this spring. A talk called Ruckus Makers Do School Different. I’m going to share what we’ve been doing here.”

Mark took the folder, glanced at the title, then back at her.

“And,” Jordan added, “I’ve got an idea for a PD series. Something I can offer informally to other principals — Evan, especially. I think it might help.”

Mark nodded slowly. “So you’re staying … but still reaching.”

Jordan smiled. “Exactly. I’m not shrinking. I’m focusing.”

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👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

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Chapter 33 — The Visit

Andre was fixing a bulletin board that didn’t need fixing.

Jordan leaned against the doorway, watching him adjust a corner for the third time.

“You nervous?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Not really.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, maybe a little,” he admitted. “District folks make me itch. You never know what they’re really looking for.”

Jordan stepped beside him. “They’re not looking for perfect. They’re looking for possible.”

Andre nodded, eyes scanning the hallway. Everything was in place — but not staged. The kids were ready. The staff was ready. He was ready. But still, his stomach flipped.

“Feels like a performance,” he mumbled.

“No,” Jordan said softly. “It’s a window.”

Mark was the first to walk in. Franklin’s former assistant superintendent, now wearing a district badge with more stripes. He smiled when he saw Jordan.

Behind him, two others followed:

Dr. Gomez, Deputy of Instruction: quiet, curious, clipboard in hand.

Ms. Fields, Data and Accountability: tight bun, tighter mouth.

Jordan greeted them calmly.

No slideshow. No agenda packet. No preamble.

Just an open door.

They started in Pod C.

Maria stood at a whiteboard, guiding a discussion on restorative justice in schools. Two classmates debated respectfully while others took notes. Ms. Holloway sat nearby, not interrupting — just listening.

Dr. Gomez leaned toward her. “Is this… typical?”

Ms. Holloway smiled. “Every Tuesday.”

They kept walking.

In Pod A, a student showed off a prototype for a water-filtration system. A Sticky Core Value banner — Name the Gap — hung above their workspace.

“Why that phrase?” Ms. Fields asked.

The student shrugged. “Because we don’t pretend here. If something’s broken, we say it. Then we fix it.”

A third pod group had a student-led help desk. No teacher in sight. Just peers helping peers.

Jordan watched from a distance.

She didn’t need to explain anything.

The school was doing that on its own.

The T-shirts caught their attention next.

Each student and teacher wore one.

On the front: one of the Sticky Core Values.

On the back: Ask me about it.

Dr. Gomez asked a girl about hers — Be the Lead Domino.

She lit up. “It means if I want something to happen, I have to go first. Not wait.”

He looked stunned. “You believe that?”

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👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

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• If your “cutting-edge” new program requires a mandatory 3-hour after-school PD session ...

• If your innovation grant simply paid for a shiny new tool that sits in a closet ...

• If your staff is exhausted from “change” but your student data looks exactly the same ...

You haven’t innovated. You’re stuck in the Status Quo.

Most administrators approach innovation like a software update — they apply a patch to fix a specific bug, but they never question the operating system itself.

• We’ll add coding classes ... but keep the master schedule rigid.

• We’ll implement project-based learning ... but still grade on an isolated A-F curve.

• We’ll talk about empowerment ... but keep all decision-making at the top.

All this does is make the Status Quo feel better about itself.

It’s the system domesticating your bold idea, ensuring it delivers energy without requiring fundamental change in power, time, or trust.

Here’s what’s actually happening while you’re celebrating a superficial win:

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👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

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Twenty days into the school year, and the staff was already “overwhelmed.”

A principal on one of our mastermind calls shared his situation.

The ask? Two hours per month for PLCs. With full autonomy over how they use that time.

His ninth-grade success program? Completely reasonable early intervention work that prevents students from falling through cracks.

But teachers were pushing back hard. One respected teacher told him “everyone’s feeling overwhelmed.”

Here’s what made it interesting.

This principal had just landed at a new school. Smaller than his previous building. Rural. About 600 kids.

The previous principal had been there 15 years. Ran the place like a bulldozer. Zero trust with staff.

(read that again!)

And during COVID? The district gave everything back. No accountability. No structure. Teachers got used to complete autonomy.

Now this principal shows up with systems that should’ve been in place all along.

Meeting twice a month for an hour isn’t a heavy lift.

But when you’ve spent three years with zero expectations, even the basics feel like Mount Everest.

Here’s the thing:

Sometimes the ask isn’t unreasonable. It’s just new.

And there’s a massive difference between the two.

Read more

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

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If your bold new initiative isn’t showing “results” yet...

If the innovation you launched three months ago still feels like it’s crawling...

If you’re questioning whether this whole “Do School Different” thing is actually working...

You’re measuring the wrong thing.

Most principals track change like a sprint — looking for immediate, visible wins that prove their leadership is “working.”

Test scores. Participation rates. How many teachers adopted the new framework by October.

But real transformation doesn’t happen on your timeline. It happens on a deeper clock.

Read more

👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

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She walked into the hot seat with that familiar fire — the same spark that made her stand out in the interview.

Bold. Innovative. Ready to shake up a system that desperately needed it.

But five minutes in, she said the words no Ruckus Maker wants to admit:

“I’m starting to wonder if this is even worth it.”

The room got quiet. Because we’ve all been there.

You take the leap. Launch the audacious program. Challenge the comfortable. Disrupt the predictable.

And what do you get in return?

• Pushback from staff who “liked it the old way”

• Parents questioning your methods

• A superintendent who nervously suggests you “dial it back”

• The crushing weight of being the only one who sees what’s possible

She wasn’t fishing for pity—she wanted a way through.

What she got was both a reality check and a roadmap.

The Mastermind’s Truth Bomb

One veteran Ruckus Maker cut straight to it:

“You’re not failing. You’re building something revolutionary in a system designed for conformity. Of course it feels impossible.”

Another jumped in:

“Stop confusing resistance with regression.”

That second one landed hard.

We broke down the 3 layers of friction she was battling:

1. Systemic inertia – The machine rewards safe, predictable, measurable.

2. Staff skepticism – Change feels risky when you’re already overwhelmed.

3. Leadership isolation – Nobody prepared you for how lonely innovation gets.

Then we gave her something practical: a framework for sustainable disruption.

The Ruckus Maker Reset: Lead Bold, Scale Smart

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👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

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Spark Night

The walls spoke louder than any test score ever could.

Jordan stood just outside the main entrance, fingers crossed in her jacket pocket, watching the parking lot fill up.

“The parking lot’s never full on a Thursday,” Andre said, slipping beside her with a grin. “What’d you do? Hire a DJ?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she took in the scene — parents holding hands with their kids, toddlers trailing behind, grandparents easing out of minivans. Something about it felt … different.

Hopeful.

Inside, the school didn’t look like itself.

Every hallway was alive with student-led exhibits — math projects reimagined as community planning proposals, a wall of sticky notes titled “Our Boldest Ideas,” and even a pop-up podcast booth where two sixth graders interviewed parents about their middle school memories.

At the center of it all hung two sheets of butcher paper, side by side on the gym wall:

• “Something I want to learn.”

• “Something I can teach.”

Markers clinked as parents leaned in, scribbling everything from “How to file taxes” to “How to make tamales.” Jordan watched them smile as they wrote, then step back and read what others had added. Conversations sparked instantly.

“I didn’t know Ms. Kim speaks Korean!”

“You do car repair? I’d pay for that class!”

“Wait, who wants to learn chess? Let’s do it next week!”

Maria, standing near the display, lit up when someone asked her what it was all about.

“This is Spark Night,” she said confidently. “It’s like Spark Time, but for the community. We’re all teachers and learners. That’s the whole point.”

Jordan caught Holloway watching her from across the gym, arms crossed but eyes warm.

“This was your idea?” she asked, walking over.

Jordan shrugged. “It started with a staff conversation. Grew from there.”

“Well,” Holloway said, scanning the room, “whatever this is... it’s working.”

One teacher approached hesitantly. “Honestly, I didn’t know if it would land. A student-led open house? I thought parents would just want to see grades or hear from us.”

Jordan nodded. “Me too. But look around.”

Parents weren’t just attending. They were engaging. Talking with students. Asking questions. Dreaming up ideas.

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👋 Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition 🔒 of Ruckus Makers — the newsletter for bold school leaders who Do School Different. Each week we drop fresh content across our signature styles:

• The Reframe → Mindset shifts in 90-seconds.

• Dot AI → Supercharged leadership prompts and custom gpts

• MEH → The Onion meets Education. What could go wrong?

• First in Line → Exclusive access to content before the bookshelf.

• The Automatic School → A system that moves you FROM bottleneck TO breakthrough

• The Hot Seat → Coaching calls turned into case studies

• Digital Danny → Your 24-7 AI-powered leadership coach trained on 4M words of content and ten years of coaching experience.

You can learn more about this premium newsletter here.

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“We’re not sure if we can trust you yet.”

Those words hit Principal Sarah like a punch to the gut during her 360 review.

She’d been doing everything the leadership books said:

• Weekly check-ins

• Open door policy

• Celebrating wins publicly

• Investing in meaningful PD

But her staff still felt distant. Guarded. Like they were performing rather than partnering.

Sound familiar?

The Hot Seat BreakthroughThat was perfect. Thank you!

When Sarah brought this challenge to our Ruckus Maker Mastermind, another principal cut straight to the heart of it:

“You’re doing things FOR your staff. But are you building WITH them?”

That’s when we dove into Brené Brown’s BRAVING framework — the real anatomy of trust:

• Boundaries — You respect what’s okay and not okay, and help others do the same

• Reliability — You do what you say you’ll do, consistently and repeatedly

• Accountability — You own your mistakes and make things right when you mess up

• Vault — You keep confidences and don’t share what’s not yours to share

• Integrity — You act from your values even when it’s hard or no one’s watching

• Nonjudgment — You create space for others to struggle and be imperfect without shame

• Generosity — You assume the most generous interpretation of others’ words and actions

“Score yourself 1-10 in each area,” challenged another Ruckus Maker. “Which one’s your weak spot?”

Sarah’s answer? Vault.

She’d been sharing staff concerns with her leadership team, thinking it was “collaborative problem-solving.”

Here’s what was invisible to her …

When staff saw her discussing their colleagues’ issues with leadership, they wondered: “What does she say about me when I’m not in the room?”

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