Donald Gately Ed.D.
Category Archives: Leadership
Middle leaders collaborative: One characteristic of great middle school leaders
Name one characteristic of all great middle school leaders This post is a collaboration between a group of middle school leaders from across the country. Periodically, these passionate and dedicated middle school principals share their thoughts on issues of relevance … Continue reading
Posted in Educational Focus, Leadership, learning, Uncategorized
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Middle-Level Leaders Collaborative: Who’s your “go-to” person?
This post is a collaboration between a group of middle school leaders from across the country. Periodically, these passionate and dedicated middle school principals share their thoughts on issues of relevance for those “in the middle”. Working at the middle-level … Continue reading
Posted in adolescence, Best Practice, Educational Focus, Leadership, Personal Best, Teaching/Learning
Tagged go-to person, relationships, support
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Middle School Principals’ Collaborative: Beginning of the Year Essentials
This post is a collaboration between a group of middle school leaders from across the country. Periodically, these passionate and dedicated middle school principals share their thoughts on issues of relevance for those “in the middle”. Topic: The 2019-20 school … Continue reading
About kids and devices: Trying to find the answers
Are there areas of your practice as a leader or teacher that you haven’t figured out? How are you modelling your learning? How can we be transparent about the process as we learn new things and try to find answers to life’s essential questions? Continue reading
Posted in adolescence, Best Practice, Educational Focus, Leadership, Parenting, Personal Best, Reflections, Teaching/Learning
Tagged devices, Parenting, relationships, technology
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About school: We can make it special
rincipals and teachers can create singular moments for kids everyday. Like the Brooklyn Nets, these are our schools, classrooms, hallways, gyms, and cafeterias. We are in charge of these settings. We can do extraordinary things to create lifelong fans of learning and of our schools. Continue reading
About Work / Life Balance: So much to learn
It can be difficult to describe the magic of the Ed camp model. It’s liberating to cast off the formalities, restrictions, and passivity of conventional educational contexts (read: SCHOOL) and embrace a mode of learning that elevates choice, participation and sharing. When I’m asked to give an example of the power of EdCamp, I will describe the amazing session that took place this past Saturday on the topic of Work / Life balance. We wish you were there! Continue reading
About cooking: You can eat your mistakes
@DMGately at Nathan’s Famous 4th of July. It was the Fourth of July. I was doing what I love doing in the summertime, using my barbeque smoker to make pulled pork sliders for dinner. I woke up at 4:15am to … Continue reading
Posted in Best Practice, Educational Focus, Leadership, Reflections, Teaching/Learning, Uncategorized
Tagged assessment, cooking, learning
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About hope: We can’t give in, can’t give up
When Sandy Hook happened, I was certain that something would change. Six and seven year olds! If as a nation we were not willing to do something to address gun violence in our schools following the deaths of six and seven year-olds, I told myself, nothing would ever change. How could we not act!?
But we didn’t.
Posted in adolescence, Leadership, Reflections, Teaching/Learning, Uncategorized
Tagged gun control, gun violence
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About Feedback: Good enough is not good enough
If you’re going to have a single job for a long time, the two jobs you would do well to consider are classroom teacher and middle school school principal. Both of these are dynamic roles that are constantly challenging, you can never be bored. The jobs of the principal or the teacher are wildly unpredictable. It’s important to have a plan but don’t expect that you’ll be able to follow it. Because of the chaotic dynamism of these roles, there’s a tendency for some people to cling to consistency. Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Personal Best, Reflections, Teaching/Learning
Tagged feedback, reflection
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About school climate: You might control the weather
We cannot control the weather, but there are so many things that educators do control.
It’s about intentionality. Everything we do as educators should be done with intention, not because that’s the way were were taught, not because it’s what “feels” right, or what’s easy for us; we must always act in ways that create safe conditions for learning to take place and to build the resilience of our kids.
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