Share Your Mistakes and Treat People as People First with Jon Harper

Jon Harper, an assistant principal and host of the My Bad podcast, explains why he asks educators to share one big mistake each week. This conversation about learning from mistakes shows how admitting your own errors makes students and staff comfortable doing the same, and why Harper treats teachers as people first and teachers second. Harper's daughter once scored a goal for the other team at a soccer scrimmage and told him, Daddy, I'm just like you, because he had shared his own high school mistake with her. He also describes handling a teacher's misstep with a conversation instead of a write-up. What you'll learn Share one real mistake with a student or staff member first, because Harper says it makes them comfortable doing the same. Greet staff by asking about their kids, their health or their family before you ask about test scores or benchmarks. Listen before you try to solve the problem, since people often just want to vent or can solve it themselves. Ask a teacher how you can help before you reach for a write-up. Find your own strengths instead of copying a movie principal like Joe Clark. Chapters 0:00 Why Jon Harper started a podcast about mistakes 3:54 Why educators open up about their mistakes 5:40 Once you share a mistake, it loses power 7:01 Stop trying to be the movie teacher 10:18 Listen first instead of solving the problem 11:18 Treat people as people first, teachers second 13:23 Correct a teacher without writing her up 15:27 Give parents a little grace Times are for the episode without ads. Your player may be off by the length of any ads. Questions this episode answers Why should school leaders share their own mistakes? Harper says that when he shared mistakes on his podcast, guests felt safe doing the same. He believes the same holds for children, students and staff: when a leader shows vulnerability, it gives others the courage to do likewise, and mistakes lose their power. How can a principal treat teachers as people first? Harper says his first words each day should not be about test scores. He asks how a teacher's kid is doing or whether they feel better. He says if he sees a teacher first and a person second, he has lost. About Jon Harper Jon Harper is an assistant principal and the host of the My Bad Podcast on the BAM Radio Network. Links and resources My Bad Podcast Jon Harper on Twitter My Bad episode with Maggie Bolado Create your ideal week Group coaching program Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Stitcher podcast page Jethro Jones on Twitter Show on Twitter Communication Cards Transformative Principal show notes Paperless Principal book Sanebox email tool Podcast website Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer a principal form Busy administrators tools survey Working on this at your school? Get a free preview of a 10-week leadership pathway built from episodes like this one at transformativeprincipal.com/start. Thanks to our Sponsor Broadcast Made Easy who help you start a news broadcast at your school by having everything you need in one easy-to-download place. Check it out today and get your kids creating. We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more: Simplify and streamline technology Save teachers’ time Reliably meet Tier 1 standards Improve student performance on state assessments 🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.