Walk into a school with a high Emotional Intelligence (EQ) culture and you notice it quickly by how people respond, especially when things don’t go as planned. Conversations feel purposeful rather than rushed. When concerns surface, they’re acknowledged instead of deflected. Disagreement doesn’t immediately trigger defensiveness, and emotion isn’t treated as something to manage away […]

Throughout my career, I’ve often been frustrated by school, district, or state requirements that were intended to support improvement but ended up as little more than a paper chase. Professional Growth Plans (PGPs) frequently fall into this trap. In some systems, teachers—concerned they might be evaluated against their PGP outcomes—choose minimal, “safe” goals. Too often, […]