In this conversation, Ben Hockema and I discuss how to create a solid financial plan in your career so you can focus your time and energy on the impact you can make. We discuss all kinds of possibilities; whether you want to stay in your current position as a therapist and/or teacher, whether you want…
Tag: counseling
EP 145: Building financial literacy from elementary school through adulthood (with Ben Hockema)
Executive functioning and financial literacy go hand-in-hand; which is why money management should be a part of any K-12 curriculum. Much of this has to do with self-evaluation, the ability to think into the future, and the understanding of quantitative and temporal concepts. There are endless digital tools designed to help people manage their finances,…
EP 142: Are we being too child-focused in our therapy planning?
People working in the schools are often expected to make everything a priority all the time, without consideration of how they might be able to manage the backlog of projects. They have to say “No” to people who need help in the interest of saying “Yes” to others. They have to see the faces of…
EP 141: No, kids do not learn to read and write naturally (with Melanie Brethour)
Skeptics of the Science of Reading claim that the current push for evidence-based reading instruction is just another pendulum swing. Yet if you look at the research, we haven’t so much been “swinging” as much as we’ve been building, evolving, and expanding on what we know about how we learn to read. Even though the…
EP 139: Cell phones, 1:1 device initiatives, and homework policies in K-12 education (with Dr. John Burkey)
Learners in K-12 settings have changed over the past 25 years, and what were considered best practices in the 1990s may no longer work for learners in the 2020s. Much of this is due to technology, the invention of the Iphone, and the skills young adults need when entering the workforce. There’s a large amount…
EP 138: Increasing access to instructional programs in rural districts (with Chris Dodge)
If you’re providing therapy or tutoring services, contracting with schools, or offering professional development to K-12 professionals, you won’t want to miss this episode. As someone who has explored the possibility of school contracts, I’m always looking to learn more about how school leaders make decisions regarding budgets and staffing. I grew up in the…
EP 137: Why aren’t my students generalizing? (social skills groups, organizing tools)
Social skills groups have been widely criticized recently. They’re often labeled as ableist and NOT neurodiversity-affirming. I ALSO take issue with the way social skills interventions are often delivered, but for a different reason. When social skills intervention is done, it’s often delivered via 1:1 therapy, in a “pull-out” model; where the child receives intervention…
EP 136: Time blindness, anxiety, and behavior management
When kids have a poor sense of time, the common response is to give them a planner or some kind of a timer. While these tools may be a part of your strategy, they don’t address time-blindness. That’s why in episode 136 of De Facto Leaders, I’m answering the question: “Why don’t timers improve my…
EP 135: How to read the room, speak with confidence, and sell your ideas (with Roberta Ndlela)
If you want to learn how to present information to school boards, administration, or other leadership or land more speaking engagements, you won’t want to miss this episode! Reading the room is an essential life skill, whether we’re talking about a child navigating recess, or an adult trying to navigate the workplace. For kids, this…
EP 133: Is K-12 education preparing kids for the workforce? (with The Fabulous Learning Nerds)
The whole point of school is to prepare kids for adult life, but many people worry we aren’t giving kids what they need. Whether kids go right into the workforce after high school or plan to attend college or trade school, they need certain skills to succeed at work. That’s why I wanted to have…