Thought Leaders

As superintendent of Lytle ISD I have had the opportunity to serve in the district in which I grew up and graduated. School worked for me, so I guess I never wanted to leave. My grandmother, dad, son and daughter all graduated from Lytle ISD. While my family was...

While on pregnancy leave in the fall of 1980, the superintendent of Roscoe ISD contacted me about a high school math position opening at the end of the semester.  I had a BBA in General Business with teacher certification but had been working as a loan...

Years ago, when I was an education student at a small, rural university, one of my professors lectured over the authorship of effective lesson plans.  He said, “When you are teaching class—when you are teaching anything, for that matter—your students only...

The wisest leaders I know are relentless focusers. Or, RE-focusers. These leaders understand that their personal time, energy, and resources are finite. They know full well that they cannot do everything, meet with everybody, read every book, invest in every project,...

C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “ You cannot go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”. The phrase “traditional education” can be interpreted many different ways. The perspective of educators, administrators, law makers,...

When asked to write a blog post about the “work,” I began agonizing over a topic.  I kept glancing at my bookshelf and each time landed on the same text: The 12 Touchstones of Good Teachingby Goodwin and Hubbell.  While the book is aimed at...

One of the most impactful experiences I have had as a professional was attending Deloitte University’s Courageous Principals. From the moment my team and I turned onto the campus compound (a gorgeous campus in the Trophy Club area), it was evident we were entering...

As a parent, we are always quick to brag about our children. We are always excited about the new tasks they are involved in and cannot wait to tell others. Although we definitely think our children are great, our ultimate goal is for others to think as much of our...

I come from a long line of storytellers. My grandpa could keep my brother and my attention for hours by telling stories of cattle drives from Texas to Kansas that his grandpa told him as a youth. Today I would like to tell you a different story about a young boy with...

Over the last three years, I have had the privilege of leading Texas A&M AgriLife’s, Rural Student Success Initiative (RSSI). Being that RSSI is a relatively new project, people often ask me to explain it in a nutshell.  I describe RSSI as an initiative...