In this episode of Leaning Into Leadership, host Darrin Peppard welcomes back David James, a 7th-grade social studies teacher at Harold E. Winkler Middle School in Concord, North Carolina. Known for his leadership both in the classroom and through his work with the North Carolina Association for Middle Level Education (NCMLE), David shares powerful insights into what it takes to lead effectively as a teacher. He discusses the importance of building leadership capacity within schools, the impact of teacher-led professional development, and how setting high expectations transforms school culture.

David also offers a sneak peek into his contribution to Culture First Classrooms: Leadership, Relationships, and Practices that Transform Schools, the new book by Darrin Peppard and Katie Kinder, launching on March 17th. In his chapter, David explores how establishing clear expectations from day one leads to a positive and sustainable culture, both inside and outside the classroom.

Key Takeaways:

1. Building Capacity: The importance of teacher leadership in maintaining school culture, especially with the frequent turnover of school administrators.
2. Wolfpack Workshop: How this in-house professional development model at Winkler Middle School empowers teachers and drives student achievement.
3. Culture First Classrooms: Insights from David's chapter on setting expectations and building a culture of trust and accountability.
4. NCMLE 2025 Conference: An overview of the upcoming conference and its evolution into a national-level event for middle school educators.
5. Leadership Advice: Practical tips for teachers looking to take on more leadership roles in their schools.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Culture First Classrooms – Launching March 17th!
• The Wolfpack Workshop at Winkler Middle School.
• NCMLE 2025 Conference – March 23rd-25th in Charlotte, NC.
• Book: Culturize by Jimmy Casas.

Connect with David James:

• Twitter/X: @HeroicHistory22 | @NCMiddle
• Instagram: @HeroicHistory22 | @NCMiddle
• TikTok: @HeroicHistory22 | @NCMiddle
• Facebook: @NCMLE
• Website: www.ncmle.org

Connect with Darrin Peppard:

• Twitter/X: @DarrinMPeppard
• LinkedIn: Darrin Peppard
• Website: roadtoawesome.net

Call to Action:

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review! Make sure to grab your copy of Culture First Classrooms when it launches on March 17th and check out the NCMLE 2025 Conference for more amazing professional learning opportunities.

Thanks for listening, and keep leaning into leadership!

Hey, my friends, welcome into episode 196 of the Leaning Into Leadership podcast. As always, I am your host, Dr. Darren Peppered, and I am thrilled to have you joining me for this episode. I'll tell you, we have an incredible conversation lined up with my good friend, David James. Now I'll tell you this, David is a seventh grade social studies teacher at Harold E. Winkler Middle School in Concord, North Carolina. David is not just a phenomenal educator though, folks.

And he's not just an incredible leader in his building. He's also one of the 23 contributors to our brand new book, Culture First Classrooms, Leadership, Relationships, and Practices that Transform Schools, co-authored with the incredible Katie Kinder. Now, if you haven't heard, Culture First Classrooms is all about how school leaders and teachers can build powerful cultures that inspire students and staff alike. And we've brought together voices from across the country, like David's.

to share real stories and actionable strategies that can help you elevate the culture in your school. The book officially launches on March 17th, so be sure you keep your eyes out for it. Now, in today's episode, David and I are gonna dive into what really goes into effective teacher leadership. We're gonna talk about the power of setting clear expectations from day one and the payoff that you may see down the road. And we're gonna talk about the impact that the Wolfpack workshop

capacity, about fostering a culture of growth, and about leading with purpose, both in the classroom and beyond. As always, thank you for leaning into leadership with us. Now, let's dive into this conversation with David James.

All right, everybody, welcome back into the Leaning Into Leadership podcast. Today joining me on the show, my buddy David James from North Carolina. David has been on the show before. Man, middle school teacher extraordinaire, conference planner, promoter. I mean, you don't do it much better than David James does it. And we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about what the awesome things happening at Harold Winkler Middle School.

We're going to talk about David as a contributor for our new book, my book with Katie Kinder, Culture First Classrooms. And then we'll just see where the conversation goes. This is just a fun time to get together with David. So David, my friend, welcome back into the podcast.

Appreciate you, Darren. Thank you for having me back. Second time on the Leaning Into Leadership podcast. I can talk for days about your book that I'm looking forward to getting my hands on in CML, Harold Winkler Middle School, all those things I'm really passionate about. Thanks for having me back.

Yeah, of course, of course. Definitely want somebody who is who I've known now for about two years and has become honestly, seriously, you have become one of my favorite people. And not just because of your passion for education. We certainly differ from professional football standpoint with you being a Bengals fan. But, that's okay. I know I've told you before, you know, Logan Wilson, your middle linebackers from my hometown, I know his dad, so

If the Broncos aren't on, I'll root for your Bengals for sure. losing to your Bengals last year was not fun. I'm just gonna say that. But we got the playoff spot though.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's it's certainly worked out. Yeah. Yeah, you sure did. You worked in your favor by getting that last playoff spot. Yeah, and then you got the the chiefs there, didn't you in the first round? Or that's that's. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Bills, yeah, they got run over by the Bills, but that's all right. Both of our teams will be better next year than they were this last year, and they were both pretty good. but we're, not here to talk about NFL football, although we could, and that would probably be a lot of fun. We've definitely got some things I want to get to. Folks, I'll link the episode that David was on previously, I'm not going to try and tell you what number it was, because honestly, I don't know.

Fingers crossed.

But we'll link it in the show notes if you want to go back and loop back to the first time David was on but David for those who maybe don't know you just give them a little snippet of who you are what you do, you know, maybe some of your background that kind of thing

Yeah, again, I'm David James, IT seventh grade social studies at Harold E Winkler in Concord, North Carolina, which is about 20 minutes north of Charlotte. To Darren's previous point, I am a proud hometown Cincinnati Bengals fan, originally from the state of Ohio. I went to Ohio University and graduated in 2007. And then I moved to North Carolina shortly after that to

teach at Winkler and start a family and get going in the right direction for my teaching career. So I have lived here in the Charlotte area for about 15 years. I've taught at Winkler Middle School for 10 years. I did do a short stint as an assistant principal. I got called back into the classroom for after a few years. As assistant principal really opened up my eyes and made me a really, really strong educator that second time around.

But that's a story for another day. currently I am sitting right here in room 701 at Winkler Middle School. You know, in year 15 and 11 every moment of teaching seventh grade. Middle school is my passion. About five years ago I got called into the North Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Association and to be part of their team, their board of directors.

I started as a marketing director and got real creative in some graphics, got real creative in social media, and that's kind of what landed our relationship, Darren, is the social media. And then through that and then having some success as the marketing director with that organization, I rolled into their conference director, which really kind of took our relationship, Darren, and then you mentioned some other individuals that we have, you know, common relationships with to the next level. And through that conference directing,

I've just built all kinds of connections throughout the country and I'm really proud of that. But it all comes back to teaching middle school kids. That's what I'm best at. That's what I love to do. The conference directing with NCMLE, that organization, the advocate for middle level education here in North Carolina is a feather in my cap, but it's all about being a teacher. It's all about being a father to my son who is a seven year old boy.

and a phenomenal little kid that also goes to school here in my city school district and the husband to my wife, Erin. So that is the history of myself. Go Bengals, go Cincinnati Reds. And we do have the Ohio State National Championship to hang our hat on this year. So there's a few things on there, but.

There you go. There you go. And so I was going to ask that question. So I mean, you went to Ohio, you not the Ohio State. Did you root for the Ohio State or do you like root against them? I mean, I'm just curious.

Mm-hmm. Correct.

So it's funny you ask Ohio University football has really come on in the last few years, but when I was there in the early 2000s, it was known for its party school status. So we were a party school that had a football problem when I was there. now it's a football school that has a party school name attached as well. So there's a lot going on there. It's a phenomenal school. Ohio University just outside of,

Yeah.

Just outside of Columbus in Athens, Ohio is an incredible university. But yes, to answer your question, we do root for the Buckeyes. We are one of those families that would probably root for the Bobcats if they were going head to head. But we would also understand that we wouldn't have a chance when it came to that.

Right, Yeah, no, that makes perfect sense. It really does. So, man, there's so many things that you just talked about that I want to chase after. And certainly I want to get to NCMLE, but let's maybe stay with the work that you're doing there in your school there at Harold A. Winkler. I know, obviously, you're in the classroom, but in many, many ways,

you serve as a teacher leader in that building. just recently I had a good friend of mine on the podcast, Bradley W. Skinner, who I think is as great a teacher leader as I ever had the opportunity to work with. I know that you certainly embody those same characteristics as a teacher leader. Let's talk about teacher leadership. And I know your principal is one who very much empowers you.

and gives you the space to be that leader. Share some thoughts about how you've kind of embraced that role as a leader on your campus and maybe even share some thoughts with the teachers who are listening that either are also teacher leaders or who maybe would like to take on more leadership as a teacher.

Yeah, first I'll start there and I'd say go for it because you as a teacher and you as you know a veteran teacher in your building or a rising beginning teacher you may very well be in that building longer than your principal will be. You know I had this conversation with our current principal not too long ago and I said Rebecca you do a great job and you know I will do anything for you but we have got to work on building capacity and building leadership capacity in this building.

And that conversation, you know, really hit, hit home with her because she knows that any principal, any assistant principal may have a different building when August comes the next year. Right. So we have got to go for it and we've got to build capacity in our building and it's up to you. you know, nobody is going to do it for you. So if you have the, if you have the go getter attitude, if you have the assumption to do those things, then take advantage of it. I, mentioned previously about being in the principal ship role.

in a previous life. But when I came back to Winkler Middle School, I had this kind of understanding of how the building worked in a very different way. Being an assistant principal at a neighboring middle school kind of opened my eyes into the intricacies of how a building works. From the athletic department, from the EC department, from the parent contacts to how each grade level has its own kind of living, breathing organism of how they do things.

And as a teacher leader that really opened up my eyes on how the whole building works as a whole. I like to close my door. I like to teach 30 kids at a time, but I also know my responsibility is for those teachers and those adults on this grade level. And as the grade level chair, I need to understand what's going on on a daily basis. So yes, it is taking on a lot and I know teachers are working their tails off with just those 30 kids and how dare somebody tell me to do more, but.

for a building to move in the right direction, I'm a firm believer that teacher leaders have to have a lot to do with that. Like I said previously, those principals may be moving on to different buildings and we may be left with those that are holding the torch and being a champion for that school. We've had previous conversations, Darren, about Winkler Middle School and I'd like to give those 10 to 15 teachers a shout out.

in your buildings and Winkler certainly have those 10 to 15 teachers that are just always going to be there for that building and you have those in your building as well and those are the teachers that really carry the building and I think any principal that understands and sees that is going to acknowledge that as well. So teacher leadership is something I'm real passionate about. Through the NCMLE I've taken that to the next level for myself reaching out to others and working with different organizations

trying to advocate as much as I can in North Carolina at the middle school level, trying to be involved in as much as I can. But sometimes we got to get outside of our four walls and sometimes we got to do what's best for everybody around us, not just those that are sitting right in front of us.

Yeah, no, think you make some great points there. One of one of the most important points that I want to maybe come back to just to touch is just that that whole thought around. school administrators move on and they tend to move on honestly at a pretty quick pace. And, you know, when when you've got something.

that's working really well in the building, it's gotta be that core group of teachers that take on that leadership. So maybe it's not as much as the, know, hey, I'm just putting more on my plate or I'm trying to take more on, but rather, hey, I'm working to build the stability of what makes our school great and what keeps our school great, no matter who it is that happens to be sitting in that office down the hallway.

And I mean, again, I know in your case, your current principal is she's fantastic. But you're right. know, August could come and she could get the phone call and the district says, hey, we're moving you to such and such. And just that work that you that you do and the core group that's there, not just you, really makes a difference. When when you were here last time, we had a conversation. You and I've talked about this bunch. In fact, honestly,

I shout out Harold A. Winkler as much as I possibly can when I talk about school culture and climate and talk about things that really make a difference in developing a strong culture. Your Wolfpack workshop is, I think, one of the best things out there. For those who didn't hear you talk about it, maybe just give us a couple minutes of the Wolfpack workshop.

Yeah, I'm gonna start with kind of the inception of the idea and go back a little bit, but so bear with me if you've heard this before and I certainly appreciate Darren you giving us shout outs on this thing. So we're really proud of this kind of notion of in-house differentiated professional development that we do at Winkler Middle School. So about three years ago, we've got some EOG, which is integrated testing data back that just didn't really represent Winkler Middle School and we weren't proud of. And Rebecca, our principal came to us and said,

What is something that we're average at? And this comes from Jimmy Casas' book, Culturized. So at the end of the first few chapters, he puts out a question to the reader of where you average in the building. And I wrote on my sticky note and gave to Rebecca that we are average in professional development in Winkler Middle School, in the building. No one was learning. No one was taking their professional development to the next level. Nobody was leading anything. And this went from top down. It was everybody from the principals to the school teachers to everybody. Nobody was doing anything to move the building in the...

and what we can take to implement in our classrooms for Winkler Middle School students. And that is much different than hiring someone to come in to talk, right? That is much different than someone coming in to talk to your staff that they don't know and they don't know your staff, they don't know your demographics and by the way, it costs money. So this is really kind of caught fire at Winkler. And I'm proud to say for the second, third year in a row, we're going on the third year since implementation. We have a Friday morning session every Friday morning.

We rarely take a Friday morning off where somebody is coming in to talk about something that is EDU relevant and is Winkler Middle School relevant. And that's really special. And not only are we learning from each other, which is incredibly positive and beneficial, but it's also empowering to those that are standing up there and, you know, getting out of their comfort zone. And then thirdly is building culture in a culture of learning that has just taken a mind, just taken off in a direction that I never would have thought.

some of the highest growth this school specifically since I have been here, saw. And can we accredit student achievement to some teachers hanging around on Friday morning and learning from each other? I don't know, but I think it trickles down and I think the positivity definitely got into student achievement into the classroom. So we are hoping that that'll happen again here in 24, 25. And we see that student achievement growth with the growth and the professional growth of our teachers.

Well, I think you could definitely say that that's a contributing factor. And I know you and I've talked numerous times about this. I think just the fact that it isn't just Friday mornings that teachers are talking about pedagogy. They're talking about it in the hallways. They're talking about it, you know, when they're walking together, when they're sitting and having lunch or whatever, you've created a culture that is genuinely focused on teaching and learning, like at all costs, like

this is who we are. This is what we're really about. It isn't just Friday morning show and tell it's it's genuinely, Hey, let's, let's get better at the work that we do and let's, let's share the things that, that, that work great. And I think the one thing, one of the things I love the most, I think it was this year you shared this with me, maybe it was last year, but I really think it was this year you had two brand new teachers presenting like in October. I mean, in

almost any school. New teachers are not speaking up in October their first year, but you had some first year teachers presenting, right?

Yeah. And we're really proud of that. And the Wolfpack Workshop structure gives them the opportunity to get outside of their comfort zone and present to their staff members in kind of a no stress environment. And what, and to your point, those three BT1s, by the way, that were presenting in August or October, September, whatever it was, they also went to NCMLE in March and presented at the state level. Right? So they felt good enough about their presentation that they came back together.

and then went to the North Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Conference in March and presented at the state level on. the topic itself is just incredible. It was about effective strategies to engage the adolescent brain. Right. So this is just incredible work that these college post college students are doing that are busy ones, right, that are doing an incredible job. And then presenting at the state level was just something we're really proud of. And they wouldn't have got that confidence and they wouldn't have got that feedback.

Yeah.

anywhere else unless they had that opportunity at Wolfpack Workshop. So I learned, I learned an incredible amount from them and Wolfpack Workshop. And then I was like, heck yeah, you can present it in CML Lee. And then they did the same thing there in March.

Yeah, I think it's fantastic. So, so let's let's talk about NCMLE. It's a perfect, perfect segue. End of March, Charlotte, folks, I'm telling you, I've said this, this is gonna be the third year that I've been to NCMLE. This is a national level conference, just just who's there, the how it's structured. I mean, all of that. This is like going to a national level conference.

in Charlotte, North Carolina. So David, let's kind of talk a little bit about, mean, you can kind of share a little bit about the conference, but I want to dig more into like your vision of where, you know, where it was compared to where it is now and where, where you see the conference going as, the conference director, as, the guy who does all the marketing and all that kind of stuff.

Yeah. So when I came on to NSEMLE as the marketing director, we were in a pretty tough spot. It was 2020 and we had to cancel the conference. We had been in Greensboro for many years before that with six to 700 attendees. And in 2020 we had to, we had to cancel the conference and we had a virtual conference that year. Well, things started to loosen up in 2021 and we were able to go live again.

And we moved the conference from Greensboro to Charlotte. And it was perfect. The Charlotte area, downtown area opened up the doors for this conference to do many more things. Not only is it a nice downtown area where people, it's kind of a destination for people to go to, but it also opened a door to the local airport, which I didn't know was going to happen. So with the local airport and for transportation, the way it was, it really opened up the door for people to come from out of state to join NCMLE at this conference.

we were able to bring in some pretty big names into the conference that we had never really capitalized on before. So you mentioned Jonathan Alzheimer was our keynote address for 23 and 24. And then Darren, you helped us with some closing stuff and some opening round table discussions last year as well. Again, this is your third year back and we are welcoming you this year as the keynote address on Monday morning. But.

between UI and some other connections, we were able to bring in a lot of individuals that are EDU experts from around the country that are flying into Charlotte to enjoy this state level conference. And it's a state level price. And to your point, it's kind of turned into what people kind of compare to as a nationally renowned conference. Just to name a few featured speakers that we got coming in this year, Charles Williams from Chicago is a social equity

Social Equity Expert. He's a principal at his school there in Chicago Public Schools. Mark Gibson Jr. also from Chicago is coming into North Carolina. Peacelone Joseph from South Carolina is really involved in the South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education and our organization and she is an instructional leadership coach that is coming into our conference. Baruti Kafele is coming back in 2025 from New Jersey. So there are some individuals

teacher for 15 years and this is the make or break years and I think we all know that. They come to us as elementary kids and they leave literally as adults. It seems like sometimes middle school is a really, really important time that doesn't always get the respect that it deserves, but is certainly a make or break few years for our kids. You will find 120 plus sessions on our schedule, which is live.

Yeah.

You will find that live link on our social media pages. You will find sessions from school leadership to social equity, to artificial intelligence, to teaching and learning, pedagogical practices, STEM-based instruction, literacy strategies, like everything in between. When I say that we have it all condensed into three days, you will not find a better price and a better group of individuals coming into one place that are passionate, excited.

Yeah, absolutely. A couple other featured speakers that, you know, are kind of like right up in the front of my mind right now. I know Charlie Peck, who you will not find a better person in the mental health space than Charlie Peck. Andrea Bittner.

Let's see, Dr. Frank Rudniewski, man, student leadership, especially middle school student leadership. Nobody does it better than Dr. Frank Rudniewski, Eric Francis, a man that's the list. The list just goes on and on. Dr. E.T., who I have not met yet. I can't wait to meet her. I think that's going to be be pretty amazing. It's it is genuinely, folks, one of the very best conferences in the country. So.

If you're sitting there thinking, hey, I still got a little bit of title money left or I got a little bit of PD money left. Spend it on NCMLE. We'll see you at the end of the month at NCMLE. definitely, definitely give me a lot of fun. Speaking of a lot of fun, speaking of something that's really cool. Culture First Classrooms is coming out really, really soon. And David, you are a contributor to the book.

Man, I'll tell you, Katie and I are both so excited that you are going to be a part of this or that you are a part of it. Not going to be you are the book is is going to be out any day. Talk a little bit about maybe I know you talk about building that culture of expectation you talk about it isn't just in the classroom you talk about when when you take your students on on field trips and some of that kind of stuff.

Let's, I want to hear it from you. the listeners hear it from you about some of what you've talked about in the book.

Yeah, I'm really proud to be part of that project with you, Darren and Katie Kinder, who I met last year and really connected with. And I really appreciate the opportunity to kind of get into that project. my specific piece of the book talks about setting expectations from the beginning of the year and how they can evolve into those expectations out of the classroom as well. So you mentioned field trips and things.

So I go into a story of in my writing about how every year we take our students in seventh grade to Charleston, South Carolina on a field trip. And that's a really important trip for us to take. And it's a lot of fun and all the adults are included. There's parents that go and we pack into three or four charter buses and we go overnight. We stay overnight. And you may think that I am absolutely out of my mind taking 200 seventh grade students.

out of town without their parents in a hotel, in a hotel, and then walking the streets of Charleston and enjoying, you know, taking in the history and taking in everything that Charleston, South Carolina has to offer, which is amazing. But that work starts on day one, right? And that's what I write about. And setting the expectations of your classroom and building the culture and the community in your classroom.

Yeah, you're out of your mind. Yeah, you're out of your mind. Yeah.

you can capitalize and you can leverage out of those four walls. And I talk about awards days and those kind of opportunities that you take kids, you're like, man, I don't know if I want to do awards day this year with this group of kids, right? But like a lot of times if you set the expectations and it's a culture of trust and it's a culture of, you know, high expectations, they're going to get to that level. And I tell a story about one of the tour guides saying,

You know, David, this is the best group of kids we have ever had. And I said, well, it wasn't an accident. Like she was surprised. Right. And then I tell her, listen, these kids know these kids know, you know, how, how to behave. They know how to show respect. They know how to talk to adults. They know how to talk to each other. And this is something we've been building for, you know, 180 days. and it doesn't start.

there it starts on day one. So that's what my chapter kind of goes into and I'm really proud of the work that these teachers do at Winkler Middle School about setting expectations, working through classroom contracts, working through those effective ways to build voice in the classroom and empowering students to take ownership. You're gonna have some rocky rocky roads, you're gonna have some some speed bumps along the way and you're gonna have a kid that's probably gonna do something that he shouldn't do in Charleston, but he knows he shouldn't do that.

because you've talked about it all year and it's not an accident, right? And you're going to have that conversation and you're going to reestablish that culture as soon as you get back. So I'm really proud of that writing and how it came back. And I think it really goes, it lends itself well to your vision in your book. I'm really excited to see it in print. And I'm really just proud of the school I'm a part of and the other teachers that kind of buy into

Yeah.

setting a culture that empowers kids to do the right thing rather than being demanders and being in yellers and those things that kids don't buy into because it's not an accident how they act. It's not an accident. And that's kind of what my chapter was about.

Yeah, that's it's amazing stuff, man. I just I'm so glad you had the opportunity to tell that story, both here and in the book as well. you know, Katie and Katie and I did get did an episode together a couple of weeks ago. And one of the things we were talking about as something that we didn't set out for, but that probably the thing Katie and I are most proud of. And I'll tell you this. I told Bradley Skinner when I recorded with him and I'll tell

every one of the 23 contributors to the book. What we didn't set out to do, but one of the things that is a really great outcome is being able to shine the spotlight and share the platform with 23 amazing educators all across the United States. And Katie and I are both just thrilled we have the opportunity to do that, to have the space to be able to do that, but certainly to be able to

you know, Sean, shine the spotlight on you. do such an incredible job of shining the spotlight on everybody who's a part of NCMLE and everything to do with Wolfpack Workshop. But to be able to put that spotlight on you and 22 other just amazing human beings who are doing things on behalf of kids is something that's really cool. So I'm grateful that you're a part of the project. I'm grateful for our friendship and our connection and I'm super excited.

to get to be in person with you here in just a few weeks at NCMLE. It's gonna be a blast.

I appreciate everything you do for the advocacy of our group and shining the spotlight on me. This is more than I could ever ask for. I'm just a seventh grade teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, but I appreciate your efforts and putting a spotlight on me and my school and NCMLE. Appreciate you, Darren.

Absolutely. Yeah. So people are going to want to get in touch with you. They're going to want to check you out. Check out NCMLE. How, do they get connected?

Yeah, so you can find me on X at heroic history 22. You can find me on Facebook at David James. I know there's a lot of David James is out in the world, but you can kind of connect with me through the EDU space. I'm a friend of Darren's on Facebook. Maybe you can find me there. But NCMLE has their own social media followings as well, and they're very active. You can find the schedule. You can find registration links. You can find.

graphics of all of our featured speakers that you're going to want to meet and network and learn from. You can, like I said, the schedule is live. All of those things are on our social media platforms on X at NC Middle on Facebook at the North Carolina Association for Middle Level Education on Instagram at NC Middle as well. And, you know, just connect with us if anything. And if you'd like to join us in March in Charlotte, North Carolina, which it'll be probably warmer, we're

than where you're at, it would be awesome to see you in person in Charlotte, March 23rd through the 25th.

Yeah, it's always a good chance, a good opportunity to go and thaw out a little bit. Folks, I'm telling you, it's going to be in the 70s, maybe even in the 80s. I know when I got on the plane from Omaha, I think it was last year, it was like 16 in Omaha and it was 75 or something when I landed in Charlotte. So definitely looking forward to that. Man, this has been awesome as always. David, I appreciate you so much.

And I really appreciate you joining me here on the Leaning Into Leadership podcast.

Appreciate you. See you soon.

okay.

All right, folks, I can't say enough about David James, just an absolutely wonderful human being, somebody over the last few years that I've built a really strong relationship with, really respect him, really think highly of him, and I cannot wait for NCMLE. If you're not attending NCMLE and you have the opportunity still, maybe you get a little bit of money left in your budget and you're like, hey, where do I want to go? Folks, the weather will be beautiful in Charlotte. The hotel is fantastic. I'm doing the keynote. Get on down.

to Charlotte the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of March for NCMLE. I hope to see you there. Now it's time for a pep talk. Today I wanna just be real short and sweet with the pep talk, but I gotta share a message that I got earlier this week. As I was working on some of the kind of final thoughts around my keynote address for the North Carolina Mid-Level Educator Conference, I was reflecting back to my days as a middle school teacher.

For those of you who don't know, my first five years as a teacher, I was a middle school teacher. I taught eighth grade science. I was a football coach, a basketball coach. I even coached baseball for one year. And as I'm doing this work, I get a message from one of my former players who I had at the middle school level. We've stayed close all these years later. And he just reached out to share a pretty big accomplishment in his professional career.

The fact that one, he wanted to reach out and tell me about it, I thought was amazing, but it was something he said in the message. He said, thank you for being who you are. I wouldn't be where I am without you. Folks, the work that we do in education isn't always about what we see upfront. So often the payoff comes way down the road. Now, in this young man's case, this is somebody that I honestly, coached

27 or 28 years ago, something like that. And yes, we stayed close. I was on a coaching staff with his dad at a point in time. But the fact that he brought that up, that he said, you know, hey, I wouldn't be where I am without you. Folks, that's what we really do in education. Remember, we're in the people business and the work that we do is about growing people and we don't see the payoff.

typically right there in that school year. And you're never gonna see that payoff. You're never going to feel that payoff in somebody's test score. Don't ever forget that. We are in the people business. Our work is about growing and improving people. And somewhere down the line, it'll happen for you as well, where you'll get that message. Somebody will reach out and say, man, I can't thank you enough for being who you are. I wouldn't be where I am without you.

Folks, that's what I've got for you this week. I guarantee you are planting those exact same seeds and you will see those types of payoffs as well. Thank you so much for joining me here on the Leading Into Leadership podcast. Get out there, have a road to awesome week.