Being a principal is my passion; a role that I am grateful to have and enjoy *almost* every day. While their are many positives to school administration, one of the pitfalls is the isolation that comes with being an administrator. I have previously written and shared in presentations (along with Curt Rees, Jay Posick and Matt Renwick) that is like being on Admin Island. 
I have to honestly say, that I don’t know how I could do this job without being a connected educator. I learn so much everyday from other educators across the world on Twitter, Voxer, Blogs, and Pintrest everyday. I am certain that if I were to go back into the classroom, I would be a far more effective teacher today than before I was connected.
One of my greatest connections has been with Spike Cook and Theresa Stager through creating the #principalpln podcast, a weekly (ok, almost weekly) podcast focused on providing current and aspiring school leaders with advice, support and ideas. About a year ago we embarked on an exciting journey to write about how getting connected can help break out of isolation, but also address how being connected can also lead to isolation (quite a pardox!)
Getting connected is one thing, and many educators are taking the plunge to become connected. Once connected, how does the leader avoid the isolation inherent in leadership? We have learned from conversations with others that many educators need help balancing their connected journey, and working with their peers. We wrote this book to ensure that the leadership wheels do not fall off.
In this book we help the readers understand the importance of being connected to benefit individual professional learning, mindfulness, and avoiding the traps of isolation . We use vignettes of leaders to give a picture of what the connected leader looks like. We also address the common challenges that come with being connected, such as criticism, isolation and battling mindset.
Pre-orders are available by visiting the Corwin site.
I am excited to announce that this book is now off to the printers and should be out by the end of this month!
I agree 100% that being connected has changed my professional world! I am a MUCH better principal because of my connectedness. I know this will be a great read!
I just pre-ordered the book this morning! I started my administrative career about the same time you three started #PrincipalCast a couple years ago. This helped me get more connected both within my state organization and with you on Voxer & Twitter. That led to learning from other great educators like @techninjatodd, Todd Whitaker, Joe & Tony, and the list goes on. Thank you for helping me start my career learning from so many motivating people.
Congrats Jessica, Spike, and Theresa!