During the last few months, I have had the chance to talk with several speakers who strongly affected their audiences. I started to think about the remarkable leaders with whom I have worked over the years and how they have made huge differences with their incredible wisdom, insights, and actions. I contacted some of them and asked them to comment on working in education in these difficult times. I asked them to share some take-away messages, so that, if they were speaking, what would they want their audience to remember?
School safety was a front page story following the tragic shooting deaths of 28 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Students need a safe school to learn. Most of these "Tips from the Trenches" regarding school safety were written before the Connecticut shootings.
Joseph Bergant II, superintendent of Chardon Schools in Ohio, where in February 2012 a 17-year-old student opened fire in the high school cafeteria, killing three and wounding three others:
- "Be prepared and practice school safety plans. You never know when you may need them."
- "Cell phones were effective in dealing