Reading Think Faster, Talk Smarter by Matt Abrahams reminded me that good communication is not just about what you say. It’s about how you make people feel while you’re saying it. One of the final ideas in the book stood out more than any technique or structure: “People do not remember every word you say.Continue reading “More Than the Right Words”
Author Archives: Nick
What Do We Make of a Life?
On the way back from a camping trip on the coast, I downloaded and listened to a dystopian novel from the 1990s – I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. As I listened, my mind regularly went to The Life of Chuck that Morgan and I saw a few weeks ago. On theContinue reading “What Do We Make of a Life?”
It’s Not Your Job to Have All the Answers
The author reflects on “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott, emphasizing that effective leadership involves fostering collaboration rather than simply providing answers. By shifting from directing to guiding and prioritizing listening, principals can create a supportive environment. They intend to frame future discussions around helping staff perform their best work.
What To Do With 39 Years
Morgan and I went to Tower Theater to see The Life of Chuck this week. When it finished, I felt like I needed to watch it again to be able to fully process it. It’s a story about time, memory, and what it means to have a life at all. Without giving too much away,Continue reading “What To Do With 39 Years”
People Change
Earlier this year, at the recommendation of a good friend, I read The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin. It’s one of those memoirs that doesn’t follow a straight line. It’s jagged. Raw. Funny when it shouldn’t be. Honest when it would have been easier not to be. Hardin was a suburbanContinue reading “People Change”
Reclaiming Attention
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt articulates something I believe many of us (both inside and outside the world of education) have been feeling for quite some time. The book is both a diagnosis and a call to action. Haidt lays out the deep connections between rising rates of anxiety and depression in young peopleContinue reading “Reclaiming Attention”
Why Is Change So Hard?
That’s the question at the heart of Switch by Chip and Dan Heath. And to their credit, they don’t answer it with vague ideas or motivational fluff. They answer it with clarity, story, and a framework that actually makes sense. The basic idea is this: if you want change to happen, you must address bothContinue reading “Why Is Change So Hard?”
The Truth Is Not a Luxury
Earlier this summer, I read The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. The novel is historical fiction, but it moves like a courtroom drama, a mystery, and a personal reckoning all at once. Set in 1789 Maine and based on the real-life diary of Martha Ballard, the story revolves around a midwife who becomes entangled inContinue reading “The Truth Is Not a Luxury”
Let’s Mean What We Do
I recently finished All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, and I keep coming back to one line: “Do something meaningful, or maybe just mean everything you do.” That sentence is sticking with me. It is simple but pointed, and it captures what the book seems to ask of its characters and readersContinue reading “Let’s Mean What We Do”
The Numbers Don’t Lie. But That Doesn’t Mean We Understand Them.
I just finished The Math of Life and Death by Kit Yates. Yates walks the reader through stories where a misunderstanding of math led to bad decisions, dangerous outcomes, or even tragedy. It’s not a book about how to do math. It’s a book about how math already shapes our lives, whether we realize itContinue reading “The Numbers Don’t Lie. But That Doesn’t Mean We Understand Them.”
Mr. Zerwas Teaches Here 