News — Page 4 of 8 — Pri Educational Consulting

May 21, 2022

Saying Goodbye

It’s that time of year again in schools, a time for saying goodbye.

May and June are filled with transitions: graduations, retirements, faculty and staff movement, and more. The way a community manages transitions matters and reflects upon that community’s mission, vision, and values. How do you say goodbye and why is it important?

“The way we gather matters.” states Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering, How We Meet and Why It Matters. She defines gathering as “the conscious bringing together of people for a reason.” Priya Parker goes on to say that when we gather together, we “exchange information, inspire one another, test out new ways of being together” to name a few outcomes. Nonetheless, we spend very little time intentionally planning and thinking about the ways we gather.

Gathering to say goodbye is the bringing together of people to honor a person or people as they move on.

April 27, 2022

Leading with Equanimity

Do you lead with equanimity? What does equanimity mean to you? When I first heard the phrase ‘lead with equanimity’, I would imagine someone who was standing still in the middle of chaos, someone who did not waver or show emotion, someone who did not react and was ultimately possibly ineffective. To me, this is no longer a true or complete version of leading with equanimity.

My Early Thoughts

When I first started my journey into leadership, I found that I became easily tightly attached to an idea or plan. I had thought long and hard about how the plan was going to work and stuck to it. Sometimes, I was so attached to the plan or idea that I could not see some pitfalls, unintended consequences, alternative ways to proceed, or necessary course changes. Other times, I found myself so averse to an idea or plan that I could not possibly see a way for it to work.

April 25, 2022

Michelle Harrison

I have been working with Pri for the past year and a half to become the leader I strive to be. She supports me to process, reflect, and navigate a variety of new and sometimes challenging situations always grounding our work in what is best for students. Her wealth of knowledge, experience, patience, and compassion have been my steady companions throughout my journey as a new administrator. Pri helps me to be better at my job each and every day.
-Michelle Harrison, Lower Division Head, The Evergreen School

April 25, 2022

Gretchen Tapscott

We were fortunate enough to work with Pri in revamping our Apprentice Teacher Training Handbook. Her thoughtful suggestions, examples of “best practices” and conversations improved our handbook and most importantly our Apprentice and Mentor teacher experience in a myriad of ways. She is a skilled coach of teachers at all levels of expertise and helped create an observation and feedback system that is effective and cohesive. Her wealth of experience and listening skills are outstanding-highly recommended!
-Gretchen Tapscott, Co-Director of Apprentice Teacher Training Program, New Canaan Country School, New Canaan Country School

April 25, 2022

Dr. Sally Maxwell

Working with Pri helped me clarify my enduring priorities, basic beliefs, and ethical commitments. I was able to work on myself in very reflective ways and get tactical about immediate decisions and next steps. Leadership is always a growth opportunity, but since I worked with Pri, I think that I learned more and I had fewer missteps. Since leadership can be both lonely and impactful, taking care of my own development became a way for me to take care of the folks I led.
-Dr. Sally V. Maxwell, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning, MICDS

April 8, 2022

One Set of Values is all You Need

I had to code-switch as a kid living in a Sri Lankan immigrant household and then going to a suburban predominantly white school in New Jersey.

On a daily basis, I switched who I was depending on where I was.

Do you have one set of values for how you show up at work and another for at home? Ideally, you should be able to be the same person at work as you are at home, with some small changes (maybe no pajamas at work). For some, this is a privilege that we do not even notice and for others, it may feel like a luxury. In fact, we all should be able to show up with one set of values that is true for us in both settings.

The Importance of Values

When I begin coaching a new client, we often work through a values exercise. We use a list of values and narrow our way through to the few values that are most meaningful for the client.

March 18, 2022

Get Out of Your Own Way

I learned to get out of my own way from my daughter. At age 17, she started her own company, Celia Swimwear.

My husband and I didn’t even know she had done this until she needed our, over 18 adults, help to establish her LLC and open bank accounts. She has always been a visual artist and a seamstress since she was little. She designed her own swimsuits and tried sewing them. She realized that sewing swimsuits were difficult, the material, the stitching, etc. That did not stop her. She found a manufacturer who would produce her designs and who shared her values. She set up an online shop and got to work. Her sales were not taking off on her first line. That did not stop her. She learned about advertising on social media. She was hit with a large and unexpected customs bill. That was a big one!

February 28, 2022

Stephanie Wright

Patient, knowledgeable and supportive, Pri is a wonderful coach with great insights into how schools operate. Whether approaching conversations about students, parents, or fellow educators, she begins with what is best for kids and then uses her deep knowledge of education to guide our conversations. I have developed into a better school leader because of my work with her.
-Stephanie Wright, Ph.D., Director of Programs, Rainier Scholars

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February 24, 2022

Start Small to Make Big Change

In the last few years, my son has become an avid climber. He loves to scale the indoor climbing walls as well as make his way up to some actual mountains. Of course, I found this terrifying as his mother. One look at the heights and steep climbs and I was scared. He took me once to an indoor climbing gym and I watched as he took one small part of the wall at a time, sometimes trying the same foothold and spot multiple times. I found this to be an intriguing and valuable lesson. One mistake I often make in my life is that when I want to make a change, I start with a BIG idea or vision and leap in with lots of energy trying to get directly to my end goal. As I watched my son practicing securing each foothold, I realized that he was teaching me something important.

February 15, 2022

Lucinda Lee Katz

I have been lucky enough to have worked with Pri for more than 15 years. In that time, I have seen her shine as a division head, teacher leader, and curriculum specialist. She is deeply knowledgeable and invested in the entire ecosystem of the school while honoring the relationships between teachers, students, staff, and parents. She is especially gifted in working with students who have different learning styles and abilities. As a talented educator who will help your school community learn and grow, Pri will bring life to culturally diverse topics and issues, support parents through the various stages of a child’s development, and groom teachers to their highest level of professionalism.
I can think of no better guide and talent than Pri Alahendra.
Lucinda Lee Katz, Ph.D., Retired Head of School, The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Marin Country Day School