The Principal Who Made School the Best Part of Each Student's Day

The Principal Who Made SCHOOL the Best Part of Each Student's Day is a story for children and school leaders.

For children ... Bodie lost his mother a month before the first day of middle school. He was raw with pain and hopelessness until he met his principal, Ms. Fiona. Ms. Fiona had a gift - she could make an ordinary day, extraordinary.

For school leaders ... Simply by rethinking how they schedule their time each day, principals have opportunities to inspire, even transform, students' lives. After losing his mother, Bodie was filled with anxiety when he started middle school. He represents many children who walk through our school doors stymied by anxiety over what is happening in their lives away from school. On the outside, the anxiety may not show, but inside their hearts hurt. The author includes numerous leadership messages, and challenges principals to unpack the messages and discover students' hearts. Will you, as a school leader, spend your day connecting to your students or working in your office, on your computer? Will you clock hours reading emails, attending meetings, and completing bureaucratic checklists or use your gifts to make students' days extraordinary?

Joyce Stewart spent 40 years as a teacher, elementary principal, middle school principal, and deputy superintendent. She spent most of her time in schools with students, teachers, and principals. She saw firsthand how teachers and principals influence lives when focused on each student's human dignity - and upon making school the best part of each student's day.