Aspire Mailbag: EQ Over Ego & Navigating School Politics
Aspiring leaders asked: How do you lead with emotional intelligence (EQ) instead of ego, and navigate school politics without getting burned? In this bonus Aspire Mailbag with Jeff Gargas (COO, Teach Better), Joshua Stamper dives into self-awareness, empathy, humility, and building feedback loops to ditch ego-driven decisions for people-first leadership. They also tackle the politics…
369. The Science of School Discipline: Featuring Nathan Maynard
What happens when discipline shifts from punishment to teaching? In this important conversation, Joshua Stamper and Nathan Maynard unpack the ideas behind Nathan’s new book The Science of Discipline, exploring how schools can move from compliance-driven systems to accountable, trauma-informed practices that actually change behavior. Nathan shares what he has learned working with struggling schools…
368. Every Child Deserves a Team: Featuring Kurtis Hewson
How can schools ensure every student benefits from collective expertise without overwhelming teachers with endless meetings? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper talks with Kurtis Hewson, co author of Collaborative Response and co founder of Jigsaw Learning, about a school wide model that replaces fragmented teams with purposeful, layered collaborative structures centered…
367. The Science of Kindness and Belonging: Featuring Dr. Christopher Culver
What happens when we decide to be present, patient, and kind in the middle of one of the hardest stretches of the school year? In this week’s episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper welcomes back Dr. Christopher Culver to explore the science of kindness and belonging, the impact of chronic stress on educators, and…
366. Designing Routines for Executive Function Growth: Featuring Sarah Oberle
What if students’ “attention problems” were really a mismatch between how the brain works and how we structure learning? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper talks with first grade teacher, cognitive science scholar, and author Sarah Oberle about what executive functions actually are, core and higher order cognitive processes like working memory,…