Leading Beyond Comfort: Why Great Principals Invite Dissent

In this episode of Linking Leaders, Dr. Alicia Bowman sits down with 2026 Connecticut High School Principal of the Year, Anthony “T.J.” Salutari, for a candid and energizing conversation about his experiences leading Daniel Hand High School in Madison. From an unexpected nudge into the principalship to over two decades of educational leadership, T.J. shares how he’s learned to adapt his leadership style, center relationships, and stay grounded in a role that’s equal parts rewarding and relentless. 

T.J. offers a powerful look inside a school culture built on belonging, where dissent isn’t just welcomed—it’s expected. He also gets real about the emotional weight of the job and the importance of boundaries. This episode is a must-listen for current and aspiring leaders who want practical insight, honest reflection, and a reminder of why this work matters so deeply.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

Speaker 0:02

Hi, and welcome to the Linking Leaders Podcast. Linking Leaders Podcast features tandem conversations with top educational leaders who come together to share experiences and explore pathways to success. In each episode, we engage with dynamic leaders to uncover real-life stories, practical strategies, and bold insights on timely and relevant topics. Listen up to link up, and let us help you expand your network of innovation and support.

Speaker 1 0:36

Hello, listeners. Welcome to the Linking Leaders podcast. This is your host, Dr. Alicia Bowman, and today I have the privilege to chat with our recently named 2026 Connecticut Association of Schools, High School Principal of the Year, Anthony T.J. Salutari. T.J. is the proud principal of Daniel Hahn High School in Madison, Connecticut. Impressively, T.J. has spent the past 22 years as a school principal and 13 of those leading the Daniel Hand Tigers, the community that he calls home. I'm excited to uncover how T.J. has sustained his drive and passion over the past two decades and to share this inside look with the school leaders across Connecticut and beyond. T.J., thank you so much for joining me on the Linking Leaders podcast. Let's dive in.

Speaker 2 1:26

Thank you, Alicia. Really happy to be here. I appreciate the invitation.

Building A Culture Of Belonging

Speaker 1 1:31

It's gonna be fun. So just to ground our listeners in your work and your world, can you paint a picture of your school community, who you serve, what matters most at Daniel Hand, and what makes your leadership context unique?

Speaker 3 1:46

Absolutely. Thank you. So, Daniel Hand, we're a school of just over 700 students. Our enrollment has dropped pretty steadily over the decade, but we're finally bottoming out, which is pretty exciting to start getting increased enrollment. What matters most to me here is that first and foremost, our students and staff feel like they're respected and really feel like they belong here. And ultimately, our work is to ensure all of our students are prepared to be successful, no matter their path after graduation from our school. And I really want our students to enjoy their experience here. You know, I want the staff to enjoy working here. I would say one of my unique strengths, you know, if I had to look at that context, just based on so many years of experience, is my ability and willingness to purposefully adjust my approach in response to a particular situation. I think all leaders have their go-to style of leadership. With that said, from my experience for over a couple of decades as a principal, I've really learned the importance of adjusting my approach or response to each situation while ensuring clarity and consistency in my decisions.

Why He Chose The Role

Speaker 1 3:01

Certainly, to be successful over two decades, you really have to be adaptive, right? And kind of lead depending on your context or the times and what the people in front of you need. So that's great. When you can think back, so think back a little a bit. What drew you to the principalship and really what keeps you grounded in this role, even on some of the hard days?

Speaker 3 3:23

That's a great question. What's really interesting, I think like a lot of teachers, I initially had absolutely no interest in the principalship whatsoever. And it wasn't because of any negative reasons. I just really didn't know what the principal actually does. And one of my mentor teachers, early, early on in my teaching career, we were sitting together at a meeting and he just kind of tapped me on the shoulder and encouraged me to consider getting a degree in educational leadership and moving into a leadership role. I remember like very, very vividly, he said, you know, you'd be really good at this. And that one nudge from a teacher who I really respected a lot, you know, made me consider and start looking into 092 programs for educational leadership. And I'm really glad I did. You know, my ultimate role here is ensuring teachers do great work in the classroom. And, you know, I do look at myself to stay grounded as customer service. You know, I'm pretty well paid customer service, you know, and the students and teachers are the main customers. You know, I always look at those really hard days, and sometimes there's a lot of them. They have potential to disrupt the learning environment. And I stay grounded because I know the importance of my role is to deal with those situations that can certainly make some of my days hard, but to ensure that nothing negatively impacts the work of the teachers and the students. Like I genuinely love the principalship. It's a really challenging position. It probably isn't for everyone, but for those interested, it really is a great gig.

Dissent As A Leadership Duty

Speaker 1 5:05

I would agree. It is maybe one of my most favorite gigs. And you're right, that that ability to stay even and calm and in those most difficult times, because everyone is your customers are looking at you, you know, for that sense of calm and clarity in times of disruption. And so providing that is definitely a gift to those that you lead. So, T.J., in your application, you spoke a little bit about dissent. Why do you believe that dissent is a leader's obligation? And what does that mean uh for your approach to leadership?

Speaker 3 5:39

That over time, you know, I've really looked at the principalship as an overwhelming job that is borderline impossible to be good at. There's so many responsibilities. And I found a really interesting article several years ago on, you know, it was on one of a post on Harvard Business Review. It was titled True Leaders Believe Descent is an obligation. A couple of pages, quick and easy read. And it actually talks about, you know, a business model where no matter someone's status, like, you know, a first-year employee versus someone who's been there for decades, if everyone is willing and not comfortable, comfort's overrated. You know, we have to be willing to have difficult conversations. If people are willing to share what we can do better without fear of any retribution or retaliation, all of us are certainly way smarter than any one of us. And at the start of every school year, actually, you know, years ago when I was a teacher, you'd go to your mailbox and get the school year is coming letter, and you'd be excited and a little upset. Now we send an email, and I send that letter every year and ask everyone to read it, you know, current staff, new staff, and I talk about that at the beginning of every first staff meeting. That this is my expectation that if the if we can do something better, even if it was a decision I made, come and see me. We'll have a really open conversation, and we've really grown as a school where I think teachers and staff feel trusted and respected because their input matters. And we take that approach with students too, you know. And I I've been talked out of many decisions that I thought were great because someone gave me a better suggestion. But I really, when I first sent that article, one of my veteran chemistry teachers, you know, kind of leaned in my door and said, Well, I have dissent to share. Is it really okay? And I'm like, Come on in, Chris. And she, you know, she she was the first one, and she really you know spread the word after she left my office and said, He really means what he says. And I think that approach has really helped create a school where you know, 150 people, no matter their role, have input that's important so they feel respected, and our students know their voice is important too, and really trying to build way beyond comfort. You know, no one grows in their comfort zone. So getting people willing to, you know, walk in my office and have a conversation about something that they think we can do better. So it's a great article. I, you know, a quick search online. I would suggest principals send that out if they're willing. But if you send it, you have to be willing to follow it. You know, just sending it certainly not enough.

Boundaries And Principal Self-Care

Speaker 1 8:32

Yes. Yes, it's definitely in those times of discomfort that we learn the most for sure. So principals carry a lot for students, for families, staff, and just the system as a whole. How do you manage that emotional weight and how do you really take care of you?

Speaker 3 8:52

Great question. And I I would agree, we certainly carry a lot. And it is, you know, it's a 365-day-a-year job. You know, some days are a little easier or less going on like a summer, but I think it's important that someone is really aware of this before considering taking on the principal ship. You know, I asked myself two questions at the end of every single day. One of those, which sounds possibly wrong, but I'll explain it, is did I abuse my power? And number two is did I make my decisions in the best interest of students? If I could say no to abusing my power and yes to best interest of students, I'm okay with the weight of the day. And the abuse my power, like this is a role, you know, my high school principal, you know, people stand up straighter sometimes when you walk down the hall or if they get called to my office. I never view my position like that. So I have to remember, like, I I'm purposeful to never send an email to a teacher that says, Hey, can we meet tomorrow at two o'clock? That is going to ruin the rest of their time until tomorrow at two o'clock. So if I do send that, I'll send it very specifically with why we're meeting, and I'll never send something negative. But I think those little things, like after three o'clock, I'll never send an email. I'll respond to one, but I'll never start one because if I start sending emails at four or five o'clock, my staff's going to think I expect them to be working at that time. And I certainly do not. So, big picture, there's a lot of weight, you know, emotionally with this position. I really pay attention to when I get home to leave it in my car, which isn't always easy. And my response to my wife every day, how was your day? It was a great day. I do think really taking care of yourself is crucial. The stress of the job could certainly be overwhelming. I try to manage that in healthy ways. You know, I make sure I eat well most of the time. I get a little bit of sleep, certainly not enough. But I exercise, this is my go-to very, very early in the morning when there's no distractions at all. So there's no text messages, emails. That's good for my physical health, and it also gets me grounded for the start of the school day. And my final suggestion for anyone who is thinking about or doing this job our to-do lists never end. You know, that's hard for me, concrete, sequential, you know, someone who has not a ton of patience in his personal life to understand at times at the end of the day, it's better to go home, you know, grab a cup of coffee and just take a break, as opposed to trying to chip away at that to-do list that will always be there. And that's taken me a while to learn. But sometimes I'll just walk by my two assistant principal's office and like, pack it up, we're leaving, no matter what you're doing, because it's been a long week. And that's a really healthy approach, but you have to be purposeful in making those decisions.

Advisory That Students Actually Value

Speaker 1 11:50

Yes, absolutely. It's like by saying no to something, you're saying yes to something else and creating those boundaries. It really isn't important, absolutely. So, in your application materials and in your site visit, it was evident that you have a very successful advisory model at hand. Can you just get specific for our listeners what's led to this success and how do you know it's having a positive impact on students?

Speaker 3 12:15

Great question. I love our advisory models. So uh several years ago, one of my social studies teachers was getting her 092 and asked if she can do her internship with me. And I always say yes with the asterisk that only if we're going to work on something meaningful. Like we have to do something that is either going to help our school help prepare you for the role if you're interested in taking that step, or something that would fit under the meaningful category. So, you know, we had some version of advisory that was super unpopular with our staff. Our students kind of rolled their eyes. It was like a almost like a comparison to a faculty meeting that could have just been an email and you know, not super effective. So we looked at the CASEL framework, you know, started to really pay attention to social and emotional well-being and building connections and relationships in our school, which I do think our staff does a great job with. And we created a model with student input, with teacher input that had a pretty minimal impact on the overall schedule. Because you know, in high school, especially, people worry about instructional minutes pretty significantly for good reason. And we rolled this out for every single grade level and you know, took some lumps the first year or two because for a junior or senior, they're like, What is this? Why are we doing it? For some of the teachers, they weren't really interested in the relationship side or missing time out of teaching content. But we knew if we stood our ground, you know, and kept taking input where we asked students lots of questions, teachers at faculty meetings, numerous opportunities to give us feedback. We saw, you know, start to make the connections with the relationship piece. And what's really intriguing, the students who now come to the high school, it's part of our culture. So, you know, the I haven't my own advisory, which is really cool. Each administrator does. My group this year is a group of seniors. I know this group of seniors more than any group of seniors I've ever known. My 16. And you know, it will be extra special and extra sad when they walk across the stage and shake my hand in June because of those connections we've developed. And those relationships go a really long way in building culture, creating an environment where people feel like they have at least one connection with an adult and feel like they belong. But it also, you know, we we cover big topics, you know, about suicide prevention, about violence in schools. And if kids hear anything, the importance of making us aware as soon as possible. So it's really positive, and we balance it with wellness Wednesday, we call it. So every fourth Wednesday, because our advisory meets on Wednesday, we shut school down for a half an hour and everyone just takes a break. And most kids go to the cafeteria or outside. I go and hang out in our bagel line and just get to the kids for the half an hour. It's good for your mental health to understand that it's okay to take a break. You know, this is a high performing high school with a lot of pressure. For the whole school community to see us just shut down for a half an hour has been really positive and advisory. Like again, I'll be genuinely sad when my kids graduate and I'll be excited for my new freshman next year, but it's really grown into part of our culture now. And, you know, we endured the first couple of years, which which were challenging to say the least, based on feedback. But we we accepted that feedback and made the necessary adjustments.

A Bold Fifth Year Proposal

Speaker 1 15:57

That's great. That sounds so powerful. It's just when we talk about what matters most, like belonging and mattering in schools, that's just a way to bring that to scale. That's awesome. So let's imagine and dream, T.J. If you're given an innovation grant, no restrictions, what bold idea or initiative would you launch at Daniel Hand High School?

Speaker 3 16:19

Yeah, that's a great question. Let me know where I can apply for this grant, and that'd be pretty awesome.

Speaker 1 16:25

So it's really good.

Speaker 3 16:26

Yeah. So one of the things I've noticed, I've been a high school principal for the past 13 years. You know, that the pressure that seniors have to endure to make major life decisions about their futures when some are 17 years old, most are 18, some are 19, I I see that that as you know, sometimes harmful to kids. You know, the stress it causes is unfortunate. I never ask a senior, what's your plan for next year? Because that's the most stressful question they get. And I stay away with it. So if I had a grant with no restrictions, I would create a fifth year of high school that had nothing to do with classes at all, and would give students an opportunity to deeply explore, explore, or be exposed to some of the future plans they're considering before making that big decision. You know, giving a student a chance to see what it's like to be in the major they're considering and work a 40-day work, a 40-hour work week might be really helpful. To have someone have a good experience to go and live in a little dorm room for a little while, you know, based on the differences from living at home or, you know, learning about some other professions that they never even considered before their important decision, I think would be so helpful for our students. And there's really not time, you know, in their senior year. And when you look at the number of kids, like we're mostly a college prep high school. Most of our students, 96 plus percent go to four-year colleges. The number of kids who change their majors is so significant and follows the national trends. I think that's because we ask young adults to make decisions with no experience. I'd love to give them some of those experiences before making those decisions. And I think a lot of kids would embrace that. And it would be, I think, something that could be pretty powerful in moving forward into you know being a little more confident in the decision one has made.

Hope For Teaching And Leadership

Speaker 1 18:38

Yeah, that's cool. So looking ahead, when you think about your students and staff and the systems you're shaping, what feels most hopeful about the future of your school or of our profession?

Speaker 3 18:49

Right. Sometimes it's hard to be hopeful of our profession because nationally, you know, the education system is under attack or at least criticized. And I think it's unfair. You know, teachers do the most important job in the world. You know, nothing is more important. And for teachers, especially to be criticized is just inappropriate in my mind. And it always makes me sad when I hear someone who's currently a teacher or administrator who wants to leave the profession before they get to retirement. And even, you know, more concerning is when I try to promote these positions, like become a teacher. Have you thought about being a principal? To hear people saying, I would never want to do that job. You know, that that's really concerning. And I mentioned it a few minutes ago. I do think teaching, most important profession in the world, what I really like to focus on is a really rigid hiring process to ensure we get the best faculty and staff. And then after you hire them, the support we have to put in place, not just for new hires, but for the entire staff, has to be our priority. I let the staff know at the beginning of the year, and I say it every single year, that their priorities have to be their health, their family, and then their job in that order. My actions support that statement. And I would say the Daniel Hann faculty and staff leave exhausted every day from the incredible work they do.

Speaker 1 20:21

Yeah.

Speaker 3 20:22

Most, if not all of them, would I think they would say they feel really supported and proud to work at Daniel Hann. I think our role as leaders, if we want to be effective, we have to support the staff and students to really ensure they can do the work that we're expecting them to do. And as the principal, although the job could be overwhelming, I never forget what it's like to be a teacher, you know, and how important it is to make them my priority. That gives me a lot of hope because there's such great energy in the building here. Kids like school, and it's a really rigorous school with expectations that are extensive. The staff and faculty work so hard they're exhausted. But people are proud to work here, and the students understand it's a special place. That gives me a lot of hope. You know, I tap kids all the time. You'd be a great teacher. I twist arms almost physically with some of my staff. You would be a great administrator. What can I do to get you enrolled in a program?

Speaker 1 21:23

Uh-huh.

Speaker 3 21:23

Those are the hopeful moments because education is as important as anything else in the world. And I think our kids and teachers and other staff should really enjoy the experiences.

Lightning Round Leadership Snapshot

Speaker 1 21:35

Absolutely. All right, T.J., we're gonna pick up the pace. It's time for our night round. So I'm gonna ask you some questions and just give me quick instinctive responses. This is designed to give listeners a snapshot of your leadership style and your personality. So just no overthinking, just roll with it.

Speaker 21:53

All right.

Speaker 1 21:54

Can you do that? Can you just loosen up your tie a little bit?

Speaker 3 21:57

Yeah, I think I can. And I would say some people would probably say. I can't do that, but I think I could.

Speaker 1 22:02

I think you can. All right. Your favorite school tradition or event?

Speaker 3 22:09

I like our senior picnic day. You know, the seniors celebrate as a class. They all dress up in their school color, which is blue for their class. And the energy and positivity around that day is fantastic. And it ends in a school-wide pep rally that the energy is electric. And people leave and are so excited about a great day. We typically do it on a home football game where all that energy then carries over with our student section. That's a really fun day. You know, I that tradition is exciting. We even have our band do a wake-up call. They go through the halls playing the fight song for Daniel Hank High School. And the energy is, you know, borderline explosive. Some teachers take a sick day that day because it's too much, and I respect it completely. But it is a really, really exciting day to see the energy from the kids is really why we come to school. And they love that day.

Speaker 1 23:14

That's cool. Complete this sentence. A phrase I say so often my staff could mimic me is.

Speaker 3 23:22

Oh, that's a good question. I always say you rock. You know, like that's we do so much good work here. Sometimes I take it for granted, but I try to pay attention to, you know, the great work they're doing. So I've received some recognition, which you know, I'm getting a little bit used to now. At first, it was a little more well, the number of people have just said, you rock, you know, and like, how are you saying that? And they're like, you say that all the time. And that is it's actually pretty funny. But you know, you those that's probably my go-to line trying to commend the great work our staff is doing here on a regular basis.

Speaker 1 23:58

That's awesome.

Speaker 3 24:00

If you weren't an educator, you'd probably be a I would love to be a lead singer of a rock band, but I probably don't have the talent for that, but it would be really cool. You know, it that's a really good question. I never thought beyond that because I always wanted to be an educator. The best advice you've ever received as a school leader to spend the majority of the time and energy and attention on the people who are on board and willing to do the good work. Because there's always going to be some people who, no matter what, will not get on the bus with you. I originally thought in these leadership roles to spend a lot of time. That's a waste of time. You're not moving those people if they're not bad for kids and they're doing their work. I don't give them much, if any, attention. I put all my energy into the people who want to move forward with us. And that was a pretty significant shift. And one of my mentor principals, when I was a middle school principal, sat with me and said, Hey, you know, don't waste your time on that group. It's a very small group in most schools. They're not worth the energy. And that was some of the best advice I've ever received.

Speaker 1 25:17

Yeah. A book or podcast or resource that you always recommend to leaders.

Speaker 3 25:23

A simple one is a quick article about finding your marigolds. That is an article that compares, you know, different personalities in buildings. You know, marigolds are plants that are supposed to improve the other plants around them. And the article compares the marigold to the walnut tree, which kills everything around it. You know, and my my staff will say regularly, I'm looking for marigolds, you know, to work in our building to have a really positive impact. And it's pretty powerful when I send that article. That's another one I send in the beginning of every year, that we really aren't accepting the walnut trees in our culture. And the fact that we encourage people to dissent, there is no reason to be a walnut tree. First, no one wants to be around you if you're making everything miserable. But that really quick read, I think, goes a long way. And I think the other one, change leadership, is a little outdated now. But what I like about that book and the first chapter, first sentence, you know, good is the enemy of great. And good enough is easy. I like the fact that we're always pushing to improve, even though we're doing so many good things here. I think that gets you in the framework where you can push your entire school community to move forward without everyone feeling like there's concerns. And that growth mindset is really powerful. So those are two pretty quick ones, but they're pretty powerful.

Speaker 1 26:55

Yeah, you know, having those shared readings or those common understandings that you can return to as a school community is so powerful because I can imagine you saying to each other, like, we need a little, a little more marigold and a little less walnut tree. And it kind of takes away the personal, makes people kind of think about it in a different way.

Speaker 3 27:13

But you know, I I have teachers sometimes say, 'I'm really being a walnut tree today.' Yeah, that's what they do. That's okay today. How can we flip it to being a marigold and having a really positive impact on our community?

Speaker 1 27:25

Totally. A song that perfectly captures the high school principal role somedays.

Speaker 3 27:33

Oh, that's a good question. Probably Twisted Sisters. I want to rock. You know, I think that might fit it because you really want to do great work, and sometimes you have to just leave your office and ignore everything that's waiting for you to get out and about and have an impact. But that's a good motivating, energizing song. You know, it has to be something really loud that everyone knows, and that fits.

Speaker 1 28:01

Your preferred way to recharge after a tough week.

Speaker 3 28:06

I'm an outside guy and I like to work out a lot. So that is probably number one on my list. You know, again, I'm a very, very, very early bird. I bought into the early bird philosophy. Those times where I could have some alone time, you know, physically pushing myself really help keep me grounded and motivated. Some days we have 10 or 12 or 14 meetings. It's hard to be active.

unknown 28:34

Yep.

Speaker 3 28:35

I don't work out on Christmas. That's it. One day off a year because it's really important to me, but I like to move.

Speaker 1 28:41

Yep. I do too. Um, let's end with this one. Something students might be surprised to know about me.

Speaker 3 28:51

I would say when I was in high school, I was very, very, very overweight. You know, I had the Italian mom, the Italian grandmother who pushed not only finishing everything on your plate, but round two. There was no such thing as a leftover.

Speaker 1 29:10

Yes.

Speaker 3 29:10

Yeah, it was.

Speaker 1 29:12

I have an Italian mom too.

Speaker 3 29:13

Oh, it was brutal, brutal. I loved it, but you know, I didn't realize how overweight I was. When I finally did at the end of my sophomore year, I committed. I said, I'm gonna lose weight and get in shape. I didn't know what that really meant. I went to some libraries, you know, things like the internet and stuff didn't exist back then to learn a little bit about how to get physically fit by diet and exercise because I always played sports. That summer I lost 88 pounds, which is pretty significant. Oh, yeah. And when I came back to school, no one, junior year, except my close friends who were with me over the summer knew who I was. I was even my baseball coach was my homeroom teacher. I, you know, varsity player for two years already. He didn't know who I was.

Speaker 1 30:01

Wow.

Speaker 3 30:02

It was pretty interesting to get all of the attention, but I also was borderline offended because I was the same person. And that that experience grounded me in my work with students now. You know, it's pretty easy to get to know the highest performing students who do the most work, as well as the students who are in your office for poor decisions regularly. I make it a priority to try and get to know all of the students, and it's because of that experience. You know, I think I was kind of you know invisible to the school, and then I get in shape, I come back, and everyone's giving me attention. That that was a very powerful experience for me, and it really drives how I try to connect with all the students I work with.

Quiet Pride And Student Relationships

Speaker 1 30:52

Thank you for sharing that. So before we wrap up, we'll just end with a few reflective questions. So, personally or professionally, what's something you're secretly proud of but rarely get asked about?

Speaker 3 31:06

That's a really good question. I I would say the relationships I develop with the students, I'm really proud of that. And literally, just the other day, just as an example, I had two students who made a bad decision. A teacher was very unhappy with them. They literally scheduled an appointment, not to try and get out of what they did, to sit and talk with me on how I think they should approach this to fix the relationship with the teacher. And they literally sat with me for about 45 minutes, and we had the, you know, you have to be willing to be engaged in a very difficult conversation here, and you're probably going to be really emotional. But just knowing like those two students were willing to come down made a really positive, touching impact on me. I had one of my current seniors, she said to me the other day, she was talking with her parents about me the other day. I was like, uh oh, you know, this is gonna be interesting. And she said that what we were talking about is how you hold everyone to high standards, but the kids all like you. And that that was meaningful because I I do want the kids to like me. So it's it's a really important role, and I think those connections with kids are so important, and I don't think everyone knows that because I meet with so many kids on their request privately to help them manage difficult situations, which is just like simply really cool.

What We Hear From Great Leaders

Speaker 1 32:38

It is simply really cool. It is. T.J., is there anything you'd like to ask me?

Speaker 3 32:44

Yes, I would love to ask you a good question. Hopefully, it's a good one. So you you do these podcasts with a lot of leaders and I appreciate the opportunity. Are there any common themes that you hear from leaders that make you hopeful about our important profession?

Speaker 1 33:03

Yes, definitely. I would say that originally when we came up with this idea to do the podcast, it really was to elevate the recognition that you're receiving as principal of the year, assistant principal of the year, and get to kind of share what it is that makes each of these leaders special, but also what drives them and sustains them in these roles. And so to me, what a common thread is is the passion and the love for leading. Like never once have I had one of these interviews where someone said, like, uh, you know, it's okay. It's like the energy and the passion and the love of the role is so apparent. And I hope that by having this podcast, we're sharing that side of leadership with our greater profession and those that may be potential aspiring leaders, and that now they have somebody that they know they can reach out to or turn to. But I would say the common thread is really that passion and you know, the drive to want to lead and do this work.

Speaker 3 34:06

That's a great answer and great to hear because I do I want people to want to do these jobs.

Speaker 1 34:11

Me too.

Speaker 3 34:12

I tell people I have the best job in town. You know, I say all the time, and I mean that. I really love the job.

How To Connect And Visit

Speaker 1 34:19

Yep. And finally, where can listeners go to learn more about you and your work?

Speaker 3 34:25

Good question. So I don't have any social media accounts. You know, maybe I should, but sometimes I see what's on social media accounts. I've leaned away from that. Our Danielhand.org website has a lot of good information. I'm also a sucker for a really good conversation about the work we're doing at Daniel Hand. I welcome anyone to call me, email. We have lots of people visit our school. I think those are practices that we don't embrace enough, especially learning from other educators. People have such good experiences, but education's pretty siloed. So anyone can reach out anytime. I'm again a sucker for a good conversation.

Speaker 1 35:05

Thank you. T.J., you rock. Thank you for joining me and congratulations on being named the Connecticut Association of Schools High School Principal of the Year. Your decades of leadership, your commitment to flexible and adaptive leadership approach, and the way that you invite voices and ideas of the school community to the table has been inspiring.

Speaker 3 35:28

Thank you very much. It's an honor to be recognized, and this just adds to the humbling experience. And again, I encourage people to consider education and leadership, you know, two of the best roles you can ever be in. So thank you very much.

Speaker 1 35:44

If you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure to subscribe to the Linking Leaders podcast, share this episode with a colleague, and continue the conversation in your own leadership communities. Thank you for tuning in, and until next time, keep linking your leadership to who and what matters most.

Speaker 36:05

Thanks so much for joining us for this episode of the Linking Leaders Podcast. This episode is brought to you by the Connecticut Association of Schools, serving schools and their leaders since 1935.