What does it look like to lead with love on an ordinary school day? For Jason Johnson, it can mean telling students over the morning announcements that he loves them, welcoming pushback from a teacher, or trusting a custodian to lead.

The EdLeader podcast returns as Dr. Rob Jackson sits down with his friend Jason Johnson, the 2026 National Principal of the Year and principal of Orange High School in North Carolina. Jason shares how listening to students talk about the school and the world they wanted helped draw him back to the principalship. He also reflects on why he chose to honor his wife when he accepted the national award and how school leaders can make it easier for their staff to be present for their own families.

Drawing on his article “Keep It Simple: A Lesson for New Leaders,” Jason explains how his staff built momentum by focusing on a few practices they could do well together. They looked at student data, planned lessons as a team, and took the next manageable step. He and Rob also discuss why every leader needs a mentor and how superintendents can give principals the time and space to stay focused on what matters most for students.

Whether you lead from a classroom, a school office, or a district office, Jason leaves you with a challenge you can put into practice tomorrow. Show up, be willing to be vulnerable, and look for someone you can help grow as a leader.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the conversation on YouTube.

Educational Leadership is an ever-evolving opportunity to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of students, parents, and the community. The EdLeader Podcast brings together outstanding EdLeaders with host Dr. Rob Jackson for conversations and reflections on improving Educational Leadership from the Classroom to the Boardroom and beyond.

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EdLeader Podcast host Dr. Rob Jackson might just be a closet bibliophile, someone who has a great love of books. Occasionally he enjoys returning to touchstone texts or timeless tomes, those books that shaped him early in his career and life and bringing them forward, spending time again with the words, thoughts, and reflections that moved him then and move him still.

This latest episode is just that, a return to a treasured book. The book, Tuesdays with Morrie, became a runaway bestseller 26 years ago. It was made into a movie and a Broadway play and is said to have changed millions of lives. A successful young man made a series of trips to visit his college professor almost twenty years after graduating. The professor, Morrie Schwartz, was in the final weeks of his life as he was gradually overtaken by ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The book recounts the fourteen Tuesday visits the young man, Mitch Albom, made, their conversations, Morrie's lectures, and his life experiences. In his final days, the professor taught his student, and all of us how to die, and consequently, how to live.

He said, “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”

In this episode, Dr. Jackson is beyond honored and excited to welcome another young man and his mentor to the podcast. They read and shared this book with each other and then shared it with Dr. Jackson. In his hands, it felt familiar, it felt timeless.

Regardless of what day of the week it is as you listen to this, pretend it is Tuesday. Let’s join Morrie and Mitch, and these two guests, let’s imagine opening the worn pages of this beloved book and in Morrie’s words, “Let it come in.”

The professor said, “As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on—in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.” As EdLeaders, you will live on in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.

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Military-connected students and families transition on average 6-9 times in a military child's academic career. Schools should thoughtfully consider how to provide every flexibility possible to ensure that military-connected students have a smooth transition when they arrive and that their unique needs are met while they are with us.

Dr. Angie Mullenix is the Director of Innovative Practices and Programs and the State Military Liaison for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. A veteran herself, Dr. Mullenix leads the state's efforts to recognize schools and school districts for their service to military-connected students and families.

In a time where a war is being fought in the Gaza Strip and in the Ukraine, and understanding the cost that is borne by military personnel and their families, taking some time to consider how schools can support military-connected students and families is time well-spent.

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said, "Our military-connected students are resilient and know how to grow and thrive in new school environments. To do so, they need the tools and resources that we, as education leaders, must provide to support them in these new environments."

Join Dr. Mullenix and Dr. Jackson as they discuss how EdLeaders and schools may support these students.

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