LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed.'s Posts

Empathy-Centered Schools: The Power Tools for Connecting and Moving People Forward Faster

“Atticus was right! One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” Scout Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird “Walk in a mile in another man’s moccasins before you criticize him.”  Native American Proverb #1  Introduction Did you know the more stressed-out we feel, the less empathy we might show toward other...

Read More »

Building Trust in Educational Settings to Maximize Learning for All

(Parents, Students, Teachers, Principals, Coaches, and Administrators) BY:  LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed. Trust is the Foundation “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” said Stephen R. Covey.  So, what is the main thing in education?  Is it Common Core?  Behavior/Character Education? Parent Involvement? Differentiated Instruction? Complex Text? Critical Thinking Skills? Blended Learni...

Read More »
Coaching teachers and Students

Feedback in Coaching

Pointers for Promoting Self-Reflection for Powerful Teacher Growth: Often the word feedback in the adult world might mean: “top-down judgement from another person who is not in my shoes.”  While coaching others, I want them to look forward to feedback, knowing that it will not be top-down, but rather an opportunity to self-reflect in order to grow and become a better teacher.  I want the teacher t...

Read More »
Maximize Selling: Brain-Based Principles That Increase Success

Maximize Selling: Brain-Based Principles That Increase Success

Desiring to improve sales effectiveness, many organizations have focused on increasing the amount of time salespeople are actively engaged with customers selling, but a potentially better first step is to ensure that salespeople maximize the effectiveness of the entire selling process.  The reason?  The majority of a salesperson’s work is not done in front of a customer.  Multiple studies have bee...

Read More »
Tis the Season to Be Grateful….

Tis the Season to Be Grateful….

Falalalalalalalala: For the Classroom, For the Home, Workplace, and Every Little Place “In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer One of my biggest goals this past year was to show more gratitude for the small things that people did for me.  I felt that I always sent...

Read More »
7 Powerful Actions You Can Take To Improve Relationships with Your Students

7 Powerful Actions You Can Take To Improve Relationships with Your Students

Reflect for a moment on one of your favorite teachers and think about why he/she was your favorite.  Was it the teacher’s:  Fun and engaging environment?  Kindness to you and others?  Belief in you and your achievement?  Calm nature? Care about your personal life?  Care that you learned every single day?  Or a combination of these items?  All of these items are important in building a positive lea...

Read More »
Brain Based Strategy

Simple Strategies for Developing a Growth Mindset in Your Students

One of my favorite trainings to deliver to all schools, but especially schools that are dealing with high-poverty students, is my Growth Mindset workshop. Dr. Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, says that a growth mindset is the foundation of wanting challenge, persevering through the challenge, and desiring long-term growth and success. A mindset is a paradigm, belief...

Read More »