Matt Renwick

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Articles

The True Test of Leadership

2 months ago | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

“Please note: Tornado drill changes don’t belong on the Instructional Leadership Team agenda.”I left this comment on the Google Doc teacher leaders were using to discuss instruction. As principal, I not only attended but usually ran Instructional Leadership Team meetings. Our focus was on school-wide professional learning. Safety drills, important as they are, are typically handled in a different space. But I was not able to attend Instructional Leadership Team meetings.
How to Effectively Communicate a New Literacy Initiative Process

Jan 17, 2025 | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

Thanks for reading! Subscribe below to receive all posts. If you are looking for more support at the end of this article, I offer a course on making classroom visits a habit, as well as coaching for leaders and leadership teams. Take care, - Matt“Not in his goals but in his transitions man is great.”—Ralph Waldo EmersonManaging schoolwide change was one of the most challenging tasks of my time as a principal.
Be Hard on the Systems and Gentle with the People

Jan 11, 2025 | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

Key question to consider while reading: What system-level changes could you make to overcome personal or cultural challenges in your team and in our school/district? Last year, a colleague and I supported a district in developing a clearer and more robust literacy support system. We analyzed relevant student data, mapped out their current screening and intervention tools, and collaborated with the school team to decide on thresholds that would qualify a student for additional support.
Instead of Outcomes or Resolutions, Focus on Wins

Jan 4, 2025 | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

Several weeks ago, I received a letter in the mail. It was from a writing retreat facilitator, an experience in which I participated in last May. The letter wasn’t from the facilitator; it was from my past self. I was initially confused. Once I opened it and started reading, I remembered: She had us write a letter to ourselves that articulated our hopes and goals for the year. Then she collected our letters, stuffed in self-addressed envelopes, and promised to mail them out to us in six months.
Do you typically watch the movie or series after reading the book?

Dec 19, 2024 | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

Discussion is open to full subscribers. Join our community today!I recently read Small Things Like These (affiliate link), a novella by Claire Keegan. I discovered it, cover out, in an independent book store. Finding the book reminded me that Regie Routman had recommended it in one of her “What I’m Reading” blogs. I’m not surprised The New York Times listed it as one of the top 100 books of the 21st century. If I waited a bit longer, it would likely have made my top five books of 2024 list.
Upgrading My Coaching Toolbox: Beyond Presuming Positive Intent

Dec 14, 2024 | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

Whether it is a house project or our own coaching practice, we are most effective when we have the right tools for the contexts in which we work. I recently experienced this in my attempts to repair the stone foundation around my house. My family and I live in a 100+ year-old home. The prior owner lovingly referred to the house as “a project” as we moved in. For the last four years, the mortar between the sandstone had been crumbling.
Becoming a Confident Coach: Ten Steps to Feeling and Being Successful

Dec 13, 2024 | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

A year and a half into my role as a systems coach, I recently took some time to take a step back and examine my work. I wanted to reflect on how I’ve grown. How have I embraced my identity as a coach, transitioning from sixteen years as a principal? What evidence of success did I have? How have I partnered with clients to achieve 'co-wins' in their schools? Through this process, one idea I have landed on is the importance of confidence in our roles as coaches, and as literacy leaders in general.
My Five Go-to, Back Pocket Coaching Questions

Dec 7, 2024 | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

My son is currently applying to colleges. Part of that process is writing and submitting a personal essay. I’ve offered to provide feedback for his drafts. When he did request my help, I asked him, “What type of feedback do you want?”He asked for some help with general conventions, along with support around the substance of his writing. I happily obliged. When he requested feedback, I didn’t have to think twice about my response.
My favorite books I read in 2024

Nov 30, 2024 | readbyexample.substack.com | Amy Tintera |Ann Patchett |Matt Renwick

Today is Small Business Saturday. One of the best small businesses to support are independent book stores. If you are not lucky enough to have a book store in your city, you can buy books through Bookshop.org. A portion of the proceeds goes toward the book store of your choice. (All linked titles below go to my Bookshop affiliate page.)With that, here are my top five reads of 2024. Is this book horror, or historical fiction? Are the most frightening scenes also the most realistic parts of the story?
Using GoogleLM as your research and writing assistant

Nov 27, 2024 | readbyexample.substack.com | Matt Renwick

In a previous post, I wrote about how literacy leaders can use artificial intelligence (A.I.) to save time by outsourcing more tedious tasks, as well as generating novel responses to your questions. I shared examples from ChatGPT. In this guide, I want to demonstrate how you can use NotebookLM, a Google Labs experiment, as a research and writing A.I. assistant.