Today, Maria talks with Steven Thompson, who has been a curious servant leader throughout his career as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. They discuss how his curiosity and love for books have guided his work over the years. Steven is the host of a podcast where he blends history, music and leadership. He also blogs weekly about life and leadership. Steven talks about the fork in the road while working at a charter school that led him to become the Director of Curriculum & Instruction of the Institution for the Redesign of Learning. In this role today, he makes an impact on children with special needs through creative projects he designs while he exposes them to technology. Steven’s commitment to learning and leadership is inspiring. We hope you enjoy listening to his story and wisdom!
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast@gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find Steven Thompson:
The Steven Thompson Experience Podcast
The Steven Thompson Revolution - The Blog
His post about contentment and statisfaction
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to this episode and explore:
Steven’s childhood: his love of books as a strongly independent learner (3:09)
High school and college: picking history as a major and struggling to find the right career path (7:35)
Steven’s winding road to becoming a teacher (11:50)
Lessons learnt as an assistant principal and a principal (17:01)
What went wrong at the charter school (23:15)
The fork in the road: figuring out the work he wants to do in the right place for who he is (28:05)
How podcasting and blogging helped him get his current position as Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Institute for the Redesign of Learning (35:49)
His current job: creating learning opportunities for special needs students and teachers (42:30)
What leadership means to Steven (57:02)
What impact he wants to have on the world (1:01:26)
Final thoughts on the career-focused lives we live (1:02:41)