Part 1

Part 2

A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of interviewing Tony Sinanis. Little did I know, that he would be named the New York Elementary Principal of the Year! So, I interviewed him before he was famous. Tony Twitter is a great principal and one who is eager to share what he is doing well. He is also incredibly humble and self-aware. I hope you enjoy his interview. I sure learned a lot from him. Here is his BrandED podcast

  • Tony discusses his background and how he is a first-generation college graduate, and not only that, he is working on his PhD and already has two Masters!
  • Tony still keeps in contact with his first year's class. Wow!
  • Moving into his first school. Tony's humility recognizing that he wasn't the right fit for the school.
  • Separating Tony the principal from Tony the Person.
  • Recognizing that his cultural perspectives that were wrong for his school.
  • The difference between white guilt and recognizing differences.
  • Education is more than just the Common Core and High-Stakes Testing. We are disconnected from what the real world is.
  • We try to make kids fit into this little box, totally discongruent to how the world works.
  • He calls himself the Lead Learner, not the principal, because there is a real difference between the two.
  • How Cantiague gives voice to the students.
  • He demonstrates his learning whenever he can. He pushes himself out of his comfort zone as often as he can.

  • The post about the term Lead Learner by Pernille Ripp

  • Why are we going to let other people tell our story?

  • What they believe in.
  • Every choice they make is thoughtful.
  • How Tony shares his story daily.
  • Storify
  • Cantiague Hashtag
  • Video updates
  • Touchcast app
  • How he shifted brand management from him to the staff and the kids
  • How to make sure the brand experience matches the brand promise. For example, here is an exchange between Tony and someone who knows what his school's brand promise is:
  • Transparency has changed the relationship between the school and community.
  • PTA meetings have taken a new direction since they are so open.
  • Build it from the inside.
  • Faculty Enhancement opportunities instead of faculty meetings
  • How to be a transformative principal like Tony.
    1. It's not about you!
    2. Stay current on research.
    3. Don't take yourself too seriously, but take the work you do seriously.
  • What he has in his office to keep him focused on how to be the best principal he can be.
  • Jericho Schools