Posts by Chad Thomas
The Match | Culture
The Match each week: One word. One sentence. One passage. Word: Culture Sentence: The behavior of the leader becomes the culture of the team. Passage: You can walk into a school, company, or home and feel its culture before anyone even says a word. Culture is the energy of human relationships and how they shape the…
Read MoreThe Match | Consistency
If The Match has sparked something for you, I’d be grateful if you shared it with someone. That’s how this community grows. Word: Consistency Sentence: Consistency creates credibility; inconsistency creates liability. Passage: Early in my life, I didn’t realize how much my lack of consistency was costing me, both personally and professionally. I thought my titles—administrator,…
Read MoreThe Match | Joy
A small spark each week to help you live with heart and keep your fire lit! Word: Joy Sentence: Joy often grows from the soil of struggle. Passage: Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about joy. The absence of it in our lives is something I find intriguing. The further I move from my youth, the…
Read MoreThe Match | Patience
The Match Newsletter: A small spark each week to help you keep your fire lit. Word: Patience Sentence: Patience is the pause that turns reaction into wisdom. Passage: When I was a kid, my grandmother loved to tease me with an old line: “Patience is a virtue found seldom in a woman and never in a…
Read MoreThe Match | Hope
Each Week: One Word. One Sentence. One Passage. Word: Hope Sentence: Hope is the pulse that keeps our hearts moving forward. Passage: In my 20-plus years in education, I’ve met thousands of kids, and the one thing I always found in them was hope. They came from every corner of the world—some who spent years in…
Read MoreThe Match | Clarity
Let’s light this week’s Match! Word: Clarity Sentence: Clarity is what waits on the other side of our greatest challenges. Passage: I became a teacher because teachers had once seen something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself. My first assignment was as a substitute at an alternative high school for teens expelled from…
Read MoreThe Match | Listening
Thank you for being a part of the Match Community. Each week a small spark to keep your fire lit! Word: Listening Sentence: When we only hear, we feel for someone; when we truly listen, we feel with them. Passage: We are often so caught up in our own problems and how they make us feel…
Read MoreThe Match | Belonging
Let’s light this week’s Match! Each Week: One Word. One Sentence. One Passage. Word: Belonging Sentence: Belonging is the core of human connection. Passage: When I took my first principalship, I stepped into a school where more than forty languages were spoken, nearly 30 percent of students were identified for special education, and 10 percent were…
Read MoreThis Week’s Match: Courage
Let’s light the Match! Word: Courage Sentence: Courage is leading from conviction instead of comfort. Passage: In life and leadership you will always be tempted toward comfort. It’s easier to stay quiet, to avoid conflict, or to accept things as they are. But courage means choosing conviction instead. For me, one of the hardest places to…
Read MoreThe Match: Story
We just finished our first month together! Thank you for joining the Match Newsletter. Each Week: One Word. One Sentence. One Passage. Word: Story Sentence: If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. Passage: Every school, every leader, every community, and every company has a story. Telling that story is how we show the world…
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