Celebrate the joy of reading with the Book Love Foundation podcast. This is a show filled with information and inspiration from teachers and leaders across grade levels, states, and school systems. We interviewed authors and educators for the first five years and now turn our attention to leaders in public, private, and charter schools. Find out more at booklovefoundation.org or join our book-love-community.mn.co of 2500 educators from 28 countries. We sustain joy together, one kid and one book at a time.
Moves Leaders Make - Season 1, Episode 7: Designing a School Around Values, Ritual, and Student Agency
In this episode of Moves Leaders Make, hosts Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen talk with Katy Inman, a school leader at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Founded by Nancie Atwell, the school is known for its deep commitment to reading, writing, and student-centered learning.
Katy shares how intentional rituals, shared faculty values, extended work time, and student-led portfolio conferences shape a culture where children feel seen, capable, and motivated. From daily morning meetings to goal-setting conferences beginning in kindergarten, this conversation explores how small structural moves create a school environment grounded in purpose, agency, and joy.
GUEST
Katy Inman — School leader at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• How daily morning meetings create belonging and shared purpose.
• Why faculty-selected annual values anchor school culture.
• The importance of long, uninterrupted work blocks for meaningful learning.
• How student goal-setting and portfolio conferences build ownership from kindergarten on.
• Moving away from grades toward narrative feedback and growth reflection.
• Designing a school intentionally small to function as a learning laboratory.
• Creating systems that welcome visiting educators to learn from practice.
BOOKS & REFERENCE
• Stoner by John Williams
• Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona, licensed from Pond5; Learn more at booklovefoundation.org (HTTPS://BOOKLOVEFOUNDATION.ORG)
Click here to view the episode transcript. (https://share.transistor.fm/s/c3cb32ce/transcript)
★ Support this podcast ★ (https://www.booklovefoundation.org/support-us)
20 Feb 2026
Moves Leaders Make - Season 1, Episode 6: Leading Through Relationships and Conversation
In this episode of Moves Leaders Make, hosts Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen talk with Jaren Vetter, a school leader whose work centers on relationships, intentional time, and the power of conversation. From leading a small rural K–8 school to stepping into a larger high school principalship, Jaren shares how conferring with staff became the anchor of his leadership. Together, they explore how prioritizing people over paperwork, making space for vulnerability, and addressing conflict head-on can transform school culture. This conversation is a powerful reminder that leadership is relational work — and small intentional moves create lasting change.
GUEST
Jaren Vetter — High School Principal in Saskatchewan, Canada.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Why learning every student’s name is a foundational leadership move.
• Prioritizing people over paperwork in the daily work of leadership.
• How intentional conferring builds trust and strengthens school culture.
• Structuring time to protect relationship-building in busy leadership roles.
• Leveraging peer support and teacher leadership within a building.
• Addressing conflict through honest, face-to-face conversation.
• Why leaders must model the relational practices they hope to see in classrooms.
BOOKS & REFERENCES
• Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
• Same As Ever by Morgan Housel
• What Great Principals Do Differently by Todd Whitaker
Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona, licensed from Pond5; Learn more at booklovefoundation.org (https://booklovefoundation.org)
Click here to view the episode transcript. (https://share.transistor.fm/s/d928e233/transcript)
★ Support this podcast ★ (https://www.booklovefoundation.org/support-us)
20 Feb 2026
Moves Leaders Make - Season 1, Episode 5: Conferring as a Leadership Move
In this episode of Moves Leaders Make, Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen welcome Sam Bennett for a conversation focused on conferring as a leadership move. Together, they explore how listening, trust, and one-to-one human connection support both teachers and students.
GUEST
Sam Bennett works with teachers and leaders to support learning through conferring and conversation.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Conferring centers listening and trust.
• Asking questions leaders do not already know the answer to supports growth.
• One-to-one conversations strengthen relationships.
BOOKS & REFERENCES
• That Workshop Book by Samantha Bennett
• The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist
• Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Ivy Ross and Susan Magsamen
• Mary Oliver: “Sometimes” (poem line quoted)
Moves Leaders Make — A Book Love Foundation Podcast; Hosted by Penny Kittle and Elaine Millen; Produced by Testwood Creative Studio; Music by ryanancona (Pond5); booklovefoundation.org (https://booklovefoundation.org)
Click here to view the episode transcript. (https://share.transistor.fm/s/664978bb/transcript)
★ Support this podcast ★ (https://www.booklovefoundation.org/support-us)
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