A Simple Strategy for Becoming a Better Listener - John Norlin
Release Date: 04/10/2026
Five Strategies to Strengthen Tiered Support Across Your District - Dr. Susanne Thompson
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today our guest is Dr. Suzanne Thompson, Vice President of Business Development at SESI (Specialized Education Services, Inc.). Dr. Thompson shares five practical strategies for superintendents and building leaders who want to build stronger, more responsive tiered support systems, with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable students and celebrating progress along the way. She also explains how MTSS works best when it's treated as a district-wide priority, not a department, and why celebrating incremental progress is just as important as reaching mastery, especially for the most vulnerable...
info_outline
How High-Impact Tutoring Reaches the Students Schools Can Miss - Devon Wible
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today our guest is Devon Wible, Vice President of Teaching and Learning at Catapult Learning. Devon works directly with schools and districts to design high-impact tutoring programs that fit inside existing MTSS systems — helping the students most likely to fall through the cracks actually get the support they need. She also explains how relationship-building sits at the center of this work, not as an add-on, but as the core driver of academic and behavioral outcomes. When students feel seen and supported in small-group settings, attendance goes up, behavior challenges go down, and learning...
info_outline
How Pre-Correction Reduces Behavior Problems Before They Start - John Norlin
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today, host John Norlin shares a practical classroom strategy called pre-correction a proactive approach to reducing behavior correction before it's needed. This episode helps educators understand why constant correction increases conflict and disengagement, and what they can do instead to get ahead of it. He also explains how pre-correction works as a system, not just a technique, by front-loading expectations before transitions, tasks, and high-risk moments. When implemented consistently, it shifts behavioral responsibility to students over time. In this conversation, John Norlin offers...
info_outline
Why Predictability Is One of the Most Powerful Tools in the Classroom - John Norlin
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today, host John Norlin shares a strategy called Grandma's Rule, a practical, research-backed approach to building predictability into the classroom through first-then scheduling and visual routines. John walks through why predictable environments lead to regulation, engagement, and ultimately learning, and how educators can set this up in a way that increases student motivation from the start. This episode is part of the CharacterStrong Weekly series — short, immediately applicable strategies educators can put to work the same day. In this episode, John offers important reminders for...
info_outline
How to Train Yourself to Pause Before You React - John Norlin
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today, host John Norlin shares a strategy called the Tactical Pause, a simple, trainable habit of pausing before responding in high-emotion situations so that reactions come from intention rather than regret. John walks through what it looks like in practice and why building this habit in low-stakes moments is what makes it available when it matters most. In this episode, John offers important reminders for educators and leaders: Responding from emotion in the moment is easy, the Tactical Pause is a trainable habit that creates space between a situation and your response. Practicing the pause...
info_outline
A Simple Strategy for Becoming a Better Listener - John Norlin
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today, host John Norlin shares a simple approach to staying focused in conversations when the noise of the day makes it hard to truly hear what someone is saying. He walks through exactly how to use it, step by step, in a way that makes the other person feel genuinely seen and heard. In this episode, John offers important reminders for educators and leaders: Truly listening to someone is harder than it sounds, the Click On strategy gives you a practical tool to cut through mental noise and stay present in conversation. Listening for key topics and emotions gives you something concrete to...
info_outline
How Schools Can Build Systems That Address the Root Causes of Behavior - Rebekah de Peo-Christner & Amy Lawrence
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today our guests are Rebekah de Peo-Christner, Assistant Director of Counseling, and Amy Lawrence, Director of Counseling and Social Work, both at Denton ISD in Texas. We discuss how their district created WRAP — the Wilson Restorative Action Plan — a family-centered alternative to exclusionary discipline that wraps support around students and families rather than cycling them through punitive consequences. Rebekah and Amy share how WRAP helps schools address the underlying reasons behind student behavior by building communication, conflict resolution skills, and real partnership with...
info_outline
What You Do Matters Every Day - John Norlin
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today, host John Norlin shares a powerful reminder about the reach of educator influence, sparked by an unexpected email from a former exchange student, now living in Slovakia. What follows is a reflection on why the work educators do matters far beyond what they can see or measure. Drawing on the Amazing Law of Influence and a story about a smile that changed a life, John reminds us that small, intentional actions ripple outward in ways that are impossible to fully track, but no less real. In this episode, John offers important reminders for educators and leaders: Educator influence...
info_outline
Why Every Student Needs at Least One Caring Adult - Michelle Marcellin, Nancy Buyle, Sara Orris
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today our guests are Michelle Marcellin, Staff and Student Support Consultant, Nancy Buyle, School Safety and Student Assistance Consultant, and Sara Orris, School Health and Homeless Education Consultant — all at Macomb Intermediate School District. We discuss how schools can ensure every student is connected to at least one caring adult through a practical, research-backed approach called Silent Mentoring. They share how this three-step process helps schools identify disconnected students, match them with caring staff, and build the kind of intentional relationships that improve...
info_outline
Building School Systems That Strengthen Connection, Culture, and Student Success - Brenda Ortiz McGrath
The CharacterStrong Podcast
Today our guest is Brenda Ortiz McGrath, district administrator, school committee member, author, and founder of the family engagement platform CoreKind360. We discuss why student support and character development must move from being an occasional initiative to becoming part of a school’s foundation. Brenda shares how schools can embed life skills, relationship-building, and proactive student supports into daily instruction, leadership practices, and school culture. She also explains why strong district leadership, clear messaging, and community partnerships are essential for building...
info_outlineToday, host John Norlin shares a simple approach to staying focused in conversations when the noise of the day makes it hard to truly hear what someone is saying. He walks through exactly how to use it, step by step, in a way that makes the other person feel genuinely seen and heard.
In this episode, John offers important reminders for educators and leaders:
- Truly listening to someone is harder than it sounds, the Click On strategy gives you a practical tool to cut through mental noise and stay present in conversation.
- Listening for key topics and emotions gives you something concrete to hold onto and return to, which deepens connection in even short interactions.
- Simple, intentional strategies practiced consistently are what make relationships stronger over time.
Learn More About CharacterStrong: