Students need teachers and school leaders who are at their best—
and being your best happens when you know your strengths and boldly use them to empower others.
Talent often hides in the most unlikely people and places. Hidden talents serve no one, but when you learn how to spot and release talent, you can make your school amazing for everyone. In Unleash Talent,educator and principal Kara Knollmeyer explains that by exploring the core elements of talent—passion, skills, and personality traits—you can uncover your gifts and help others do the same.
It doesn’t matter if you are a teacher, administrator, or custodian; your unique talents can make a powerful impact on your school community. Knollmeyer’s insightful guide walks you through a powerful process of self-discovery. She notes that scores, job satisfaction, happiness, and teacher retention improve when every member of the school community is encouraged to use their unique gifts. You’ll learn . . .
Why we should bring our passions to work
How to draw out and build on existing skills
Why we should embrace our unique and varied personality traits
All learners—children and adults alike—have special talents just waiting to be unleashed.
“Kara Knollmeyer provides tried and true strategies to bring out the best in all students and staff.”
—Beth Houf, principal and coauthor of Lead Like a PIRATE
“If you want to learn how to build better relationships with kids and adults and how to value the talent in our buildings, read this book immediately!”
—Salome Thomas-EL, award-winning principal, speaker, and author
“Written with sincerity and a commitment to lifting up and celebrating all educators, Unleash Talent is a must-add book for any teacher’s reading list!”
—Dr. Jennifer Williams, professor, education strategist, and global educator
“This is a book that will help readers bring out the best in themselves as well as their colleagues and their students.”
—Jeffrey Zoul, EdD, author, speaker, and president of ConnectEDD
What if education could be better—for students and for educators?
Our changing world demands creative thinkers and collaborative problem solvers, but too often, schools stifle growth and discovery in favor of getting through the curriculum or preparing for “the test.” Learning opportunities and teaching methods must evolve to match the ever-changing needs of today’s learners.
When we tell kids to complete an assignment, we get compliance. When we empower learners to explore and learn how to make an impact on the world, we inspire problem solvers and innovators. This required change in education involves more than providing training for administrators and teachers to implement new curriculum or programs and resources; it demands that we, as teachers and leaders, create an environment where learners at every level are empowered to take risks in pursuit of learning and growth rather than perfection.
This book is for you if you are wondering . . .
What if learners were valued for their diverse talents and not just our traditional model of “smart”?
What if I could create new and better experiences for those I serve?
What if I could inspire students to learn, to discover their passions, and to share their ideas with the world?
“This must-read book will inspire you to create experiences that develop learners, workers, and citizens who will thrive in a changing world.”
—Linda Darling-Hammond, president, Learning Policy Institute
“Katie not only provides an analysis of what’s (glaringly) wrong in education, she also paints a bright vision for what’s possible and provides a practical roadmap for how we might get there.”
—Kaleb Rashad, director, High Tech High, San Diego
“In Learner-Centered Innovation, Martin eloquently shares evidence-based, practical ways to ignite curiosity, develop passions, and unleash student genius through the types of learning experiences that today’s modern learners need to thrive in tomorrow’s world.”
—Thomas C. Murray, director of innovation, Future Ready Schools
“Learner-Centered Innovation is an inspirational call to action for all educators who dream of a brighter future for our children.”
Kara Knollmeyer is a wife, daughter, sister, and administrator in St. Louis, Missouri. Kara is an award-winning educational leader who has been recognized for her contributions to the educational field. In 2017, Kara received the Midwest Spotlight Educator (METC) Award and in 2013 received the Missouri Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award (Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education).
Kara has had the honor of being apart of incredible opportunities throughout her journey in elementary and secondary education. Kara has an abundant amount of experiences as a teacher, Language Arts Team Leader, New Teacher District Facilitator, Language Arts and Social Studies Curriculum Writer and Mentor Teacher. Currently, Kara serves as a Middle School Assistant Principal.
Kara believes everyone has unique gifts that only they can share with the world. Therefore, her mission is to unleash the talent of ourselves and others so we ALL can become who we were born to be, inside and outside of the school setting. She believes that through lifting and building up the people within our school communities, we can ignite a culture of purpose so we can see the strengths of all learners, adult and children alike!
Kara is also a passionate blogger and speaker in the educational sphere. You can connect with Kara on her blog, karaknollmeyer.com and through Twitter on @karaknollmeyer and #UnleashTalent.
Areas of Expertise
Unleashing the Talents Within You, Colleagues, and Students!
Building a Positive and Collaborative School Culture
Inspiring Staff, Teacher, and Student Leadership
Effective Language Arts Instruction
Developing Meaningful Professional Development
Purposeful Technology Tools for Learners
Social Media for Staff, Students, and School Communities
Keynotes and Workshops
Unleash Talent for You, Staff Members, Teachers, and Students!
Talent is underrated. In our school systems, we see our students as talented, but often do not reflect those same thoughts when it comes to ourselves as adults. We often fail to recognize that we as staff members and teachers are the foundation of our school; Our talents, strengths, and passions are valuable and precious, just like our students. Just as we teach and reach the whole student, we need to teach and reach the whole adult. Therefore, we need to start finding, noticing, appreciating, embracing, and supporting the talents that our ADULT learners have. Not only will this radically change the school system by boosting teacher retention and happiness, but it will positively shift the way we interact and teach alongside students. No matter what your role is in education, we each have talents waiting to be awakened.
This keynote is based on Kara’s book, Unleash Talent: Bringing out the Best in Yourself and the Learners you Serve. Based on what you or your group needs, this keynote/session can be centered on how to bring out the talent in all parties, or it can focus on a singular group: Yourself, Staff, Teachers, or Students!
Discover Your T3’s (Passions, Personality Traits, and Skills) Dive into a guided session filled with learning, journaling, and deep self-reflection. Take a closer look to become one with your passions, personality traits and skills by honing in on T3 you already have, while noticing new T3’s you may have never noticed before. In addition, before leaving the session, you will be guided through ways that you can personally use your T3’s to live a more fulfilled life at school and at home!
Teaming Up for T3’s Every single person in our school system has T3’s that they are either untapped or could be taken to another level. How we approach our colleagues and acknowledge their unique strengths and abilities will form a direct correlation to true teaming, collaboration and unity. During this session, you will be guided with your teams to determine your own T3’s, and to learn about the specific talents of your team members. You will also be guided through team and reflection hands-on exercises to discover how we can lift one another up while gifting our school with the gifts we have to offer one another and our students!
Showcase Student TalentsOnce we understand our own T3’s, how do we help our students bring our their own talents in their lives and in the school setting? Learn how to guide students into discovering their own T3’s, while exploring and diving into practical and innovative ways to integrate the talents of your students into the school day to help make school a more purposeful place for each student who walks in our buildings.School culture is not one more thing to add it to your day- It is the essential piece that must be woven into everything we do, no matter what our roles are. As staff members and leaders, we each have to take personal accountability for the energy we bring to the spaces we occupy: Hallways, classrooms, and every inch of our building. Our values and actions have to match up in order for our culture to flourish. Whether we realize it or not, we each are currently setting either a positive or negative tone in our building- And our people are taking notice. Within this session, you will learn the top habits of positive educators, how to use your talents to make school a better place for you and those around you, and to learn many practical ideas to embed into your classroom and school. As you leave this session, you will be inspired to cultivate a positive school culture now, while leaving a meaningful trademark for years to follow.
Developing Engaging and Meaningful Teacher Professional Development
With teacher workloads heightening by the year, every minute of teacher professional development (PD) should be valued in gold! Learn how to: Purposefully build and organize a meaningful PD vision for your school (and how to adjust along the way), properly gain insight from staff members and stakeholders, and how to empower teachers and staff to lead based on their talents so together we can make progress on your school vision, mission, and purpose.This session can be differentiated based on the specific PD needs of your building.
Engage Students, Staff, and Your School Community with Social Media
Are you wondering how you can use social media in your school or classroom? Would you like to take digital learning and sharing to the next level? Receive an in-depth look at how to use social media in the classroom and school safely to engage students, families, and staff members in ways that will transcend learning! By gaining a focus and following simple strategies and ideas, you can get students and families even more excited about school, build endless connections with the world around you, and boost student learning and performance in more ways than you could ever fathom! This session can be differentiated to focus on different social media platforms and can be catered to staff members, families, students, and/or school leaders.
Paperwork and medial tasks can drown any administrator if they are not careful. It is crucial, that through our hectic and important days, that we build ourselves for efficiency. Within this session, you will see ways to get the biggest bang for your buck, while gaining more of your sanity and happiness back! You will see and receive practical ideas, tools, and a multitude of resources I have created that have helped me, as a current administrator, spend more time on building relationships and making a difference, while spending less time on paperwork!
Cultivating a Positive School Culture for Today, Tomorrow, and Years to Come
School culture is not one more thing to add it to your day- It is the essential piece that must be woven into everything we do, no matter what our roles are. As staff members and leaders, we each have to take personal accountability for the energy we bring to the spaces we occupy: Hallways, classrooms, and every inch of our building. Our values and actions have to match up in order for our culture to flourish. Whether we realize it or not, we each are currently setting either a positive or negative tone in our building- And our people are taking notice. Within this session, you will learn the top habits of positive educators, how to use your talents to make school a better place for you and those around you, and to learn many practical ideas to embed into your classroom and school. As you leave this session, you will be inspired to cultivate a positive school culture now, while leaving a meaningful trademark for years to follow.
Developing Engaging and Meaningful Teacher Professional Development
With teacher workloads heightening by the year, every minute of teacher professional development (PD) should be valued in gold! Learn how to: Purposefully build and organize a meaningful PD vision for your school (and how to adjust along the way), properly gain insight from staff members and stakeholders, and how to empower teachers and staff to lead based on their talents so together we can make progress on your school vision, mission, and purpose.
This session can be differentiated based on the specific PD needs of your building.
Engage Students, Staff, and Your School Community with Social Media
Are you wondering how you can use social media in your school or classroom? Would you like to take digital learning and sharing to the next level? Receive an in-depth look at how to use social media in the classroom and school safely to engage students, families, and staff members in ways that will transcend learning! By gaining a focus and following simple strategies and ideas, you can get students and families even more excited about school, build endless connections with the world around you, and boost student learning and performance in more ways than you could ever fathom!
This session can be differentiated to focus on different social media platforms and can be catered to staff members, families, students, and/or school leaders.
Tips and Tools for Administrator Efficiency: How to Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck so you Can Spend Less Time on Paperwork and More Time Making a Difference
Paperwork and medial tasks can drown any administrator if they are not careful. It is crucial, that through our hectic and important days, that we build ourselves for efficiency. Within this session, you will see ways to get the biggest bang for your buck, while gaining more of your sanity and happiness back! You will see and receive practical ideas, tools, and a multitude of resources I have created that have helped me, as a current administrator, spend more time on building relationships and making a difference, while spending less time on paperwork!
How Do I Even Blog? Blogging is a transformative way to reflect on your own learning, while connecting with the world around you. Learn my process for blogging: How I capture what inspires me, plan and make the time for blogging, and what tools and resources I use along the way. By the end of this session, you will be able to walk away and have a strong sense of how to blog professionally and personally, while being able to transfer these skills and ideas for students as well.Book Kara Knollmeyer
George Couros is a leading educator in the area of innovative leadership, teaching, and learning. He has worked with all levels of school–from K-12 as a teacher and technology facilitator, school and district administrator, and is the author of the book “The Innovator’s Mindset; Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity”. He is one of education’s most sought after speakers, and speaks on the topic of innovative student learning and engagement and has worked with schools and organizations around the globe. George is also the creator of connectedprincipals.com, an initiative that brings educators and leaders together from around the world to create powerful learning opportunities for students.
Although George is a leader in the area of innovation, his focus is always the development of leadership and people and what is best for learners. His belief that, meaningful change happens when you first connect to people’s hearts, is modelled in his writing and speaking. His keynotes are known for making you laugh, cry, and think, and will inspire you to become a better educator. You can connect with George on his blog, “The Principal of Change” or follow him on Twitter (@gcouros).
Keynotes and Workshops
Create, Innovate, and Voice
Description: In this talk, George will highlight some of the trends that are happening in education and the world and how we create a learning environment that is engaging for students. By giving them the ability to create meaningful learning, be innovative, and empower them with a voice, we will see students succeeding long after their time in school.
5 Questions You Should Ask Your Leader
Description: The role of school or district administrator has changed dramatically and instead of people serving the leader, it is more important that it is the other way around. In this talk/workshop, I discuss five key questions that we need to be able to answer as leaders and the innovative ways that we need to look at our role as administrators.
The Networked Leader/Educator
Description: The role of school/district administrator is essential to what happens in the classroom, yet we often are unaware of some of the amazing opportunities that social media is not only providing our students and teachers, but ourselves as well. As school administrators, we need to be the “Learning Leader” for our organization and social media gives us the opportunity to connect, openly learn, and humanize our organization. When we learn together first, only then can we effectively lead our schools to continuous improvement.
Leading Innovative Change
Description: Although schools are moving forward, change is always something that many struggle with. Focusing on an innovator’s mindset and our “why”, this workshop is meant for leaders to help others within their organization not only accept change, but embrace it, to create better powerful learning opportunities for our learners. It is not focused on the “how to” of technology, but is more focused on the conversations that will help staff move forward in a way that they will be excited yet feel supported in their journey.
Learning By Design
Description: We know that the role of school has change, but it is important for people to understand why it needs to change. Once that can be established, then we are more likely to embrace this change, and move forward with the learning of ourselves, and more importantly help our students move forward as well. In this talk, George will discuss the “why” of change, and then using the ISTE Nets, give examples on “how” we can make this happen.
The Myths of Technology and Learning
Description: This keynote helps to address some of the “myths” or pushback that many organizations go through in moving technology forward in their organizations. With many powerful and personal stories of how technology can improve learning and relationships, this has been a great opportunity to help those reluctant move forward in their thinking and adopt a growth mindset.
What to look for in Today’s Classroom
Description: The focus of the classroom has, for the better, shifted from a focus on the teacher to a focus on the learner. In this talk, I will share several elements of what we should be looking for in today’s classroom, knowing that focusing on only a few at a time, can start the move towards a transformational learning environment.
Your Digital Footprint
Description: We all have a digital footprint, as do our schools and organizations. “Googling” ourselves makes this apparent whether we have had any say in it or not. As individuals and as organizations, what can we do to actually shape this footprint? With open sharing of our learning, a digital footprint can easily be developed for either an individual, school or organization. This is not about branding as much as it is about modelling for our students that we are learners along with them.
Involving Parents in the Process of Learning
Description: Parent involvement in the learning process of schools is the number one factor for student success. As schools look forward towards using social media to improve learning in their schools, many parents are fearful of what this means. Social media provides an opportunity for parents to have meaningful engagement in the learning of their child. This can greatly change the conversations not only at school, but also at home with the child. This talk provides peace of mind to parents while also engaging them in considering the unique opportunity they have to participate in their child’s learning.
From Digital Citizenship to Digital Leadership
Description: We often tell our students that what they do online can affect their future, but do we share or teach them how their online presence can also provide them opportunities that we never had as kids? There are many great examples of people and students doing things to not only improve their own opportunities, but to improve the lives of those in their school, communities, and around the world. Kids have an opportunity to make a difference and we need to focus on giving them both the opportunities and tools to make a difference in their world through the effective use of technology and social media.
Workshops
When working with groups, I encourage discussing the “why” through a keynote then following up with hands-on workshops. This pushes learning forward, having participants leave with ready to use tools and educators ready to implement their new learning immediately. Examples of workshops on specific ideas and tools that I provide are:
What is innovation in education and how do we move forward?
Kids begin their learning journey as curious problem solvers who ask questions and create solutions. As they go through school, something happens to many of our students, and they begin to play the game of school, eager to be compliant and follow a path instead of making their own.
As teachers, leaders, and parents, we have the opportunity to be the guide in our kids’ education and unleash the creative potential of each and every student. In a world that is ever changing, our job is not to prepare students for something; instead, our role is to help students prepare themselves for anything.
In Empower, A.J. Juliani and John Spencer provide teachers, coaches, and administrators with a roadmap that will inspire innovation, authentic learning experiences, and practical ways to empower students to pursue their passions while in school.
Compliance is expecting students to pay attention. Engagement is getting students excited about our topics, interests, and curriculum. But when we empower students, they crave learning that is both meaningful and relevant to their life, now and in the future.
Empower is for you if …
You are a teacher eager to get students making, designing, and creating their own learning path in (and out of) the classroom
You are a superintendent, district administrator, or principal who is leading change and working to help your staff thrive in a twenty-first-century learning environment
You are a coach, staff developer, or teacher leader who is crafting professional learning experiences and wants to encourage colleagues to be the guide on the ride
Empower is focused not only on what happens when students own their learning but also on how to reach a place where that is possible in the midst of standards, set curriculum paths, and realities of school that we all have to deal with. Written by real educators who are still working in schools and with teachers, Empower will provide ways to overcome these challenges and turn them into opportunities for our learners to be unabashedly different and remarkable.
Empower is available on Amazon! Join the conversation online using the hashtag #EmpowerBook and learn more at EmpowerBook.co.
