TGB Inspired Solutions

10/07/2026

It’s October. You’re probably starting to see it (and feel it).

Students are getting a little more comfortable.
Teachers are redirecting a little more.
Transitions are taking a little longer.
And some classes are starting to lose more instructional time.

But here’s the thing. Not all of it will show up in your referral data.

A teacher may redirect the same behavior several times and keep teaching. The student never leaves the room. No referral is written.

But time was still lost.

I created a absolutely FREE guide for school leaders to help you take a closer look at what may be happening before the referral.
I even included a Classroom Pattern Checklist you can actually use as you look across classrooms.

---> I’m giving you a little peek at it below.

If this would help you in your building, you can get the FREE full guide here: https://tgb-inspired-solutions.kit.com/before-the-referral-guide

No blame. No shame. Just another way to see what may be getting in the way of instruction.

Love and Light 💡

10/01/2026

A referral lands on your desk. You read what happened. You talk with the student. Maybe you called the parent. You determine the consequence. But there’s a part of the story you may never see.

---> What happened during before the referral was written? (We aren't judging the teacher)
---> Maybe the teacher redirected the student several times. (usually...)
---> Maybe directions were repeated because other students focus on the disruption instead of the lesson. (Sometimes)
---> Maybe the teacher got everyone settled, started teaching again, lost them again, and had to reset the room again. (It's possible)

By the time the referral reaches the office, you can see the incident that occurred. What you may not be able to see is what it cost the classroom along the way. Oh, it was a lot...

That’s why I say the referral is late data. Not bad data. Not unnecessary data. Late data.
It tells us what eventually became significant enough to document. It doesn’t always tell us
what was happening to instruction while the situation was building.

After spending years on both sides of that referral, as a teacher and as a school leader receiving them, I’ve started asking a different question: What was happening in the classroom 10 minutes before the referral?

Because sometimes that’s where the information we need to better support teachers is hiding.

09/20/2026

I’m probably not telling a single middle school principal anything new when I say this.

The phones are phoning.

And honestly, the phone itself may not even be the biggest issue. It’s what happens from classroom to classroom.

In one room, the expectation is clear and students know exactly what happens when that phone comes out.

Next room, the teacher gives three reminders.
Another teacher handles it differently. And before long, students have figured out exactly where they can push it, how far they can push it, and with whom.

Meanwhile, the principal is getting pulled into something that really shouldn’t require the principal every single time.

And I think that’s the conversation. Because nobody needs another cell phone initiative.

Teachers don’t need another thing to document. And principals definitely don’t need another thing to monitor.

Most schools already have expectations.
Most teachers are already responding.

The opportunity is alignment.
A shared language.
Clear expectations.
Consistent responses while the disruption is still small.

Not because every classroom needs to look exactly alike. But students shouldn’t have to figure out a completely different system every time the bell rings.

That kind of consistency can make things easier for teachers, clearer for students, and hopefully keep a few more things from eventually landing on the principal’s desk.

Sometimes we don’t need to add another thing.
Sometimes we need to get everybody moving in the same direction with what we’re already doing.

School leaders, I’m curious. Is the bigger challenge in your building the phones themselves, or getting a consistent response to them across classrooms?

09/17/2026

I think this is another one we sometimes miss because it doesn’t always look like disruption.

The student isn’t arguing.

They aren’t being disrespectful.

Nobody is calling the office.

They’re just…not doing anything.

Looking around.

Playing with something.

Getting up for the third time.

Taking 10 minutes to get started on something that should’ve taken two.

Pretty normal middle school stuff.

And most teachers already have ways they handle it.

That’s not the problem.

The challenge is that across a building, one teacher may redirect it one way, another teacher may ignore it until it gets bigger, and another may have figured out something that works really well.

Everybody is doing something. But everybody may not be doing something together.

And I definitely don’t think the answer is giving teachers another strategy binder or giving principals something else to monitor.

Y’all already have enough.

What interests me is the possibility of getting everybody speaking the same language and seeing these little moments through the same lens.

Not making teachers teach alike.

Not documenting every time Johnny looks out the window.

Just creating enough alignment that the response to everyday disruption becomes more consistent across the building.

Because sometimes the biggest opportunity isn’t adding something new.

It’s getting everybody aligned around the good work that’s already happening.

And when that happens, maybe fewer of those little things have to grow into something that eventually lands on the principal’s plate.

09/17/2026

I was thinking about something today.

You can walk into a middle school classroom and nothing “major” is happening.

Nobody is fighting.
Nobody is being sent out.
Nobody is completely out of control.

They’re just…talking.

One student answering another student.
Somebody adding one more thing to the conversation.
A side conversation starting while directions are being given.
Somebody calling out because they already know the answer.

Pretty normal middle school stuff.

But it’s also the kind of stuff that can quietly chip away at a lesson.

Stop. Redirect. Repeat the direction. Get everybody back. Start again.

And here’s where I think it gets hard for school leaders.

Your teachers are probably already responding to it.

One teacher handles it one way.
Another teacher handles it another way.
Another has figured out something that works really well in her room.

Everybody is doing something. But everybody may not be doing something together.

And eventually, some of that inconsistency makes its way to you.

That’s why I don’t think schools necessarily need another thing.

Teachers don’t need another form to complete.
Principals don’t need another thing to monitor.
And nobody needs another initiative sitting on top of everything else you’re already carrying.

What if, instead, we aligned what’s already happening?

A shared language.
A shared way of seeing those small disruptions.
A few consistent responses teachers can use while the situation is still unfolding.

Not to make every teacher teach the same way.

Just enough alignment that students aren’t walking into seven classrooms and experiencing seven completely different responses to the same behavior.

That’s the part I’m interested in.

Not adding to the principal’s plate.

Helping create enough consistency across the building that eventually, there’s less landing on it.

Because the goal isn’t one more thing to do.

It’s getting more mileage out of the good work your people are already doing.

09/08/2026

There is a moment school leaders know all too well.

A student is sitting in the office.
A referral is in your hand.
The teacher is frustrated.
And instruction has already been interrupted.

Now, you are expected to make sense of what happened—often from a few lines written after the situation has already reached a breaking point.

I keep coming back to this:

By the time it reaches your office, something has already happened.

That does not mean the student should not be held accountable.

It does not mean the teacher was wrong to ask for support.

It means the referral may tell us how the situation ended—but not everything about how it began.

So, I’m sitting with one important question:

What happened before the referral?

I’ve been working on something specifically for middle school leaders.

More soon. 👀

09/06/2026

Before I ever called it From Disruption to Instruction™, I was a 22-year-old teacher trying to manage high school students who were only a few years younger than I was.

And whew…some days were HARD.

I struggled with consistency. One day, I was too strict. The next day, I was too lenient. I tried more work, stronger consequences, and all the things young teachers are often told to try.

But when the process is inconsistent, you never really know what is working.

In 2004, my move to Genesis Alternative School became a turning point. I had to learn how to recognize what was happening before a situation became a full classroom disruption. I began paying attention to the early signals, repeating what worked, and understanding how consistency protected instructional momentum.

Years later, as an assistant principal, I recognized that same struggle in a first-year teacher who was feeling defeated by his classroom management.

For an entire semester, I modeled strategies, helped him understand the process behind each step, and reinforced why consistency mattered.

Little by little, his classroom moved from chaos back to calm.

That experience reminded me:

Teachers do not need more judgment.

They need practical professional learning, a shared process, and support before disruption becomes the only data point anyone sees.

Because by the time the referral reaches the office, the referral is not the beginning of the story.

The referral is late data.

Today, through TGB InspirED Solutions, I help middle-grades leaders equip teachers to recognize and respond to classroom disruption before instructional momentum is lost.

If you lead or support a school serving grades 5–8, what patterns are happening before the referrals reach your desk?

I would love to hear what you are seeing.

09/06/2026

TGB InspirED Solutions helps middle-school leaders address the instructional-time loss that occurs before classroom disruption becomes an office referral. Through practical professional development, leaders and teachers develop shared language and a consistent approach for moving from disruption back to instruction.

08/28/2026