Introduction to the Ruckus Maker Club

Introduction to the Ruckus Maker Club 

Thanks for hitting play. Welcome to the Better Leaders, Better Schools podcast. I’m your host, Danny Bauer. And today, well, today’s special, I’ve got announcement that I believe is going to change the game for school leaders just like you who are ready to shake things up and truly make a difference. But before we dive in, let me ask you this. Have you ever felt like you’re fighting an uphill battle, trying to innovate in a system that seems resistant to change? If you’re nodding your head right now, stick around, because today we are talking about a new way to do school differently. I’ll explain more after some messages from Today’s show sponsors.

01:03
Hey, Ruckus Maker. I’ll make this quick. If you’re listening to this message right now, you’re missing out. When you subscribe to the Ruckus Maker newsletter on Substack, you get access to micro books focused on how to do school different tools and other resources that will help you make a ruckus and do school different stories and case studies of the world’s most legendary Ruckus Makers of all time. Access to my calendar to schedule coaching sessions, and you’ll also get bonus podcast content that won’t be released on the main podcast feed and podcast episodes without any advertisements. So if you love this show, if it’s helped you grow and you want access to more tools and resources that will help you make a ruckus and do school different and become a paid subscriber at RuckusMakers.substack.com. 

The truth is, most leaders weren’t taught a robust way to set their goals. 

Everyone knows how to choose a goal, write the to-do list, and pick a due date, and as a result, they’re not optimizing their potential. When you download the Ruckus Maker eight step goal setting tool, I’ll send you the tool in a short eight minute coaching video that shows you how to work smarter, not harder, and to create more value for your campus. Are you ready to accomplish more with less effort and in less time? Download the Ruckus Maker eight step goal setting tool by going to betterleadersbetterschools.com/goals.

 IXL takes the guesswork out of lesson planning for teachers. IXL’s ready-made lesson plans are aligned to your textbooks and state standards so teachers can turn to IXL for the exact content they need to help their students get started [email protected]/leaders 

03:01
As a principal you can’t be everywhere at once, so how can you help support every teacher in the building? With Teach FX, teachers can gather their own feedback without relying on classroom observations alone. The Teach FX instructional coaching app is like giving every teacher their own instructional coach whenever they want it. Imagine teachers gathering their own objective, private, research supported feedback with just the push of a button. Learn how Teach FX could help your teachers get students talking by visiting teachfx.com/ruckus. When you work with quest food management services, you’re going to feel good about the food you serve your students. That’s because the food is real and it’s made from scratch and locally sourced. Learn more about Quest food Management [email protected] or follow questfood on social media. That’s questfms.com. 

04:11
Throughout my years in education, in my time hosting this podcast, which is almost nine years. So thank you for being a listener. I’ve heard from countless school leaders who are passionate about making a difference. That’s you. We call ourselves Ruckus Makers. But time and again, I do hear some of the same challenges, like feeling isolated in leadership. Maybe you feel like you’re the only one trying to push against the status quo. What about resistance?  Facing resistance to change from all angles, staff resistance, parents, even fellow administrators. Maybe they’re on your team or within the district. And worst of all, that resistance from the central office itself. You know, another challenge is struggling with a lack of resources and support to implement innovative ideas and the constant battle of balancing innovation with accountability measures. But here’s the thing. Ruckus Makers do school differently, and that means making shifts from the old, broken and traditional ways of educating to new, different, and creative ways. You know, I remember when I was first starting out as a school leader one shift I wanted to implement was conducting group interviews. True story. And from all my research. Reading online, listening to podcasts, learning from other mentors, I found. And actually, I actually experienced group interviews, too. Prior to being a principal, when I worked at the central office in Chicago public schools, we used group interviews with the avid program. Anyway, from all this research and experience, I learned and knew that this was an innovative, efficient, and different way of interviewing. Some of the benefits, like I mentioned, are efficiency. With time. You could have multiple people there. Set up one one. That’s inefficient, stupid. It’s the old way you could see how people work together. And this is a major benefit. Did they collaborate and build each other up? Or did they compete and tear each other down? And group interviews to mimic the real world.  At least if you’re running a school that is supportive of an idea like PlC’s, where folks are collaborating on common formative assessments, looking at the data, adjusting their instruction. Right. Not working in silos or in isolation.  And I shouldn’t say one on one interviews are stupid, by the way. Like, there’s a time and place for those, especially when you want to sort of make the final decision. But group interviews are a great way to start. So here’s the thing. 

07:13
My supervisor heard because I had only mentioned it to my admin team, and one of them went crying to the supervisor and leaked my idea. Well, she shut down the group interviews before I could even conduct my first one. That was years ago. Now, today, I take great satisfaction, seriously that I was ahead of the curve back then, and I knew I was on the right track. And today, that same district, that same supervisor, guess what? The one who shut me down. You guessed it. They use group interviews, just like many districts do around the world. I know many of you have faced similar situations. It can feel overwhelming. Like you’re trying to move a mountain with a teaspoon. What if I told you there was a better way? And that’s why I’m thrilled to announce today the launch of what I’m calling the Ruckus Maker Club. So, what exactly is the Ruckus Maker Club? Imagine a space where innovative educational leaders from around the world come together. It’s a place where you can find support, share ideas, and learn from others who are successfully shaking things up in their schools. I created the Ruckus Maker club because I believe that together we can do something different and create the future of education. The Ruckus Maker Club is designed for those of you who refuse to accept the status quo. You reject the premise. Those that believe that education can and should be different. What sets the Ruckus Maker Club apart is its focus on practical, actionable strategies for innovation. We’re not just talking about theory here. High in the sky, heads in the clouds. 

09:06
No, I love to say, and you’ve heard it before, ideas are great, but not the greatest. That’s because it’s about action and real change that we want to implement on our campuses. So let me give you a taste of what you’ll find inside the Ruckus Maker club. First and foremost, you’ll be part of a community of like minded innovators, visionaries, and rebels. Other Ruckus Makers, so there’s no more feeling isolated. In your quest for change, you’ll get access to the automatic school tools. These tools used to be available only to members of the mastermind. They’re proven strategies to help you practically have a school that runs itself, making the complex job simple and freeing you up to focus on innovation. So when you join the Ruckus Maker club, you’ll get these tools as well. We’ll host monthly coaching calls, mastermind jam sessions, where you can get direct support and a taste of what the masterminds like and feedback on your biggest challenges. Because we’ll have a rotating hot seat, we’ll host innovation labs throughout the year, which will give you the space to experiment with new ideas and approaches. I see these as about two day virtual events, and our Ruckus Maker events live are pretty epic if you’ve ever been to one. So we’re going to run them quite a bit in the Ruckus Maker Club. There you’re going to have the space to experiment with these new ideas and approaches, and collaborate with other Ruckus Makers. Plus there’s momentum when you have a group, a cohort of people all trying to do something special in education. And we’ll also have an accountability space, right, to ensure you’re making progress on what you say is most important. Sometimes just having that space and asking, hey, have you done what you said you’d do is all you’ll need. That’s just scratching the surface though. The Ruckus Maker club is designed to be your one stop shop for innovation in education. And there’s a lot more included when you join. You can learn more and join today by going to ruckusmakers.club/Join. Now, you might be wondering, okay, Danny, that sounds great, but what will I actually achieve? Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine walking into your school six months from now instead of feeling overwhelmed by the day to day fires. You’re excited about the innovative projects your team is working on. Your staff is energized, your students are engaged, and you’re seeing real, measurable improvements in both academic outcomes and school culture. You’re no longer the lone voice pushing for change. Instead, you’re leading a movement within your school and district. You have a network of fellow Ruckus Makers to bounce ideas off of and to support you when the things get tough. One of our leaders we support, Lizzie put it this way before working with the Ruckus Maker team, I felt like I was constantly swimming upstream. Colleagues would look at me like I was living on a different planet. When I shared my innovative ideas. Now I have a community of fellow innovators who inspire me daily and help me figure it out. We’ve implemented three major initiatives this year alone, and our student engagement scores are through the roof. This isn’t just about professional growth. 

12:40
It’s about creating lasting change in your school that will impact students for years to come. This is legacy, and it’s about redefining what we say is possible in education. You can join the Ruckus Maker club today. Again, by going to ruckusmakers.club/Join. Now, some of you might be thinking, this sounds great, but I don’t have the time for another commitment. And I hear you. That’s why the Ruckus Maker club is designed to fit into your busy schedule. We offer both on demand and live experiences. You choose how much to engage and how often. But Danny, I’m not tech savvy at all. Don’t worry. We’ve made sure that the platform is user friendly and we offer full tech support to all our members. Danny, is it really worth the investment when you consider the impact this can have on your school, your career, and most importantly, your students? I believe it’s one of the best investments you can make in your professional development. I’ve been an administrator for years. Will I really learn anything new? Absolutely. The education landscape is constantly changing, and I like to say that Ruckus Makers are visitors from the future, showing us how education will one day be. In other words, in the Ruckus Maker Club, it’s about staying ahead of the curve, about designing the future of education.  There’s no manual for that. We’re creating it. And if that excites you, this is a place for you. So again, you can go to the Ruckus Makers Club to learn more. How can you become a part of the Ruckus Maker Club? 

14:34
We’re currently accepting applications for what I’m calling founding members. This is a new dream, a new experiment that we’re running here at Ruckus Maker hq, and we’re opening it up here mid July, and we’re closing it August 31. After that, you’ll have to wait a year. It’s a good reason to join now. And as a founding member, you also have the opportunity to shape the future of the Ruckus Maker club. And you’re going to lock in the special founding member bonuses that we will not include later. So to apply again, simply go to ruckusmakers.com/join and click on the join now button. The application process. It’s straightforward. It only takes three minutes. And by the way, we have those application questions because not everybody will get in. 

15:31
First, we want to make sure you’re somebody really who wants to design the future of school and dig into this idea of Ruckus Makers. Do school different and along the way become a more effective leader? Plus, unlike other spaces that are online, you know the ones where your staff, your superintendent or the board lurk in the shadows just trying to screenshot your every move to get you in trouble. Nah, we ask you straight up, are you a current administrator or aspiring administrator of a local building?  And those are the only people getting in now. Somebody slips through the cracks and when we find out, we will kick you out and there’s no refund for that. So this is a protected space just for Ruckus Makers. Teachers love the support that IXL provides in the classroom. 

16:27
And Ruckus Makers love it as well because IXL also gives school leaders meaningful insights into every level. Put your finger on the pulse of student performance via the IXL dashboard or drill down to see progress and growth for individual students. You can even customize reports to hone in on the information that matters most to you. IXL helps Ruckus Makers make data informed decisions that will benefit their student growth goals. Get started [email protected]. Leaders that’s ixL.com leaders. What do you see in your classrooms and how did you see it? As a principal, you can’t be everywhere at once. So how can you help support every teacher in the building? With Teach FX, teachers can gather their own feedback without relying on classroom observations. The Teach FX instructional coaching app is like giving every teacher their own instructional coach whenever they want it. 

17:29
Ruckus Makers can pilot Teach FX with their teachers. Visit teachfx.com/betterleaders to learn how. That’s teachfx.com/betterleaders. For some students, the meal or two you serve them, that’s going to be it. That’s what they get for the day. Which means we’ve got to get this right. Quest food management Services elevates the student dining experience, serving scratch made meals using high quality ingredients that are sourced locally and responsibly. Now, you might be thinking, okay, Danny, I get it, the food’s high quality. But do the students eat it and enjoy it? Bottom line, students love the food. Quest is one of the fastest growing companies in the school food service industry and has been consistently ranked in the top 50 food service providers by Food Management magazine. Learn more about Quest food management [email protected]. Or follow Quest food on social media. That’s questfms.com dot. 

18:39
So I want to take a few minutes just to answer some questions that I anticipate many of you will have, and then we’ll close down the show. How much time should I expect to commit each week? So really, that’s going to depend on your goals. Some members might spend an hour engaging with the community, going through the asynchronous content, joining the live events. Others are going to dive much deeper. The beauty is you can tailor it to fit your schedule, whatever that looks like. What if I join and decide it’s not for me? So for our annual membership, we offer a 30 day money back guarantee.  This is to absorb all the risk. If you don’t feel like the club is delivering value, set up a call with yours truly and we need to talk about your concerns. 

I’m going to do my best to address them.  But if we honestly come to the conclusion this is not for me and I can’t whatever in my power make it right for you. Refund you 100% of your investment. Now, if you invest in the monthly membership that’s much smaller, you can click a button. You won’t get charged for the second month. So that’s good. Is this only for principals or can other educational leaders join?  I talked about this a bit, but I’ll cover it again. So while many of our members are principals, the Ruckus Maker Club is open to current and aspiring administrators. Other school admin groups, especially the free ones online, are. These are not safe spaces.  

I already talked about how those teachers, supervisors and board members lurk in the shadows and screenshot your activity to try to get you in trouble. I find that behavior repulsive and disgusting. Again, we’ll ask you on the application, are you a current or aspiring school administrator? And if you lie and try to infiltrate our community, we’ll catch you, we’ll swiftly remove you and we will not refund you. This community is going to be moderated, and it’s also different from the other free groups online because you’re not going to see annoying posts from below average consultants, below average leaders, and you’re not going to get poor quality feedback. That is not what we do. Our reputation is much different. Will this work for me? Being a Ruckus Maker? I’ll tell you, it’s not for everyone. Odds are if you’re listening to this, it is for you. But when I’m out there in public, I say, hey, there’s two types of school leaders. There are safe principals who maintain the status quo. They get better, but incrementally better. Doing what we’ve always done is just a little bit better. Ruckus Makers, on the other hand, are those visitors from the future showing us how education can be. And we’re playing a bigger game. We’re playing with exponential improvement. So, quite honestly, what I tell people in public, this is probably not for you. For you, listening to the podcast probably is different and not for everyone. It requires years of discipline to understand and apply the ideas, and decades honestly to master. If you’re not committed to a lifelong pursuit, the Ruckus Maker club won’t work for you. 

22:02
But we can assure you, over the last nine years, we’ve taught thousands of people the fundamentals of being a Ruckus Maker. Through podcasts, newsletters, challenges, events, and the mastermind, many have experienced radical changes in their lives, personal lives, and their careers. As a result, we’ve used the frameworks and tactics we teach for our own schools. We know what it takes to become not only a great Ruckus Maker, but a different Ruckus Maker who no one else can compete with. And if your goal is to create a legendary campus experience that drives exponential outcomes for your stakeholders, the Ruckus Maker club will help you reach that goal faster than you can do it on your own. So join us and let us share everything we know about making a ruckus with you. 

22:55
Well, Danny, how’s this different from what I can learn and find on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and so on? Here’s the thing about all those platforms. You’re the product. They’re selling advertisements based on your behavior. We don’t have that. So in business marketing speak, those are called pixels. Everybody’s not listening to every single conversation you have. No. Your behavior online, you go look at a shoe, that’s why it pops up in your feed. That’s how it works. So those are called pixels, and they track you across the Internet. We don’t do that. We’re not going to have cat videos that keep you glued to your advice on your device. But maybe we’ll do a fun cat video here and there. We certainly are not going to have your uncle’s hot takes on politics. So that’s the thing. 

23:43
You’re in a free group, you’re on Facebook, and then all the other garbage shows up right there in the feed, too. This is all curated, protected, specialized in school leadership and Ruckus Makers doing school differently. You’re not going to have advertisements for stuff you don’t want to buy. You certainly aren’t going to have those crummy, spammy consultants who only want your money and share the same post across all the groups. Have you ever seen them do that? It’s so annoying. You won’t get poor quality advice from colleagues. Okay, with the status quo. We already talked about the teachers and board members watching your every move. And you’re not going to have these. I think they’re silly, but I get why these spaces aren’t safe. And so there’s these anonymous posts. But sometimes to be honest, they could be a little toxic too, depending on that person’s state of mind when they’re writing. And we don’t. Honestly, we don’t have free memberships.  The problem with free memberships, anyone with a pulse and an opinion can get in. We don’t want that. We’re running a paid membership community because that guarantees higher quality content and discourse. Because losers are not going to join this community. They just won’t. They don’t invest in themselves. Here’s what we do have: a generous, thoughtful and creative space dedicated for Ruckus Makers to explore how to do school differently. That’s what we’ve built. It’s already rocking and rolling. The mastermind members are there. They want to meet you. And even some folks that visited our live event, they’re there too. So we’re now just waiting for you. 

25:18
Well, Danny, can’t I learn this with all the free content out there? Absolutely. That’s possible. And we encourage you to try that first. You probably already have. If that works for you, great. Between the hours it would take you to aggregate all of the free content, the people you have to chase down to try and unlock decades of secrets, the pains you would have trying to figure out the pitfalls and challenges on your own. We think the money that you’d invest in your club membership is well worth it. And just so you know, too, right, it’s $100 a month. Which would be 1200 for the year. But we’re always running specials and so I just believe in being generous. So we’re offering two months for free if you reserve at the annual Orlando join at the annual rate. So it’s $1,000. 

26:07
It’s well worth it. And we created this space too, because we got a lot of free content. That’s why you listen to this show, buy the books.  Then we have the much more expensive mastermind and then a very expensive private coaching and advising. So here we tried to find a space where many school leaders might be able to afford it personally, and districts absolutely could fund this, too. And it’s a way for you to get high quality coaching and mentorship, access to the frameworks and the tools that we know work, and connect to a tremendous network of other Ruckus Makers. So check it out. What if I’m not tech savvy? We already talked about that. You’re an excellent company. We’ve got people there that are able to help you out from a business standpoint. 

27:01
I’ve even invested in a higher sort of rate so that we have a team of support in order to help you. And during our onboarding process, we’ll make sure you’re comfortable, confident, you know right when you join. We have these welcome to the Ruckus Maker events scheduled for the first six weeks or so, just so we can hop on and look at some of the stuff and you can ask questions, how does this work? And we can play with it together so that you figure it out. Because then again, remember, August 31, the doors closed. No more new founding members. Why is that? Well, now that we’ve launched and our founding members have joined, we could shift all our attention on them and serving you and creating that content versus always running these onboarding calls and trying to navigate the space. 

27:52
Well, what if I can’t attend some of the live workshops or innovation labs? No worries. We’re going to have a recording space. So that’s certainly going to be helpful to folks that live abroad. And maybe some of the time won’t work for you, but you’ll still have access to the content and the community. How long do I have access to the Ruckus Maker Club? As long as your membership is active, you’ll have access to the club. And it’s growing. Vault of resources. So the cool thing about this experiment, it’s going to become exponentially more valuable with time. As more people join, as more people generously share, as our team creates stuff for you as well, it just becomes more and more valuable. And last question. What if I missed the August 31 date? Well, then you missed it. That’s the last opportunity. 

28:43
There won’t be another time to join the club after August 31, we’re going to shift our energy towards serving our members, and then the club will be open again next summer to new members, I guess the second cohort. So to speak, actually, sorry, this is the last question. Do you accept purchase orders? And the answer is no. Okay, we do accept purchase orders. For the mastermind, that’s a higher ticket sort offer, to be honest. Like for $100 or 1000 a year, it’s not worth the headache. Working with the variety of quality, I’ll say business offices, it’s just not worth it.  So what I recommend, if you’re able to pay out of pocket, just get your butt in the Ruckus Maker club. And if you want your district to pay for it, ask them to reimburse you. 

29:36
And you could do the paperwork and get that covered. You already got a relationship. They like you. There’s less forms to fill out and you can get it covered. Any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Email me directly. And you could actually email me at dannyuckusmakers club. Or you could check out the faq page while you’re signing up at Ruckusmakers.Club. Join all right, Ruckus Makers, let’s wrap up. Today we’ve talked about the challenges facing innovative educational leaders. I introduced you to this new community experience we’ve designed. It’s there to support and empower you to do school different from the Ruckus Maker Club. Remember, this is much more than professional development. It’s about creating a movement in education. It’s about redefining what’s possible in our schools and for our students. And here’s the AHA. Listen to the words. 

30:37
Because if education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are the students really learning? Because if education aint disruptive, then what are the students really learning? Because if education aint a bit disruptive, then what are the students really learning? Future of education is in our hands. Will you join us in shaping it? Head over to Ruckus Makers club. Join and apply to become a founding member. Remember, applications close August 31, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to be a founding member. Thank you for tuning in to this special episode of the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast. Until next time, bye for now, and keep making a ruckus. Thanks for listening to the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast. Ruckus Maker, how would you like to lead with confidence? Swap exhaustion for energy, turn your critics into cheerleaders and so much more. 

31:44
The Ruckus Maker Mastermind is a world class leadership program designed for growth minded school leaders just like you. Go to betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind. Learn more about our program and fill out the application. We’ll be in touch within 48 hours to talk about how we can help you be even more effective. And by the way, we have cohorts that are diverse and mixed up. We also have cohorts just for women in leadership and a BIPOC only cohort as well. When you’re ready to level up, go to betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind and fill out the application. Thanks again for listening to the show. Bye for now and go make a ruckus.