Episode
How to Build Relational Capacity with Staff and Students from Day One - Derrick Lawson
- Podcast
- The CharacterStrong Podcast
- Published
- Jun 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1281
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://characterstrong.com
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Summary
Today our guest is Derrick Lawson, co-executive director of CATLL and CASCD and a former principal at all three school levels. Derrick shares practical strategies for building relational capacity with staff and students at the start of the school year, and why the first days of school should be spent on connection, not content. He also explains how school leaders can build staff capacity for relationship-building by modeling connection activities, creating shared resources, and embedding brief connection routines into every staff meeting throughout the year. In this conversation, Derrick offers important reminders for educators and leaders: Students will not learn at their best until they feel seen, heard, and valued, and that environment has to be built intentionally before content can stick. Teachers who say relationship-building "isn't their thing" often just lack a structure or script. Giving them ready-made activities and modeling them first removes that barrier. When leaders model connection activities with staff, teachers replicate them in their classrooms. What you put in front of people is what you are most likely to see spread. Ten years from now, students and staff will not remember individual lessons, they will remember how you made them feel. Learn More About CharacterStrong: Learn more about Intellispark Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Request a Quote Today! Learn more about CharacterStrong Implementation Support Visit the CharacterStrong Website About Derrick Lawson: Derrick Lawson retired in June of 2025 after 9 years as Principal of his Alma Mater – Indio High School in Desert Sands USD and 31 years as a K-12 principal at all three levels. Aside from being a K-12 student in the district, he returned his third year of teaching to the district and af…