Episode #124: Touch the Heart Before You Can Reach the Brain with Hal Roberts

             <br />Hal Roberts has had an amazing journey as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and educational consultant. He focuses on leadership and the relationship with wine. Yes, I said, wine. Hal is the author of Make Waves! and started Safe Harbor Academy as a school for kids with incarcerated parents. <br />Background, where you grew up<br />Born and raised in Dallas, I was the baby of three, one brother who was very intelligent, one sister. My mom would tell you I was the favorite. I was a very average student, but a strict rule follower…maybe a few classes, I was the teacher's pet.<br />Your Family<br /><br />Above is the group picture of my family on Thanksgiving 2019. I am married to my beautiful wife, Susan, who is an AVID consultant. We have two grown daughters. My older daughter, Colleen is Vice President of Proactivate, a search firm for C-suite candidates. She has two kids, Tatum and Bryson. My younger daughter, Emily is a teacher in Brownsboro ISD. She has two sons, Drew and Kyle.<br />My wife and I are currently serving in the Re|Engage ministry in Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas. It is a marriage ministry to enhance, improve, repair, or heal any marriage regardless of where it is on the marriage journey.<br />Your journey as an educator<br />In 1974, I played for the St. Louis Cardinals. After I was placed on waivers in the NFL, I began my teaching/coaching career. I began as 7th-grade health, history teacher, and coach.<br />My goal was to coach in college one day. I quickly moved to varsity football assistant, eventually obtaining an Athletic Director position/head football. In Texas, it is all about winning, and I didn’t win enough so, after 20 years of coaching and teaching a wide variety of subjects, I got my first campus administrative job as principal in a 3-5 grade campus…it was me and 33 women! I will not add anything to that.<br />I then served as HS principal in two districts, then moving to an Asst. Supt. and finally superintendent in a small k-8 district with approximate