The board of education for the Princeton Public Schools is slated to appoint a new superintendent Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Valley Road Administration Building. The meeting is open to the public.

Michael LaSusa, the current superintendent of the School District of the Chathams, has been selected to lead the district. LaSusa has been the superintendent of the Chatham schools for 13 years.

Residents will have the opportunity to welcome LaSusa and enjoy refreshments after the board formally votes on his appointment. But you can get your first glimpse of LaSusa and his philosophy of learning by watching his TEDx talk “What running has taught me about being a school superintendent.”

LaSusa is a runner, though he did not run in high school or college. He runs every day, and runs both marathons and ultra-marathons.

He believes running offers five lessons for learning and life.

Incrementalism is powerful when it comes to running and learning. If you increase your activity or learning by a sliver and repeat it over and over, you will become more and more capable. Adhering to incrementalism results in extraordinary gains.
The death knell of incrementalism is time limits. Focus on your own incremental progress.
Misery and hopelessness are always temporary.
Listen to the body. Rest.
Show gratitude. Don’t dwell on deficiencies and weaknesses. Focus more on strengths than what kids can’t do yet. Practice humility.

The full TEDx talk:

Krystal Knapp

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.