Last year I started a new practice of working from the hallways. It’s pretty easy, I take my laptop with me and find a place to set up shop for an hour or so. I started using a tall café table though I have since switched a standing desk with wheels on it to allow me to be more mobile and set up at different locations around the school. 

The motivation here is probably not what you think. Generally when administrators are camped out in a hallway it is because they are trying to catch a particularly difficult student or students wandering and send them back to class. While this is certainly a benefit, my actual motivation was a little different.

I tend to see the same few kids in the office day in and day out. I have good relationships with them, which is fantastic, but at the same time most of them are either in trouble or in crisis. The point is, I have a very limited interaction with most kids in the school, the ones that are just having a good day and doing their own thing.

By working from the hallways to do my work I get to see those students now too. I can stop a kid in the hallway and ask how things are going, or if they need help with anything. I get to add way more positives to my day. Also, working at a standing desk has been shown to have health benefits as well. 

It works really simply. I bring a laptop and do the paperwork part of the job in the hallways. I answer emails, I can type memos, or anything else that I do myself without a need for privacy (as would be needed for a phonecall or student conference). The assistant principal is often in the office, which allows them to build capacity since they can field the office referrals (though I can be called down if it is a major issue that requires both of us). I think that staff also appreciate having someone nearby if they need to duck out for a minute because you can tag in and watch their class.

So far it has been a positive experience. I get to be more visible to staff and students as well as increase the number of positive interactions in my day. It would also be naïve of me not to recognize that some of the hallway wandering has lessened when I am in the hallways (even though that’s not the main goal). It also gives me a change of scenery than my own office each day. Overall, I would recommend it as an easy way to add more positives to your day and those small changes can add up to a big impact on the school culture and climate.