Leading, Not Managing

Strategies to try...

Just Listen

• Take 15 minutes each day for relationship building. Check in with kids, teachers, parents, secretaries, colleagues, supervisors, etc. Listen for critical information by hearing what they have to say, how they feel, what they need, and what they perceive. Keep a list of people you've spoken with so you can make sure everyone is heard.
• 4 Step Dialogue Strategy for Positive Conversations

Ask Questions

• Send a question to staff, students, or families to find out how things are going in general. Questions might be geared toward anything from getting a sense of staff morale to learning about community concerns. Follow up with information you get from responses.

Make Time for Lunch with Kids

• Informal, but planned to gain critical insight from students. Groups of 6 or fewer is ideal. Ask about how school is going from their perspective (what they love about school, favorite times of the week, how we could make school better for them, etc.)

Celebrate in Public

• Create a real-time narrative to tell your story. Using a digital platform, post something everyday that is amazing that is happening in your space.

Get Out of Your Office

• Block out time every day to be visible, engaged, and present. Aim to spend about an hour's worth of time outside your office. Engage with students, teachers, and anyone else you encounter. Ask teachers how you can support their efforts. Ask kids what they're learning and why it's important.

Start Every School Day with a Personal Interaction

• Arrive at school 1 hour before the day officially begins. Connect with people before it gets hectic. Chat informally with main office team, custodial crew, teachers, and paras. Keep a list of staff members on corner of your desk so you can cross off people you speak to each morning to make sure you connect with everyone once per month. When kids arrive, greet them outside. Address them by their names.

Use Morning Announcements to Kick Start Community

• Share important information and relevant updates over loudspeaker every morning to remind everyone your school is a close community. Involve students (pledge, read announcements, advertise school events, jokes, facts about the date in history, etc). Let kids sign up to do the morning announcements up to 2 months in advance to empower them to be responsible, control their timeframe, have a say in the content, and have a voice in the school community.

Cover Classes to Give Teachers Planning Time

• Engage with learning in your school by actually facilitating the learning. Allows you to connect with the kids and shows that you value your teachers. They'll love that you understand their need for planning time.
• Start a Voluntary Club During Recess
  • Create a designated time and space to engage with kids on their terms. Find topics kids are passionate about and start a club that meets 1 day per week after school for any kids that can attend. It provides amazing opportunities to hear kids talk about topics they're passionate about and cannot wait to share.

Blog to be Transparent and Reflective

• Share your educational philosophies and beliefs so the community understands your position about various mandates, policies, and trends in education. Blogs often begin conversations in the comment sections.

Create a "Dream Team"

• Start small and create a voluntary team of staff, families, and students to generate ideas about how the school can continue moving forward. Call it the "dream team" and work together to transform your school. Define the ideal school and think about how to make that ideal a reality for your community.

Office On Wheels

• Use a cart and place your computer and some of your work on the cart. Work out in the hallways and move around the school to make yourself more visible and available to people.