Today’s post finishes up a series highlighting ways principals can make teachers feel supported.

‘Shaping a Culture of Well-Being’

Kim Cofino is the founder and CEO of Eduro Learning and the host of the #coachbetter podcast:

Christina Botbyl is an experienced teaching and learning leader in international schools in the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States:

To say that it is challenging for busy school leaders to find a space of well-being for themselves would be an understatement. As they lead organizations, district leaders and principals have the challenge of managing time and priorities to find space for their own well-being, in a position that never truly stops. However, they also have the added responsibility to model strategies for well-being for the staff they lead.

Developing and maintaining a healthy work-life balance may help school leaders to center relationship-focused interactions, rather than being problem-focused or reactionary. While the well-being of school leaders is critical, that of the teachers they lead is of equal importance when considering the overall health and wellness of a school community. Leaders have the strongest influence in shaping school cultures and systems.

While the culture of work often values being “busy” and experiencing “burnout,” it should not be viewed as a badge of honor for school leaders. Consider the following six strategies when building a school culture with a focus on wellness.

1. Be a Role Model for Others. Communicate to others your own self-care. Share that you have gone for a walk or that you have a daily mindfulness practice, for example. Being able to communicate self-care gives others permission to engage in similar practices that support their well-being.

2. Be Intentional. Making time for well-being must be intentional because balancing the responsibilities of school leadership can be a daunting task. Set and communicate a timetable that includes leadership responsibilities but also time for breaks, support sessions with a mentor or coach, self-care, and creativity. Finding balance can become routine when planning for it every week.

3. Prioritize. Leaders will benefit from gaining clarity from their direct supervisors about exactly what needs to be done to inform their own priorities. Leaders need to prioritize because it’s simply not possible to be all things to all people. Productivity is often viewed as a sprint when, in reality, it is more likely a marathon.

4. Set Boundaries. Following their instincts about where they should put their energy can guide leaders to set boundaries. The process of setting boundaries models and sets the tone for how leaders work. If the leader works around the clock, it sets the tone for everyone else. Ultimately, leaders need to know their limits so that they can say no to the distraction tasks that will inevitably come their way.

5. Set Routines. Set specific routines and priorities to find a space for well-being. Block family time in your calendar. Block classroom visits in your calendar. Block time to exercise. The routine nature can help you find a rhythm for most of the year.

6. Create a Culture of Well-being. By thinking intentionally and critically about the importance of wellness, and the practices that can help empower others to seek a space of health and balance, leaders can begin to build a culture of well-being. Being a role model in your leadership position, and valuing the effort it can take to set priorities and respect boundaries, is a powerful first step in shifting things from a mindset that prioritizes work above all else to enabling everyone to bring their best self to work.

Leaders have the potential to build a sustainable school culture where educators feel valued and supported within their professional roles and beyond. Through leading by example, leaders demonstrate that they value well-being—for themselves and others.

Shaping a culture of well-being requires self-reflection and intentional practice. To better understand the well-being status of your school community, you might consider conducting a well-being check. This is an opportunity to gather real-time data from your school community to better understand the demands that are being put on them and how they are responding and coping with the level of workload they face.

Learn more about the experiences of school leaders from around the globe and their tried and true strategies here.

‘Trust Is Built Through Daily Interactions’

Jen Mott, Ed.D., is a school administrator at one of the largest middle schools in Ohio:

Districts and school administrators are always looking for ways to improve the experiences of their teachers and students. The tricky part is that many of the bigger ideas cost a lot of money.

Here are two actions a district or principal could take that would make life better for teachers and create a better learning atmosphere for students. BONUS: They are free!

Listen and Change:

• District and school administration must provide ample time via surveys and/or in-person listening sessions to hear what their teachers and students are experiencing. Listening sessions should be just that—time to listen without sharing all the reasons why something exists.

• Based on these surveys and/or listening sessions, take the time to actually create change to show that you want to make things better for them.
  
• Have a review time after the change has been made to show what you did change as a result of their feedback and, of course, to call out anything you did not change and why in order to be as transparent as possible.

Visibility:

• Walk the school at least once daily and multiple times if possible. Be present in the mornings, greet students and staff, and lean into any natural conversations that come out of the greetings.
  
• Trust is built through daily interactions, and if teachers and students are not having those with you, then it is easy to make up stories about what you are doing (or not doing) by not being visible.
  
• In the absence of information, it is easy for people to make up their own. Be sure to pop into classrooms simply to wave, welcome, and help as needed when the miscellaneous things come up throughout the day. Your students and staff will greatly benefit from your presence!
  
• The demands and expectations are high on your job in leadership. We know. The more you can take the time to listen, make changes when possible, and be visible, the more your school community will see that you care and are trying to build the connections and improve the experience of students and staff.

Reduce Meetings

Ryan Huels is an elementary school principal in Oregon, Ill.:

As a new principal, I tried to follow my staff’s time and prioritize making sure they felt seen and valued as professionals.

The highest impact strategy I have found is to prioritize being visible and in classrooms every day. I can best support staff and students and gain a better understanding of student learning by leaving my office and making a concerted effort to visit classrooms, help supervise during transitions/lunch/recess, and check in with staff.

Another thing I did was severely reduce the amount of meetings we have and shortened the ones we do. My staff-meeting agenda has an accompanying document of everything that can be in an email ahead of time to shorten the meeting and make the most of our time together as a group. Also, no meeting is so important that it must take place if you notice your staff needs time to breath or convene as a team. Don’t be afraid to send the “meeting canceled” email every once in a while.

The last low-cost thing I did was to stop dictating what staff wear to work. Too many power hungry administrators ridicule or even charge staff money to wear jeans or casual attire when the appropriate response is “We will treat you as a professional; wear whatever allows you to best do the important job of changing the lives of children each day.” There was no increase in unprofessional behavior or student-discipline issues following the elimination of the dress mandate.

Thanks to Kim, Christina, Jen, and Ryan for contributing their thoughts!

Today’s post answered this question:

What are one to three actions you think a district or principal could take that would make life better for teachers, create a better learning atmosphere for students, and not cost much—if anything?

In Part One, Diana Laufenberg, Renee Jones, and Anne T. Henderson shared their suggestions.

In Part Two, Marie Moreno, Rachel Edoho-Eket, and David Upegui contributed their ideas.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on X at @Larryferlazzo or on Bluesky at @larryferlazzo.bsky.social.

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