Maintaining a Kind School Culture
If you’re fortunate enough to work in a school with a positive environment, here are ways you can help sustain it.
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During a crossroads in my career, a mentor advised me to prioritize working with kind people. The impact of that strong yet simple guidance empowered me to trust my intuition on people and places and to lean into cultivating the type of authentic kindness that can be felt by all in a community.
Each school is unique. One must look at the environment as its own cultural creation. School culture is shaped by interwoven elements, including fundamental beliefs and assumptions, shared values, norms, patterns, and behaviors.
As individuals, we are not able to independently decide the full environment of a school, but we can certainly make choices and behave in ways that contribute to a healthy and happy workplace. If you happen to find yourself in a school that is already aligned with your personal well-being, here are some strategies to ensure that it remains that way.
Be kind
To maintain the gift of your ideal community, build good karma: Withhold judgment. Greet others. Give folks space, especially when they look busy. Volunteer when you can. Offer to help the new teacher set up their classroom. If someone is having a hard day, offer to go on a walk with them at lunch. Keep practical items (chocolate? sunscreen?) at school and offer them freely. Take something off someone else’s plate without being asked. Give the gift of time and presence. Place a handwritten note on a colleague’s desk. Surprise others with uplifting artwork, such as sidewalk chalk or watercolors—even better if made with students.
Memorize a joke or riddle that can be easily shared. Connect acts of kindness to your hobbies, such as bringing in freshly baked cookies or inviting others into your fantasy draft. Create a rogue book club, which simply means gathering to talk about all of the books you are reading with no expectation to read the same novel as a group at the same time. Give honest compliments freely. Kindness takes on many forms, but it is always intentional.
Use your positive influence to uphold the best for kids
Speak up to advocate for kids. For example, if a colleague calls a child a name—even casually—speak up and, in your own way, say that’s not OK. Model empathy. Banish any and all shame-inducing measures.
Do not settle for anything less than what all students deserve. If you have the time, volunteer to be on interview committees for school leaders. Ensure that applicants always have time to be with children, and observe for kindness and authenticity. Trust your instinct.
If a decision was not made in the best interest of kids, respectfully advocate and write to those in charge. If you are given an opportunity to provide feedback for school leaders, give it honestly, with detail and data. Hold leaders accountable: Support them, but don’t be afraid to voice concerns if support does not feel possible.
Be strategic with your voice and influence
If something infiltrates the positive culture, aim to handle it directly and professionally, amplifying concerns as necessary. If an attempt at handling conflict does not help, reflect and try again. Being strategic might mean remaining more reserved on one issue so that your voice can carry even more weight for a larger one.
Do not underestimate the power of your influence and importance of your voice. Connect with other community members, such as parents and guardians, to bring about positive change through the power of a connected, larger voice.
Continue to reflect
Process by writing in a work journal or a Google Doc. If you have rare downtime in a meeting, write. Jot down what you observe, what you have on your mind, or simply what you feel. The school year gets busy. Documenting observations can help you reflect on your ideal environment according to your own values and priorities so that you are better equipped to sustain it. This strategy helps you process work-related events while also gathering key data to support a positive school culture—data that would otherwise get lost in the busyness.
Be proactive, forward-facing, and joyfully connected. Joy matters. Mental health matters. Our workplace is undeniably interconnected with our well-being.
When we are our best selves, we give our students encouragement and permission to do the same. Be sure to prioritize yourself and your own well-being this year so that everyone, including students, family members, and, importantly, you, can thrive.