Moments Matter

The school year is in full swing and you are busy, extremely busy. All educators have the desire to do their best and be their best for others.  The days may seem long but the weeks go by so fast and before you know it the school year will be in October.  Leaders recognize that it is their daily habits and the consistency of their work that allows them to grow over time and to help those they serve grow as well. A significant part of this work is the focus to maximize the opportunities to make Moments Matter – simply meaning to take the time to have that 30 second conversation with a student and share praise, or to give feedback to a teacher after doing a walkthrough that fuels their passion. It is these moments how we extend gratitude towards others, maximize our impact and elevate others by building their confidence. Leadership matters and so do the contributions we can value in each individual. 

This blog post shares several reminders leaders can use to help recognize the importance of making moments matter and some practical examples of how to do this.

Remember your Purpose – If you can remember your “why” then you can elevate your impact through your job role (or your “what”).   Your core values help affirm your work and guide your decisions, even when you are stressed or simply have too much on your plate. Remembering your purpose allows an individual to play the “long game”; simply meaning to continually strive to get better and focus on supporting your growth and to help others.

Keep your Priorities – No matter your role, everyone has times within a year when your work plate gets too full. It is important to keep your priorities at the center of your work as that will allow you to do your job role with the most effective realm and decision making.

Lead with Passion – I hope every educator has a role that allows them to find joy, use their strengths and feel fulfilled. There is no perfect job and everyone has tough moments, but never bad days. We must remember that within your job you are responsible for the energy, attitudes and beliefs you demonstrate, so it is most important that you incorporate your passion or joy within your job role. People are always watching the leader and the saying is correct…..”how the leader goes……….the school will go.”

Your significance increases by lifting others – You cannot achieve anything worthwhile by yourself. It takes a team of people who are committed to developing the best school to drive continual change. When you take time to invest your time, energy and efforts into others then you are not only developing their excellence but you are modeling how you want others to be treated. When you create other strong leaders you are creating the foundations for a great team…….the best schools exist because of a team of committed people that begins with the leader focusing on developing others.

Gather energy from interactions with others – Leading can be draining both physically and emotionally.  Leaders who lead with humility and find ways to show gratitude when they interact with others get energy and strength from those individuals. In those interactions, they are strengthening the relationship which builds greater momentum in their work.

Examples of how to make moments matter

Here are some possible ways to embrace the moments and to help create experiences where students and staff will remember for long beyond the current school year.

1. Staff PD – How a leader builds and carries out Professional Development can either add excitement to a staff or it can diminish their passion.  Some examples of PD that we have used that incorporated staff voice and brought out their excitement to learn and grow includes:

• Genius Hour sessions incorporated over the course of the year where staff choose topics to learn about and incorporate into their role/work with kids. This could include PBL, Blended Learning, how to create Podcasts, Differentiated Pathways etc…
• Staff Ed Camp sessions where they choose topics to discuss and share ideas.  This has no pre planned ideas but rather focused on staff sharing insights and listening to others.
• Staff Leading assemblies and work with families that highlights student work but provides staff opportunities to be part of the endeavors.  This allows  staff to use some PD as ways to brainstorm how we can create experiences for kids that they have never had and that includes leading our assemblies or work with our families.

2. Connecting with others – Leaders must find ways for their staff to spend time with each other to learn, connect and find deeper meaning as educators. We have incorporated the following activities with our staff that connected them together for a shared purpose:

• Staff Gallery Walk of the building to determine the “hidden culture” that exists by our murals, paintings or slogans within our walls.  When we took time to really take a step back and see what we are about as a school it opened our eyes about what our students see within a day.  This gallery walk was also done as a team builder where groups then presented their findings to the whole staff, so we learned from each other. We also had each group share what their next step would be to improve the culture of our building so they were part of the solution.
• Staff Scavenger Hunt or team building activities that incorporate fun and teamwork.  
• Social outings that provide time for staff to connect as people first, educators second.

3. Staff Appreciation – Sometimes the most important things may be the smallest and easiest to do. These are things that brightens someone’s day or add value to their work and include:

• Treat Trolley Cart or Food for staff. A few good snacks can brighten someone’s day and when leaders go around delivering it to staff, it reminds students that we are all in this together.
• Notes of Gratitude to individual staff members where you celebrate their efforts.  It takes time to write notes but most often, a staff member may forget what you wrote over time but they will remember that you took time to thank them and help them feel valued.
• Share videos with staff made by students or families as a way to help staff remember the impact. 
• Visit with staff and listen to their Feedback that relates to your leadership and the work of the school.  
• Recognize teachers in front of students, like the “Tireless Teacher” award and share with students why their teacher was selected. Then share this with your school community as well by social media.

4. Empower staff to be the change – When we involve others as part of the change efforts they will not only buy into the purpose but be an important reason why success occurs. Here are some ways we have involved our staff to help create positive change.

• Staff Led Home Visits for incoming students
• Staff Led Parent Ed Camps 
• Parent Inclusivity Panels led by staff
• Student Panels led by staff
• Student Leadership work initiated by staff

Educators must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts – we must focus on making moments matter.  A new school year brings new opportunities for leaders.  Opportunities to make a difference in the lives of so many people. Leaders must recognize how important the start of the school year is and what can be done to help everyone find success and joy.  It is never too late to change or adapt to create something better. We owe that to our students and staff that we serve. I encourage you to reflect and better understand “Moments Matter ” as a leader and how the new year provides a great opportunity to create experiences for students and staff that they will remember far beyond this year.  Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve

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