An Interesting Thing Happened the Other Day...

So we had a staff meeting last Friday and it was a staff meeting like no other I have ever been to.  The staff got yelled at!  Sounds horrible, I know.  But it was well deserved.

Let me explain...

Our climate in the school building has been horrible.  The list of reasons is endless:  constant new administration (I have had a new principal once every couple of years - I think I am on principal #5 in 14 years), new mandates from above (i.e. GRIT program, PBIS, CHAMPS, etc.), NWEA MAP testing and comparing grade levels, common assessment development, new textbook adoption, 1:1 technology, etc.  I could go on, but there is really no need.  Our leadership through all of this has been weak to say the least.  In many instances the leadership has been spearheaded of the programs and rammed them down the throats of people who were already choking. 

Enter another new principal.  She's young.  (Most have been young.  When your reaching 50, everyone starts to look younger than you!)  And her assistant principal is young too.  Wow!   He looks like I just had him as a student only a few short years ago.  This new principal was hired knowing we were having building morale issues.  My school is a strong one - no matter what happened with administration, we always made it through.  We are a tight-knit group!  But we wanted strong leadership.  We needed it.  She heard.  On one of our first institute days she said how her goal was to have a positive year and for us to also.

Well, as far as I know, most of the staff has been very happy with her.  But on Friday I found out she is not so happy with her staff.  At our staff meeting she told us that there were too many people who did not talk nicely to each other.  She understood people were stressed, but that speaking to fellow colleagues in a negative way was unacceptable.  WHAT?!?  I was shocked.  She wanted us to reflect on the last 5 conversations we had with another staff member and decide if it was a positive or negative interaction.  Good strategy I thought. 

I was proud of her for standing up and saying, "Stop it!"  Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about, but it was a good message for all to hear because our staff morale needs to turn around and she was letting us know that.  She has tried so hard to make everything positive (communications, her attitude, etc.) that I think she wanted those people who are attempting to derail the happy train to knock it off.

When walking back to my room, a fellow staff member made a comment that made me pause.  He said that the new principal just didn't understand all that has been piled upon us.  Humph...maybe he was right.  I think the only way the principal could have bettered her already awesome speech would be to have acknowledged all (and name them specifically) that we have been through.  But then immediately afterwards tell us to "Stop" our negativity and board the happy train.  My principal is a leader that I want to follow - finally.  Toot! Toot!