Building Staff support & Participation

"Some are moved by the heart; others by the science."

School climate initiatives often get shelved because they are not meeting everyone's needs. If we begin to use mindful communication strategies, we will intentionally be focusing on the perspectives and needs of staff, as well as our students and parents. In my work with schools, I've discovered that successful school climate initiatives include a few important components. Leaders:

work with a defensible, positive framework, such as Invitational Education,
choose like-minded strategies that support the core foundations of the framework, and
meet staff needs by providing them with two rationales for adding yet another school initiative to their already full plates: humanistic reasons as well as scientific reasons.

When I share this with school climate teams, I find myself saying, "Some people are moved by the heart, while others are moved by the science. Including both is a recipe for school change." We need to reach all staff, including those who rely on strict rules, often support punitive discipline policies, and believe it's someone else's job to deal with disruptive behaviors. Trying to work without them on board is an uphill battle. You may not be able to gain their support with a heartfelt approach. Yet, if you also provide scientific proof that relationships shape the way our brains develop and emotions are actually biological interactions that trigger our choice of actions, they may become intrigued and want to learn more.

After every workshop I do, there are people who tell me how moved they are by this work. The ones that remain with me are the people who were hardly paying attention, except for when I talk about Dan Siegel, emotional triggers, and how relationships alter brain development. They are suddenly curious. A little morsel of science provided a rationale for behaviors that have frustrated them and caused them to believe they needed rigid rules. Defenses come down and they are often eager to learn more and even help to lead the initiative. This may not happen right away. So, we need to always leave the door open for everyone to join our efforts.

Communicating without judgment or blame

When we use judgments to describe behavior we don't accept , we make it more challenging to communicate.

The poet Rumi once wrote,

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there."

(Rosenberg, 2017 p. 15)

My mentor, Dr. William Purkey said,

"The world was not created in a day and neither are people."

LEARN ABOUT CONSENSUS DECISION MAKEING

steps to inviting participation

Come learn with me

Once you become interested in exploring the 3 Keys to School Climate, extend an invitation to the entire staff to learn along with you. You might create a list of brief meeting times and and encourage your colleagues to attend one. The purpose is to discuss the keys to creating a school climate where the needs of staff, as well as students and parents can be met. Explain how just changing the way we communicate with each other can be an easy and beneficial place to start. If you only invite those that you think are "like-minded," you will unintentionally dis-invite everyone else. If you wait too long to invite others, it may be interpreted as a "done deal with the sales pitch to follow."

Report back to the full staff

After the exploratory meetings, invite those that have attended to join you in sharing what was discussed to the full staff. Be sure to invite non-instructional staff or provide alternate times to meet with them. Introduce the 4 steps to Mindful Communication and provide examples of Mindful Communication conversations. Share helpful handouts and articles. Provide time for questions, comments, and ask everyone to fill out an exit ticket to collect feedback and questions.

Review staff feedback

Share responses from the full staff meetings with interested committee members and begin to plan next steps together. Staff members can play leadership roles, but the personal involvement of school leaders is essential. Bring this information back to the full staff in a meeting or through written correspondence. When sufficient interest is created, contact Joan to discuss introductory presentation options.

Provide opportunities to try things out

Encourage staff to try out communication strategies, read a recommended book, and plan additional training to further develop staff skills and success in using them. Then follow the steps to BUILDING CONSENSUS to pursue further learning.

Encourage staff to share successes

Take time to continue buildings staff communication skills and interest without pressure or formal adoption. Share success stories and personal reflections. Then consider introducing Keys 2 & 3 : SEL Skills for Students and Collaborative Strategies for Challenging Behaviors, to be explored when interest is evident.

Take time to learn together without formal expectations

The best way to gain and sustain staff involvement is to allow the request for training and development to come from the staff. Be sure to reach out regularly to all staff for their perspectives and ideas. Individual outreach is much appreciated. When staff members have personal success with the 3 KEYS, they will ASK for formal adoption. REMEMBER: You're building a "DOING WITH SCHOOL."