Blog #4: Safety

I think we may sometimes take this one for granted.  Even though it is the main focus and goal of EVERY school campus, we want to ensure that people feel safe each and every day.  To elaborate, I think that we do everything we can to maintain safe campuses very effectively; however the fear of the unknown is out there.  Bullies pose a significant problem in affecting the positive learning environment.  Anyone can be a bully.  These negative influences can only breed doubt, concern and ineffectiveness.  Once people feel safe they can focus on the important jobs like teaching our young children and making an impact in their lives by letting them experience the wonders of learning.  As leaders we need to set a good example that others can follow, an example where people are caring and everyone belongs.  It is up to the leader to weed out bullies or to avoid hiring them in the first place.  As we know from developing a safe learning environment in classrooms, having consistent and fair routines and procedures leads to peace of mind.  Find multiple ways to reduce stress.  This is a crucial one, especially for us in our current situation.  Everyone is stressed for one reason or another.  We not only want, but need to be healthy and less stressed in order to do our jobs effectively.  Some practices that the book recommends: keep track of your daily ‘wins’, prioritize, practice compartmentalizing, and make a list of things you do to relax.  One of the most important ways to reduce stress… develop and lean on your support network of friends, colleagues, family, etc.  What do you do to relax?