I just got back from three amazing days working with the Millard Schools in Omaha, Nebraska. This is my third time there this year and it’s starting to feel like home! I’ve met with elementary, middle school, and high school teachers and administrators three times this year, all around my book and its themes of workplace climate and individual job satisfaction. It has been a major commitment of time and resources by the schools and the work is taking root in some remarkable ways.
Most striking from this last trip was Monday morning’s professional development session with all of the elementary teachers and administration from the district. That means that I had three hours to spend with an audience of around 900 people. That’s a big classroom! The pictures here are only taken with my phone, but it might give you the sense of the experience. Pretty remarkable.
We spent our three hours discussing the importance of healthy workplaces, healthy relationships with colleagues, and a more general sense of personal health. The tables had excellent conversations and we had a blast.
Here are some of the main questions I encountered as I then went to a series of schools and smaller groups after the session:
How do we stay positive and hopeful when there’s so much stuff on our plates already?
How does a positive staff climate happen at a grassroots level, even without a larger initiative or program supporting it?
Ultimately, these are the questions we all face in our own workplaces. I’ll share more about some of the answers I’ve developed and some of the amazing conversations I had while on the road. But for now, I’d love to hear your own responses!
Post new comment