The Principal's Handbook

navigating-stress-before-a-break
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Welcome to the Principal's Handbook, your go [00:01:00] to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self care. I'm Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Tune in each week as we delve into strategies for boosting mental resilience, managing time effectively, and nurturing overall wellness.
From tackling daily challenges to maintaining a healthy work life balance, I'm Barb Flowers. We'll navigate the complexities of school leadership together. Join me in fostering your sense of purpose as a principal and reigniting your passion for the job. Welcome to a podcast where your wellbeing is the top priority.
hey everyone. Welcome to the podcast. As I'm recording this podcast, we are in the thick of December and the holiday season. And as we navigate through December, this holiday season brings not just happiness and excitement, but also a noticeable increase in tension throughout the building.
In education, the end of the year often means heightened behaviors among your students and educators find [00:02:00] themselves stressed out from the holiday season. So this particular week for me has been a whirlwind of challenges. Each day presenting a new set of hurdles from managing disruptive behaviors to having meetings with concerned parents.
And as a principal, I've just come to recognize a pattern over the years. Certain times like December for one. As we approach the holidays, it tends to be a stressful time. Everybody's stressed out in the building. It just seems like heightened stress all around. And when it, when teachers are stressed, students are stressed, parents are stressed.
It just all comes at once where you just feel like every stakeholder in your building is stressed out and needs something from you. So. Today we're going to be talking about how we deal with that and tips for that, because being the leader of the building, our responsibility is to balance the needs of students, parents, and teachers, which is a juggling act.
That's why being a principal can be so challenging. And this time of year, there's just that collective [00:03:00] stress that It can really disrupt what is a typically positive culture in the building. So as a principal, it involves us keeping the building in a positive place and making sure that everyone in the school community has the support and resources that they need.
Even when it feels like things might unravel, if you know that feeling like Even if nothing is happening at the time, you can just feel stuff bubbling under the surface. So that's how December feels. And the holiday season, while filled with joy and celebration and lots of fun activities, it has so many challenges that we just have to foster the sense of community, understanding, and resilience within our school building.
So I think by acknowledging and addressing those heightened stress levels, We can work towards creating a supportive atmosphere that helps our students, parents, and teachers navigate this busy season with calm and purpose. So as we press on through December, my commitment as a principal is not to just manage my day [00:04:00] to day logistical demands, but to create a safe, Stable and nurturing space for everyone in the school community.
So today I'm excited to share some valuable tips on navigating the stressful time in your school building as we approach the break. So we're going to dive into these strategies. Now, tip number one, identify the problems and foster awareness. So take a moment to assess who in your building is feeling stressed and why, and what is causing the stress.
Is it the upcoming break? Is it a certain event? And by acknowledging and communicating that stress as a shared experience within the building, you create a sense of unity. It offers a chance for you to connect with the staff and let them know that you see the collective stress. And that they're not alone in this because it helps not only individual teachers manage their stress, but it, it fosters a culture where everyone feels supported when you talk about the stress.
And when you acknowledge the stress, you're acknowledging and validating people's feelings [00:05:00] and you're acknowledging that they're not alone. So it is really important to identify the problem, talk about it as a building. and bring awareness to it. In my own building, I notice that when we're open and can talk about the stress, after a while we just joke about it.
So, for example, at the moment we see something as super stressful when we're in it, but once we stop and can have a conversation, then we can see that it's not as big of a deal as we thought it was. In the office with the office staff, we just now come to joke, you know, that there's always going to be lots of stress and problems and we need to calm people down and remind them that it's not a big deal because this is just the time of year every everybody's stressed and we need to be understanding of that.
Tip number two, prioritize your well being as a leader. As the leader in the building, you set the tone. You set the emotions in the building by how you respond. So while stress might be coming at you from multiple directions, because we know it comes from students, it comes from parents, it comes from teachers, but [00:06:00] it's crucial to make sure that your stress doesn't dictate other people and it doesn't dictate how you respond to other people.
So take steps to manage your stress. Whether you're taking time for mindfulness, you're taking little breaks throughout the day, Um, seeking support from other colleagues that you can talk to. Whatever you need to do to manage your stress for me, it's exercising in the morning and it's making sure I'm not overbooking myself and making sure to take pauses throughout the day.
That helps me manage my stress and a calm and collected leader has the power to influence that atmosphere in the school. And the calmer you are, the quicker you can help others. And I noticed the calmer I am. People will come to me to talk to me to just calm themselves down because they know that I will have the approach that it's not that big of a deal.
Whatever you think is a big deal is probably not as big of a deal as you think it is. So if I need to, I like to take a minute in my office. If there's a [00:07:00] lot of behaviors coming in at once, sometimes that happens during recess time where it feels like, you know, one behavior after another. I make people wait for a minute so I can regain my composure, take a few breaths and come out of my office in a less emotional state.
It's better for students when I have to discipline or have conversations with them and it's better for the staff I'm working with. So really being aware of that and taking a minute for yourself to make sure that you're calm and collected. Tip number three, take things one step at a time. If you're feeling overwhelmed, take a minute to pause and regroup.
When faced with so many challenges in the building, revisit your to do lists, revisit your schedule. What are the things that you need to get done? Tackle one task at a time and just focus on what the priority is right now. Breaking down big tasks in the manageable steps not only makes it easier for you to achieve them, you.
But it makes you feel more in control during hectic times. I use this [00:08:00] strategy all the time when I start to feel like everyone needs me at once because this is how it always feels. I'll have times where nobody needs me and then all at once everybody needs me. So I stop and break down what really needs to be done at that time because I have to remind myself and it took me some time as a principal to realize this but one person's emergency is not necessarily an emergency unless someone's immediate safety is.
Is that a risk? It's probably really not that big of an emergency. So if I acted like everything that staff members thought was an emergency, then I would not get anything done. So I have to keep things in perspective that other people think are a big deal are probably not. Not a big deal. And I can deal with them later.
It's just like with discipline, you know, if I have, sometimes there'd be five groups of kids waiting for me to deal with discipline, they can go back to class, I can call them out later and handle it because you don't want kids missing class, you don't want that feeling of overwhelm where you have to rush through one situation to get to the next.
So [00:09:00] people can help you out. My secretaries will write down what needs to happen. I can get to it later, but everything is not an emergency that others think is an emergency. Tip number four, cultivate a focus on the positive. During challenging times, shift your focus to the strengths and positive aspects within your school community.
Celebrate the unique qualities of your team members and reflect on what you're grateful for in those professional relationships. What do you love about your students? What do you love about your staff? And by emphasizing the positive, you not only uplift the spirits of your staff and students, but it contributes to creating a resilient and optimistic school culture.
So I find myself feeling very frustrated at times with a certain grade level in my school, and I have to take a step back and think about how it's just a small percentage of students making some bad choices, right? Individually, they're all wonderful kids. They're great, but they just make some bad choices together, and we're working through that, and we're [00:10:00] trying to reteach and help them.
Work through specific things, but I have to stop and take a look at all the good things that happen in that grade behaviorally. 'cause there are a lot of kids making good choices, doing great things. So I have to change my perspective about it. And that's the best thing in challenging moments is shifting your focus on the positive.
So even though December can be so challenging, I like to think about. All the fun things that we're doing. You know, our, we have students who are going caroling. We get to go, , watch a play and our students sing at the play. We have concerts, we have, , lots of fun staff activities and it's a great time to connect.
So focusing on that positive versus. All the negative things happening and focusing on the fact that you have colleagues going through the same thing that you can use this time to connect on that and it just brings the staff closer together. Tip number five, encourage open communication. So create a space for open dialogue within your school community.[00:11:00]
Encourage your teachers, your staff and students to express their concerns and share their perspectives about what is going on. And by having that type of environment where everyone feels heard. You build trust and strengthen that sense of community. And so that open communication leads to collaborative problem solving and new approaches to managing the stress as a group.
What I've noticed over time is people just want to feel heard and like their concerns matter. So. The more you can listen to understand staff, students, and parents, the better they'll feel. So just having that open door policy where people feel like they can come talk to you, where they can even vent to you.
And you can ask them, do you want a solution to this? Or do you just need a minute to vent? But really hearing out people's concerns, especially during challenging times helps people feel heard. And so having that open communication can keep in more positive environment during this time. Tip number six, celebrate the small wins.
[00:12:00] So in the challenging times, take a moment, just like I talked about earlier, to acknowledge positive things happening. And what are those small victories? So whether it's a successful classroom initiative happening, maybe it's a positive interaction you had with a parent or an event that went well.
Recognize these small accomplishments and the small wins to boost the morale and reinforce this culture of achievement and reinforce the culture of the positive things happening. Because you have to remember that small wins lead up to big wins. Celebrating small wins contributes to a more optimistic and resilient school community.
If we just wait to celebrate until something big happens, then we miss so many opportunities along the way. So just remember, I always like to think that our small wins lead up to the big wins. So continue to celebrate those small wins throughout the day. I like to think of three celebrations a day that happen because even if it's a hard day, there's always three really great things that [00:13:00] happen.
So celebrating those small wins is super important. I also wanted to give you some questions for you to reflect on so you can determine areas you can change now. to reduce stress and tension in the building. So these questions are great if you want to go back and take some time to journal and reflect on these questions, but it's just great to really think about what's happening in your building and take some time for reflection.
So question one, who among your team or within specific grade levels has exhibited the most stress during this time? Are there patterns or common stress triggers among certain teachers or staff members? So really looking at, you know, who seems to be struggling the most so that you can think about how you want to support them.
And reflect on your own reactions to the heightened stress level. So take some time for reflection on, on yourself. So how have you responded to the challenges faced by your team in the school community? Consider both, not only your actions and the things you've been doing, but [00:14:00] how you've been communicating and what strategies you've used.
Also take a moment to check in with yourself. How are you feeling amidst the stress? How has this affected your interactions with others? You know, has it resorted to you being in your office more? Is it made, has it made you go out and talk to other teachers and staff members more? And in what ways have you conveyed your stress?
And are there aspects of your reactions that you'd like to modify? Because remember, it's never too late to change your reactions. And if you reacted in a way you wish you wouldn't, go apologize or go have a conversation with somebody about it. We're all human. We make mistakes. We just have to own them and move on.
And then looking ahead, what adjustments can you make to your stress management? You know, how are you feeling with your stress? What adjustments can you make to approach your stress? And consider both personal strategies and ways to support your team more effectively. So what proactive steps can you take to foster a healthier and more resilient [00:15:00] environment within the school?
So just taking a few minutes to reflect on these questions can really help you during this stressful time, make sure that you're managing in a way that's Where you're not creating more stress and more tension throughout the building. Because remember, as a leader, your influence extends beyond your daily tasks as a principal.
They're watching you, staff's watching you, students are watching you, and parents. Your guidance and proactive approach during stressful times, it really contributes to creating that positive, supportive, and thriving educational environment. So, by trying to apply these tips, you're not just managing stress, you're focusing on Fostering a culture of resilience and wellbeing.
You're modeling, you know, how we focus on the positive and you're modeling how to get through challenging times in a positive way. So thank you for joining me on this episode. I hope that these tips were helpful. I hope you try some and you're building for the month of December. I'm also hosting a free December support group for educators.
[00:16:00] So I hope you can join us. I'll provide the link in the show notes for that. It's also on my Instagram at barbedflowerscoaching. I'll be doing giveaways, offering suggestions for teachers and educators to make it a positive December. So thank you for tuning into the podcast. If you find this podcast helpful, please leave a review so other people can find the podcast as well and stay tuned for next week's episode.

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