Colleague Shout Outs: Help Faculty Notice Each Other

By November, faculty members have learned who they can count on, who keeps to themselves, and who seems frustrated. Busy days can turn those impressions into fixed descriptions. We may stop being curious about one another.

This week, let's turn the exception question outward and help faculty notice each other. When are our colleagues showing the connection, patience, creativity, or kindness we want more of in our school?

Think of the teacher who checks on a substitute between classes. The colleague who shares materials without being asked. The staff member who brings humor to a tense meeting. The teacher having a difficult week who still makes time to listen to someone else.

These moments tell us something about the people we work beside. But do we tell them?

Offer an Invitation

At a staff meeting, through a brief email, or during a conversation in the hallway, offer this invitation:

"This week, notice something a colleague does that makes your school day a little better. Then tell that person exactly what you noticed."

Encourage specifics:

• "You checked on me after that difficult conference. I appreciated having someone to talk with."

• "You invited our new teacher to sit with you. You made it easier for her to join the conversation."

When Relationships Feel Strained

The solution-focused lens can also help when relationships feel strained. Invite faculty to consider: "When has working with this colleague been a little easier? What was happening then?" A small exception may reveal a helpful way to approach the next conversation.

Start Your Next Faculty Meeting

You might help your principal to begin your next faculty meeting with one question:

"What has someone on this staff done recently that you hope they keep doing?"

Allow a few people to respond. Keep participation voluntary, and welcome the small, ordinary examples. A quiet word of appreciation afterward can matter just as much as something shared with the group.

Faculty members spend their days noticing what students need. This week, help them experience what it feels like to have their own efforts seen.

Check out the attached Colleague Shout Out kit and print for your faculty!

Look for what you want to see repeated in your school and say something about it.

It's more than reinforcement... it's connection.