Since the first day of the school year administrators have been outside the building once a week, holding signs and taking “selfies” with students. We initially heard about this idea from another school Principal who we were discussing positive school with and who was promoting the idea of selfies with students. Although this may have been out of our comfort zone and certainly a different morning routine, we were out there on the first day of school (along with the school rock band and therapy dogs) to welcome students and faculty back to HHS after the summer. We had committed to “welcoming” signs for the first day of school but were unsure at that point if this would continue throughout the year.
Two weeks later, and two selfie days later, a student approached me in the hallway and asked when she could expect our next selfie day. She was interested to see what our sign would be and stated that she wanted us to tweet her selfie. I responded immediately that we would be outside again the next day and to make sure to find us so that we could all take a selfie together. The impact of this small activity was already felt and this interaction left me with a smile for the rest of the day.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is where so much learning takes place and in this case, contributed so significantly to the positive school culture we are always trying to cultivate.
Principal Bottomley's Blog 