Take them elsewhere!

Sometimes, you just have to pull kids out of the environment they’re stuck in.

If you’re in a city—get them to a farm.
If you’re in a rural town—put them on a bus or train and get them into the city.

Let them see something different. Let them feel something unfamiliar. Let them ask new questions.

And when you do it—get the devices out of their hands.

No phones. No distractions. Just space to look around, talk, notice, and be present.

It’s not just good for kids—it’s good for teachers, too.

We all get locked into routines, into rhythms that feel productive but slowly narrow our perspective. Stepping outside of that—together—resets things. It builds curiosity. It builds connection. It reminds everyone that learning isn’t confined to a classroom or a screen.

Sometimes the most important move isn’t doing more.

It’s going somewhere different.

Remain steady

Leadership will feel paradoxical. You’re asked to drive change while providing stability. Do both. Your demeanor sets the tone. When things speed up, you slow down. When others react, you respond.

Steadiness builds trust. People don’t need you to have every answer—they need you to be anchored.

Crises will come: a fight, a parent complaint, a staff issue, a social media flare-up. The moment matters less than how you show up in it.

Use a simple framework:

  • Keep people safe.

  • Take clear, calming actions.

  • Reaffirm values and identity.

Don’t overcomplicate it. In chaos, simplicity wins.

You won’t feel perfectly calm—and that’s fine. The work is managing yourself so your uncertainty doesn’t become everyone else’s.

Be the thermostat, not the thermometer.

When you remain steady, others follow. You create space for clarity, for problem-solving, for progress.

In the most difficult moments, your steadiness is the leadership.

Embrace change

Great school leaders are always evaluating themselves and the organizations they lead. They do not sit still. They re-situate, adjust, and refine in pursuit of a clearer, stronger version of the school’s vision.

Change is constant. External forces will disrupt plans, timelines, and assumptions. That is a given. What separates strong leaders is not their ability to avoid change—but their ability to recognize when change is required and act before it is forced upon them.

The principalship is revealing work. It exposes character. It surfaces strengths that were not fully known and weaknesses that can no longer be ignored. The role does not simply require leadership—it builds it. Over time, it shapes judgment, values, and identity.

Often, change arrives through crisis. A community event. A staff breakdown. A structural flaw. A global disruption. In those moments, the existing playbook proves insufficient. Decision-making accelerates. Communication must expand. Priorities become clearer: safety, connection, continuity.

In those environments, leadership becomes both internal and external.

Externally: calm, steady, clear.
Internally: questioning, debating, recalibrating.

Strong leadership teams wrestle privately so they can align publicly.

Embracing change does not mean reacting emotionally or abandoning direction. It means adapting with intention while maintaining coherence. The work is to evolve without losing the core.

The journey will change the leader. That is not optional.

The only question is whether that change is resisted—or used.