Celebrating Returning Staff

We recently got another cat. It’s a long story, and it’s truly not my fault, ha. My husband was feeding a neighborhood cat. They started to form a bond. At first the cat would run away from him. Then, he would linger but hiss. More time passed, and the cat would let my husband pet him. And then one day, he was ours.

Those who know me know that I have a very strong bond with our cat, Bumper, a black three legged cat who shares my pillow at night.

The house cat unification process is complicated, delicate, and slow. It’s not love at first sight for cats. But we are finally on the other side of all of it.

And looking back at that process, as I sit here with my guy, Bumper, in my lap and sip a hot cup of coffee, I find myself reflecting on this:

We are generally great about welcoming and caring for new staff in our schools. There is always room for growth, but we can at least recognize that this is important. Much like our new cat, Dennis (the Menace), we can see that being new can be scary and hard, so we naturally put more energy into caring for those who are new to our community.

But what are we doing for those who return each school year? I’m sitting here looking at Bumper, wanting him to know that I don’t love him any less. He’s still my special guy, and I want him to know that I can see how special he is and how special his daily contributions are to me.

I have to wonder how we might assure and celebrate returning staff. The team members who continue to choose us, year after year. Do they realize how special they are to our community and how much we value their daily contributions? So many staff are using their unique gifts and talents to shape hearts and minds of adults and kids alike every day. Do they know how we feel about those contributions? Can they see the positive difference it’s making?

Let’s not miss a moment to extend a kind word, share a quick encouraging text, write a handwritten note of gratitude, make that phone call of appreciation. Appreciation doesn’t need to be offered in grand gestures. We can extend our positive feedback in the form of mosquito moves. I believe so deeply in the small moves for big impact that I wrote an entire chapter “Mosquito Moves” in Legacy of Learning. Small moves are more sustainable, often feel more authentic, and have the power to give people the energy they need to try again tomorrow.

There are no small acts in a school. Don’t talk yourself out of extending a kind word of appreciation. It can fuel and accelerate both trust and connection but also positive momentum and progress.