Want to Change Your School Culture? Start Small

Trying to get your whole staff on board with a new idea can feel like pushing a boulder uphill, especially when you feel like you’re the only one pushing.

But if you want to change your school culture, you don’t necessarily need everyone to agree from the beginning. Sometimes a few people who are willing to try something new are enough to get things moving.

Find the People Who Are Ready

Rather than spending all your energy trying to convince the people who aren’t interested, start with the ones who are.

Look for a teacher or EA who connects well with students and is open to trying a different approach. They don’t have to be in a leadership role, and they don’t need to be an expert in SEL or bullying prevention. At this point, being willing to try matters more.

Give them the support they need to get started, then let them figure out what works with their students. There will probably be things that go well and things that don’t, especially at the beginning. That’s part of figuring out how a new approach fits within your school.

Let Other Staff See It Working

Trying to convince an entire staff that something will work can be difficult. Seeing it work in a colleague’s classroom is different.

As teachers start talking about what they’re doing and how students are responding, other staff may become curious. Someone who wasn’t interested when the idea first came up might be much more willing to try it after hearing about it from the teacher next door.

You don’t need to force that process. Give the people who are already interested a chance to get comfortable with the approach and talk about their experiences.

Give Change Some Time

School culture rarely changes overnight, and expecting everyone to get on board immediately can make progress feel much slower than it actually is.

If a few people are doing something differently this month, that’s a start. Give them time to keep at it and let other staff see what happens.

Over time, you may find that more people want to be involved. What started with one or two classrooms can gradually become something the whole school recognizes and participates in.

You don’t have to change your entire school at once. Start with the people who are ready and build from there.