From the outside, it might seem like being a school principal is a pretty cushy job. They have plenty of staff, assistants, and teachers to help run the school, right? Ha! The truth is far from that perception of reality. A school principal has so many responsibilities it can seem like living inside a pinball machine, constantly bouncing from one obstacle to another.
The job description includes instructional leadership, hiring, supervising, and retaining teachers and support staff, communicating with parents and community members, student and staff discipline, and overseeing sports and other programs. And that’s just part of the job.
Building safety features into that pinball machine, like soft bumpers that cushion the blow when you hit a barrier, will help you survive. What about the students? Students and staff need those soft bumpers too, places to rest as they navigate their own challenges.
In today’s world, that can seem like a monumental challenge. Add issues like bullying, drugs, social media, and school shootings to the everyday traumas of growing up, and it feels overwhelming. You can’t just ignore problems you don’t feel like dealing with, though. Enduring and overcoming those obstacles takes resilience and grit.
A positive, supportive school environment is the foundation of school safety. It starts at the top, which means the principal has to create and sustain it. How does that fit in with all of the other responsibilities of a school leader? A sense of safety is the glue that holds everything else together.
Building that foundation requires several ingredients. It’s kind of like that old team-building exercise where you fold your arms across your chest and allow yourself to fall back, trusting that someone will be there to catch you and keep you from getting hurt.
- Connectedness: It’s about bonding and getting to know people around you at a deeper level, beyond superficial recognition.
- Trust: It is easier to trust someone when you get to know them and find that you have something in common.
- Caring: In a positive culture, people care about each other, are aware of how others feel, and project a sense of belonging.
Exceptional school leaders jump in with both feet, using their own experiences and ideas to address the many challenges they face. All of them believe that their school’s environment is the key to student success.
With a strong foundation in place, the school principal must develop safety plans for the “what ifs” that will inevitably occur, usually without warning. Plans for physical safety like fires, floods, natural disasters, and external threats of violence are probably in a binder on a shelf in the principal’s office. But what about the threats you cannot see?
Suicide prevention is a topic many school leaders tend to avoid. It's uncomfortable to talk about it. A principal who truly cares about the students they serve will have specific safety plans and procedures for suicide prevention.
If you are a school principal and you do not have a comprehensive plan in place, please make time to work on it right away! There are plenty of resources available. Here is one to get you started.
“Developmentally, the years between childhood and adulthood represent a critical period of transition and significant cognitive, mental, emotional, and social change. While adolescence is a time of tremendous growth and potential, navigating new milestones in preparation for adult roles involving education, employment, relationships, and living circumstances can be difficult. These transitions can lead to various mental health challenges that can be associated with increased risk for suicide.”
On the site you will find information on:
You can find out how to Help Spread the Word About youth.gov here.
By learning about suicide prevention, you will not only become a better principal, but you might save a life.
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Culture of Caring: A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools (K-12) was
created as a resource for educators who want to know how to get started and
what steps to take to create a suicide prevention plan that will work for their
schools and districts. It is written from my perspective as a school principal
and survivor of suicide loss, not an expert in psychology or counseling. I hope
that any teacher, school counselor, psychologist, principal, or district
administrator can pick up this book, flip to a chapter, and easily find helpful
answers to the questions they are likely to have about what schools can do to
prevent suicide.
