Kindergarten marks a critical stage in a child’s growth, writes Ian Knox in Education Week. Knox is the principal of Hamagrael Elementary School in upstate New York. His essay has been edited for length and clarity.
During this formative phase, children develop a passion for learning, build meaningful bonds, and, most significantly, start to explore and manage their feelings in constructive ways.
Recently, those of us who work in elementary schools have observed a growing number of kindergartners having challenges with self-regulation. Dysregulated students can create stress, burnout, and unsafe learning environments for their teachers and peers.
The solution begins with trust. Before implementing meaningful strategies like social-emotional-learning programs, teachers, staff, students, and families must have trust in their school principal to foster collaboration, provide guidance, and create unity.
Below are three actionable steps that I have found to apply trust-building drivers in service of a thriving, supportive school community:
1) Demonstrate empathy by taking every challenge seriously.
Leaders must prioritize empathy in their actions to foster trust and collaboration. Demonstrating empathy through active listening, acknowledging challenges, and providing meaningful support enhances teachers’ sense of efficacy and builds a stronger, more unified school culture.
A student struggling with dysregulation inevitably leads to numerous meetings—whether with families or faculty. The cues we, as the school leaders, send during these stressful moments can either strengthen trust within our teams or produce significant barriers
Attend meetings and classroom visits with full attention, demonstrating that each concern is valued. Validate the emotions of teachers, students, and families by acknowledging their challenges and offering encouragement without judgment.
2) Lead with authenticity by acknowledging your own limitations.
Leaders who are authentic and transparent can foster deeper trust within their teams. A leader’s willingness to admit limitations and rely on diverse perspectives encourages openness and innovation on their teams. Remember to align your actions and decisions with the values you promote—such as empathy and collaboration—to authentically model the behavior you expect from others.
We often strive to be the “fixer” of all problems in our schools, but we’d be better served being transparent about the areas where we lack confidence. For example, if SEL is one of those areas in which you don’t feel completely confident, be honest about it and seek support from your team. It’s important to have staff members with diverse skill sets.
3) Model your logic with consistent and sound judgment.
As school leaders, we must model this clear reasoning aligned with shared school values in our leadership. When we are transparent about the logic of our decision-making, we allow our teams to trust that our reasoning and judgment are sound. Navigating the day-to-day unpredictability of a dysregulated child can feel like a roller coaster, so it’s essential that we are consistent. When they know what they can expect from us, our teams are more likely to come to us without hesitation when they need more support.
Ensure your actions and decisions reflect the values and goals of your school team. Stay grounded and steady, so that your staff has confidence in your judgment and reasoning and sees you as reliable.
Education Week
