Three Ways to Rekindle Teachers’ Professional Fires
On Friday, March 14, 2025, a group of thoughtful school leaders gathered in Manchester, NH for a one-day workshop. The goal was to think about how to support teachers’ physical and emotional health to rekindle teachers’ professional fires.
We began the workshop by exploring some foundational ideas, and then school leaders reflected on the own personal and professional habits and routines. Then people got into groups and generated ideas for how to support teachers using ideas from the book Rekindle Your Professional Fire: Powerful Habits for Becoming a More Well-Balanced Teacher as a jumping-off point. They considered ways to help faculty meet their needs for good health, autonomy, belonging, competence, purpose, curiosity, and fun.
The group came up with tons of great ideas. Here are a few.
Use Staff Meetings to Support Teacher Well-Being and Engagement
- Start each meeting with people sharing (with a partner or small group) celebrations and successes from the day/week.
- Invite staff to share/teach others an academic game they’ve played with their students.
- Use partner chats and other interactive strategies to boost connection and engagement.
- Arrange the furniture to meet the needs of the group and the purpose(s) of the meeting (table groups for group chats, rows for presentation, etc.).
- Provide only healthy snacks and refreshments: nuts, fruits, vegetables, water, etc. Don’t offer soda, candy, chips, etc.
Give the Staff Room a Makeover
- Paint walls a warm/pleasing color.
- Use tablecloths to cover old tables.
- Post students artwork and/or student work samples on the walls.
- Clean up clutter.
- Create a gratitude board, where staff can share about what they’re thankful for.
- Post a joke/pun of the week.
- Make the space one that’s conducive to friendly conversation. Make it a room you’d proudly show off to school visitors.
Offer Staff Options for Professional Learning
- Give choices for PD day learning opportunities.
- Create a professional learning network where teachers can join a group to study/investigate a hot topic.
- Offer book club options.
- Ask staff for input—“What do you need right now?”
- Have staff create meaningful learning goals—ones that they actually want to explore.
- Offer choices of discussions/topics at staff meetings.
Thanks to this group of dedicated and thoughtful school leaders who shared their wisdom with the rest of us! To see the complete list and to explore other resources about teacher health and engagement, check out this LiveBinder. You might also want to check out the book Rekindle Your Professional Fire or the online course I’ve created.
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