Autonomy

Resources for School Leaders to Establish Autonomy

Recognizing staff for their own choices and ideas builds confidence to keep trying new things. These resources help school leadership give teachers the time and space to experiment in their classrooms.

Printable sheet of On a Tough Day note cards beside two completed When Things Feel Tough cards for a staff wellbeing activity
Printable sheet of On a Tough Day note cards beside two completed When Things Feel Tough cards for a staff wellbeing activity

Here for You Notes: A 3-Step Staff Wellbeing Activity

A staff wellbeing activity for a hard day
5-10 minutes
A holiday present wrapped in red and white paper lays on a desk.

Classroom White Elephant

A staff gift exchange with items already in their classroom.
15 min
Printable Snow Ya Later poem cards for a winter break staff activity, shown next to a plush snowman, pens, and washi tape

Snow Ya Later: A Winter Break Staff Activity

A winter break staff activity with a traveling snowman.
Ongoing over winter break
Two women sit on a bench in front of a window and wall with children's drawings on it. They are smiling at each other and have notebooks in the laps.

A Guide to Stay Interviews

Keep great teachers by having the right conversations.
10–15 min
Several sheets of paper, one with writing on it, sit on a wooden desk. A blue pen, sticky notes, jar of pens, small plant, and coffee cup are placed around the paper.

TGIF Reflection: An End-of-Week Teacher Activity

A simple end-of-week reflection that helps staff reflect on positive moments.
5–10 min
Six pieces of paper are taped to a white wall with colorful sticky notes placed all around. Two people reach in from each side to place more sticky notes.

Sticky Note Staff Check-In

An easy way to ask your staff how they’re doing.
10–15 min
Four notecards taped to a desk chair. The chair is in front of a white desk with papers and jar of pencils.

Desk Drops & Daily Joy: Small Surprises that Boost Teacher Morale

A toolkit for school leaders to show appreciation, strengthen staff connection, and celebrate the everyday.
Ongoing
An array of snacks in blue bags sits in front of a wall with a poster and blue sticky-notes.

Out of the Blue: A Snack Cart Idea to Delight Your Staff

A snack cart idea that shows appreciation to your staff with a fun, blue-themed cart.
Ongoing
A hand drops a handwritten note in a small tray on a desk. An open laptop, coffee mug, sticky notes and pens are on the desk.

Greatness Nextdoor: A Teacher Peer Observation Activity

A peer classroom observation activity for teacher growth and connection
10 min
A woman sits at a wooden desk with a laptop, plant, and writing supplies on it. She writes on a piece of paper in front of a brick background.

How to Know if You Are Effectively Communicating Expectations to Staff

Key questions for collaboration and follow-up conversations.
10-15 min
Three notecards each with one word on them are taped to a red wood wall. A hand reaches in from the side to tape one more notecard on the wall.

One Word Values Activity

A goal-setting template and activity that helps your staff start the year with focus and intention.
20-30 min
Sheets of paper, clipboard, markers, and scissors lay on a yellow background.

Whose Clue is it Anyway?

A team building activity for teachers turns any staff meeting into a playful guessing game.
15-20 min
Four women stand in front of a yellow wall placing sticky notes under pieces of paper that say "start, stop, continue."

A School Staff Exercise: Start, Stop, Continue

A start, stop, continue template that invites big conversations.
15 min
A man sits at a wood desk with pens, a coffee cup, and sheets of paper on it. He holds two pieces of paper in his hands.

SMART Goals for Teachers and Staff

A practical guide for leading goal-setting conversations that help staff grow, stay focused, and feel supported all year long.
20-30 min
Sheet of paper, clipboard with a sheet of paper, notecards, marker, scissors and sticky-notes lay on a pink background.

Two-Minute Teaching: A Video Reflection Practice

A structured, low-pressure way to build a culture of reflection without the weight of formal observation.
30 min
A card that says "question bank", notecard and part of a clipboard lays on a light blue background.

Classroom Walkthrough Tips for School Leaders

A guide to making quick, 5-10 minute classroom walkthroughs count.
5-10 min
A woman sits at a desk writing on a piece of paper. A man sits across from her. Notebooks, pens, and papers are on the desk between them.

Navigating Difficult Conversations

A practical guide to help school leaders handle staff conflict resolution.
Varies
A person sitting at a table writes a hand-written note.

Celebration Notes

A ready-to-print stack of little notes that go a long way.
Two women hold bingo cards and face each other. Each are writing on the cards. Background is a multicolored rug.

Back-to-School Team Building Bingo

A fun staff meeting icebreaker your team will love. This bingo activity gets staff moving, talking, and connecting in just 10 minutes.
10-15 min
A laptop screen with Claude on it. A hand reaches near the screen.

Using AI to Lighten Your Leadership Load

Draft staff messages, summarize long reports, prep for meetings, and turn voice notes into action lists.
Ongoing
A sheet of paper with stars taped around it is on a white bulletin board. Two hands reach in and place more stars.

Staff Collaboration Activity: School Hack Day

A team building activity for teachers to brainstorm challenges and choose ideas to put into action.
45-60 min
A tea station with flowers is set up on a table. A hand reaches in and pours water into a mug.

TEA-riffic Teachers

A simple, yet effective staff appreciation activity.
Ongoing
Three women sit at a table in a library. They write on piece of paper and talk with one another. Notebooks, papers, and pens are scattered on the table.

Small Group Brainstorm Breakouts

A low-prep way to get more voices to speak up.
10-15 min
A man and a woman take a selfie in a stairwell. A woman goes down the stairs behind them.

Quick! Take a Pic

A fun team building activity for teachers.
10–15 min
A bowl of jumbo marshmallows sits on a shelf. Three toothpicks with paper flags and names on them are stuck in the marshmallows.

Marshmallow Wars

A playful all-day staff game where teachers compete to collect colleague names.
Ongoing
Someone holds a peach water bottle in their hands.

The PD Cafe: Wellness and Growth

A PD activity where staff choose a quick reset to an ongoing habit each week.
15-20 min
Two women sit at a wooden table with an open laptop between them. They write on pieces of paper in front of them.

The PD Cafe: Technology and Innovation

A menu-style PD activity that lets staff test new tools and tricks.
15-20 min
A woman stands writing at a whiteboard. Another woman sits at a table and makes notes in a small notebook.

The PD Cafe: Instructional Practices

An activity to develop professional development ideas for teachers.
15-20 min
A woman sits next to bookshelves as a table writing on a piece of paper.

The PD Cafe: Equity and Inclusion

A PD exercise to build culturally responsive teaching skills.
15-20 min
Coffee mugs, to-go cups, a kettle, and coffee supplies sit on a wooden table in front of a peg board. A poster and handwritten notes are taped to the peg board. A hand reaches in to grab a coffee mug.

Coffee & Compliments

A coffee station paired with a compliment board where staff leave anonymous notes of appreciation.
Ongoing
Small boxes of cereal, plastic spoons and bowls lay on a table. In the background is a brown wall with a poster that says "our staff is cereal-iously the best."

Cereal-iously the Best Staff

A low-prep treat that gives staff a quick break and a sweet reminder that you appreciate them.
Ongoing
A white board is covered in colorful sticky notes and a piece of paper is taped at the top that says "you said, we did." A hand reaches in from the left and places another sticky note on the board.

You Said, We Did Board

A way to visually display staff feedback paired alongside leadership actions.
Ongoing
A woman sits at a desk with headphones on. She writes on a piece of paper on a clipboard.

Treats & Tidbits: Using Podcasts to Encourage Growth

A low-prep professional development idea teachers will love.
Ongoing
A bulletin board is covered in pieces of paper with gold stars on them. A hand reaches in from the right to place another sticker.

Four Square Responses

A simple way to ask your staff how they’re doing.
10–20 min
A large calendar lays on a table. A hand reaches in to cross out a date that says "staff meeting."

The "No-Meeting" Staff Meeting

Low-lift ways to keep staff informed and connected without another meeting.
Ongoing
Three posters with sticky notes next to them are taped to a white pegboard. A hand reaches in to place a note.

Staff Joy Wall

A simple display where your team shares favorite books, shows, and feel-good picks.
Ongoing
Three women stand in front of a yellow wall with bingo squares on it. They write on the squares.

Staff Lounge Wellbeing Bingo

A printable bingo board for the staff lounge.
Ongoing
A man holding a clipboard stands in front of a woman seated at a desk in a classroom.

Quick Check-In, Real Connection

Ready-to-use one-on-one check-in questions for every moment of the school year.
5 min
Two people stand in front of yellow lockers and their hands exchange notecards.

Staff Idea Swap Cards

A quick peer PD activity where staff fill out cards sharing a strategy, tool, or idea that has been working in their classroom.
10-15 min
A woman sits at a desk writing on a piece of paper. A whiteboard and brick wall are in the background.

Own Your Oops

A low-pressure way to address the small missteps that happen in any school.
5-10 min
Sheets of paper, clipboard, markers lay on a light green background.

Never Have I Ever Educator Life

A staff meeting icebreaker school leaders can use in minutes.
5-10 min
A white peg board sits in front of a white wall with shelves on it. Small notes are attached to the peg board. Two men reach in from either side to place more notes.

Morning Boost

A daily practice for principals who want to show up for their staff before the first bell.
5-10 min
Two people sit at a table talking to each other.

Would You Rather Icebreaker

Fun, quick questions that get teachers laughing, talking, and connecting fast every time.
10-15 min
Hands write with markers on pieces of paper laying on a wood table. A timer sits in the background.

School Scategories

A quick staff meeting icebreaker where teachers race to fill in school themed categories using one letter.
10-15 min
A woman stands in front of a whiteboard that has a poster on it. She tapes a notecard near the poster.

Idea Parking Lot

A way to give staff a standing place to submit ideas between meetings.
Ongoing
A sheet of paper and blue pen lay on an orange tray on a green background.

Staff Self-Care Bingo

A staff wellbeing bingo board to help teachers and staff build simple self-care habits.
Ongoing
Man holds a piece of paper with writing on it as he stands in front of three women seated at a table.

Habits for High-Impact Meetings

A guide to help school leaders make meetings more purposeful and productive.
Varies
Two women write on a whiteboard underneath a piece of paper taped to it.

Creative Whiteboard Prompts to Spark Connection and Community

A simple way to spark conversation, build connections, and add a little fun to the staff lounge.
Ongoing
A coffee maker, coffee supplies, and colorful mugs sit on a counter. A hand reaches in to grab a mug.

Mug Exchange

A simple team building activity for teachers where staff swap mugs.
15-20 min
A basket full of orange colored snack bags sits on a desk along with orange office supplies. On the wall is a sign and orange sticky notes with handwritten messages.

Orange You Glad It's Friday?

A low-effort, high-joy way to close out the week.
Ongoing
Several sheets of paper and makers lay on a blue background.

60+ This or That Questions for Staff Connection

Team building activity for teachers turns a weekly this or that question into an easy way for staff to vote, compare answers, and start conversations.
Ongoing
A woman sits at a wooden desk writing on a piece of paper.

The Streamline & Simplify System

Practical first year principal tips to simplify daily duties.
Ongoing

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