5 Ways to Support Your School’s Support Staff

They’re appropriately named “support staff”: administrative assistants, custodians, cafeteria aides, crossing guards, security monitors, and others who play an indispensable role enhancing school climate while bolstering the work of students, teachers, and administrators. Every school has its unsung heroes who ensure that students arrive safely, that shiny floors convey a sense of pride in the building, and that distraught children and parents are greeted with the message “We care.” It’s no wonder staff are sometimes called a school’s first line of defense, and new teachers and administrators are advised to make friends with the principal’s secretary and the head custodian because they keep the school running. 

In our combined six decades serving as school and district administrators, we’re convinced that the difference between a good school and a great school is evident in its attention to details, often determined by support staff. The friendly crossing guard greeting students by name. Brightly polished hallways exuding a sense of pride in the building. Hallway monitors recognizing when a student is experiencing a bad day and taking time to console. An empathetic secretary with acute listening skills defusing angry complaining phone calls. In innumerable conversations with support staff, we’ve discovered that they are keenly aware of the extent to which school leaders value their work.

A recent Edutopia article examined how administrators can help teachers feel supported. Along those same lines, this article explores strategies school leaders can employ to honor and empower a school’s essential workers. How do we support—or bolster—the people who work so hard to support the school community?

5 Ways to show support for all Staff

1. Espouse a collective “We’re in this together” culture. To promote the maxim that every staff member makes a difference in the lives of the children and families, cultural anthropologists recommend two powerful tools: storytelling and celebrating heroes. By publicly praising the significance of support staff and spotlighting day-to-day extraordinary acts, leaders engender a sense of esprit de corps and the belief that every moment presents an opportunity to make a positive difference.

Take, for example, security monitors who extend themselves beyond simply patrolling the hallways to converse and connect with troubled teens, like Jim, security monitor and unofficial counselor at Hommocks Middle School in Mamaroneck, New York. Or the administrative assistant with a knack for comforting agitated parents, staff, students, and even board members waiting in the office, such as Cindy, administrative assistant to the superintendent in Garden City and a de facto member of the counseling staff. Sharing these accounts reminds staff that everyone exerts an impact on the well-being of children and the overall climate of the school and school district.

2. Hold regular meetings seeking input. Regularly convene job-alike meetings with administrative assistants, clerical employees, security monitors, etc. In addition to reminding them of their extraordinary value, the purpose of the meetings is to solicit information and advice from their unique perspectives. What are you noticing that leaders should be concerned with? How can we provide training, feedback, and resources to help you accomplish your responsibilities?

This approach demonstrates that support staff opinions matter. At the same time, it offers assistance as they attempt to address on-the-job challenges, and it gathers valuable insights from staff who have their ears to the ground in a way school leaders might not. 

3. Show gratitude. At every opportunity, encourage the school community to express gratitude. For example, we used assemblies on the first day of school as an occasion to remind students that the crossing guard is the only school employee stationed outdoors protecting us in all manner of weather, from blazing heat to ice storms. In a job requiring him to literally go stand in traffic, one of our crossing guards was struck by a car... twice! “It’s easy to remember how to show your appreciation,” Seth urged the student body. “Every day when you pass him, thank Frank.” (Shout-out to Frank, Hommocks Middle School’s longtime crossing guard.) 

In our late-summer emails to faculty just prior to school reopening, we would note that custodians’ summer was spent polishing furniture and buffing floors in mostly un–air-conditioned buildings. Teachers were advised to show their gratitude when they returned to find their classrooms gleaming clean. 

4. Pick up a broom now and then. In our conversations with support staff, some feel their work is deemed second class, a deflating and disparaging perception. This can be remedied by example: demonstrating teamwork and the principle of respect for all by assisting support staff in exceptional “all hands on deck” occasions.

For example, the definition of a mess is the gymnasium floor in the aftermath of a middle school dance, leading us to grab one of those extra-wide industrial push brooms and help sweep the wreckage. Or we’d answer phones on snowy days to help secretaries contend with a second type of flurry: nonstop break-of-dawn phone calls inquiring, “Is school open today?”

5. Never tolerate abuse. As front-line public-facing workers, support staff sometimes absorb the brunt of inconsiderate behavior. The response from school leaders must be immediate and forthright, drawing respectful boundaries. When a parent called the office and began angrily addressing the school secretary, the principal took the phone. The next day, the parent appeared in the office with a full-throated apology and a bouquet of flowers.

If schools are to be all-inclusive with a unified and ubiquitous mission, the contributions of all staff must be valued and supported. Outstanding service to children and families would not be possible without the help of administrative assistants, secretaries, custodians, monitors, cafeteria aides, and crossing guards who create and maintain a nurturing, organized, orderly, clean, and safe environment. In return, they need recognition, open dialogue, a shared sense of purpose, and reassurance that school leaders have their backs.