For over 30 years international school leaders, teachers, and counselors have come together for Principals’ Training Center (PTC) professional learning experiences. Each day of every program begins with a “pearl of wisdom,” a “nugget of knowledge,” or a “gem of inspiration” from one of the participants. We are delighted to offer our readers around the world these powerful stories, insights, and strategies, all dedicated to our shared mission of ever more and better learning for our children.
In this pearl, Luiz offers an invitation to school leaders to “refine their systems so they become more effective but also more efficient.” He creates an analogy that likens micro impacts to mosquito bites. One or two are manageable, but too many and you just want to leave. Micro impacts can be any number of things that negatively impact staff wellbeing and morale: poor use of digital tools, broken or slow equipment, or even a lack of welcoming induction practices. He says that no one has ever left a school because the printer in the staff room doesn’t work. But things that cost time and cognitive space, just like those pesky mosquitoes, can add up to big impacts.
Professional positions cited were the ones held at the time of recording. The positions and schools of those quoted may have since changed.
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Luiz Mello is a secondary school teacher at the International School of Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
