Marketing for Christian Schools

This summer, I had the opportunity to attend a marketing conference that focused on Christian schools. The Herzog Foundation offered this conference free of charge for Christian school administrators and marketers.  

Proponents of school choice, especially in Florida, have allowed private schools to expand significantly. The Herzog Foundation helped me and a few of my teachers that were able to attend look for ways that we can market differently to grow our enrollment to capacity.

In my area, my school only needs a little marketing for competition. We are a rural area with a few private schools that are K-12. There are three central cities, each with a selection of private schools. Most families do not travel from their city. So our marketing is different. 

The main thing I must market is how the state's scholarship program is available for families to attend tuition free. One of the Herzog speakers referred to financial aid as a marketing tool. My school has full-pay families and full-scholarship families. Each student follows the same tuition/fee schedule. This maximizes the scholarship potential for Florida. The Board can use discounts based on many factors, but the school limits automatic discounts (multi-child, self-pay, etc). As a strategy, this can be a negotiated item for families that look at your school. 

Another area my school focused on is marketing through an online presence. Our Facebook page is the primary source of day to day information for our families or potential families. We do have a website also that is used strictly for marketing. Current families do not use the website for anything. Everything for current families is on our Facebook page and student information system.

Having school choice helps rework the education for students in our community. My school gives them an option from the traditional public school with little or no out-of-pocket expense that is different from free and public education. In my years as an administrator, the school has transitioned from a typical worksheet-based system into an environment where students can think and develop problem-solving in a safe environment. 

Through marketing, I can maximize the capacity of my campus while providing a different environment for education. 

There is more to come with my marketing journey.

If you are interested in learning more about how to market your school to increase your capacity, send me an email!

Quiet Quitting- Part 2- Doing Less But Getting More Done

In my first post on Quiet Quitting, I referred to It's Lit Teaching and her first point on setting boundaries.

In this post, I am going to her second point of doing less. I began teaching in 1996. Pinterest did not exist, and the internet was just becoming more user-friendly for teaching- but I never went to the internet for teaching ideas. I had Mailbox Magazine. It was a prized possession, and I scooped up whenever I found them. I finally bought a subscription for my first year of teaching!

Cute bulletin boards were important. Early in my career, it was expected that you would change the bulletin board each month. There was even a contest (I decided I never needed to win that!) . I discovered early on that using student work was the easiest way to create a display that the administration would appreciate. 

Now, with Pinterest, teachers think they should do all those lovely displays, worksheets, and activities and # teachersofinstagram-worthy things! 

But you don't!

I love planning lessons- even now teaching Trig for juniors and seniors- there is a joy in planning an engaging lesson! I have always done lesson plans even if they were not required. By doing less, my less would not be in planning. Priority for all activities should be the students. You can focus more time and let some other things go.

Another area I am passionate about is grading (or decreasing grading)! But that is for another post!

As a new teacher, I did not know about committees or "other professional duties. Teaching is more than your classroom duties. You must do those things- PLCs, duty, department meetings, and faculty meetings. It is part of the job and, most likely, of the contract. These are required and cannot be lessened. But you can limit what you sign up for. Don't be the notetaker, don't be the liaison to the board/admin/etc.  Do what is REQUIRED! 

Overall, choosing what your focus your time on is essential. Doing less means saying no to things that are not required, are not to "look" better, or to compare with someone else doing those things.  

If you want to move to administration, then, of course, you should do things to draw attention to the asset you are and build a resume of things needed to take that next step. Doing less is not a way to make an impact on your future. But if you are struggling or have a life outside of school, find ways to do less but still be a good teacher.

Next time: spend less!

Quiet Quitting- Is it a thing in teaching or is it what teachers should actually be doing? Part 1

I recently read an article from It's Lit Teaching called The Ultimate Guide to Quiet Quitting. As an administrator, the term was of interest to me since I was told I have a teacher that has told others she is quietly quitting at my school. In addition, it is listed as one of the top ten words of 2022 and a word to banish.

So what is "quiet quitting" in teaching?

According to It's Lit, it is "It’s doing the job you’re compensated for without doing anything extra."

As a teacher, I did most of the things on Heather's list, except asking for extra compensation. As an administrator, I encourage my teachers to do the same (without the extra compensation part, however, I have a teacher who often does).

Is it not just as simple as doing your job to the best of your ability within the time frame given and having the courage to say NO when asked to do something you don't want to do.

Over a few posts, I will reflect on Heather's points in her ultimate guide to quiet quitting and give my interpretation as an administrator to a teacher:

1. Set boundaries around your time.  Yes, yes, and yes. There should not be a job that encompasses your life unless you are a business owner. If you are working for another person or another system, your time that is not obligated by contract or working hours should be your own. 

• Do not check your email outside of the school day! And if you do, respond to it only during working hours. And never get your personal cell phone to a student or parent. Your boss may text or contact you outside the school day, but you do not have to respond.
• As an administrator, I see teachers that often think planning time is "their" time. However, teachers should remember that except for lunch, the time is your school if it is during your contracted time. Planning time should be used for school-related work. Most teachers could eliminate work if they used planning effectively. 
• Do not grade everything! More on this later, but you are relieved from the guilt of not grading every darn paper/assignment you give out. Grade items that reflect standards and learning. Give participation grades if the students actively participated in a learning activity. Do not take grading home. Use your time wisely or grade differently. 
• Just say no: if it is not a required activity according to your contract, you are allowed to say no. Most teachers, in my opinion (it is my blog, so I am allowed to have it), are people pleasers. They do extra because it is expected. They do extra because they want to be teacher of the year. They do extra because they want to be "highly effective."  They do extra because their buddy does extra, so he convinces you to do extra. Just say no. No rule says you have to work extra because you are a teacher. 

Setting boundaries on your time also reflects how your time is spent. Take a careful look at how you are spending your work day. You would be expected to work a 40-hour work week in most jobs. Most teaching contracts are between 35-40 hours. What can you cut out? What time is wasted? How can you 

do things differently?

Next time: doing less