Are You the Chief Storyteller of Your District?

Never has it been more important for you as school leaders to be in charge of telling your stories and sharing with the public all the good that comes out of your buildings. Why? Let's discuss a couple of reasons:

1. To fight the backlash of negativity: What do I mean by this? Well, we all know how quick people--whether media outlets or public consumers of said media--are to jump on negative stories. But wouldn't you agree that the majority of stories coming out of your school, whether publicized or not, are positive? Of course they are! Unfortunately, human nature causes many to focus on the not-so-good things that do occur from time to time, and those stories often seem to overshadow the good. So how do we combat this? By using school websites, social media accounts, local news reporters, community partners and even families to spread the good news! I've said this time and again: if you are not using social media to reach public education supporters, reporters and other interested parties, you are missing out. Big time. Social media is such an easy (and FREE) way to shout your positive news from the rooftops and see its reach extended by those who like, share, retweet and post on their accounts. Of course there are negatives to this particular medium, but the good far outweighs the bad. Hit me up if you are curious and want to learn more. As far as the other avenues I list here, actively engage your community to share good news you post. I promise they will be happy to help you out. And remember: reporters are not actively looking to discredit you or point out only the flaws. They know people like and want "feel good" stories as well. So introduce yourself to your local newspaper reporters, be friendly, and I promise if you help them out when they're looking for facts or a statement, they'll reciprocate.