Tag Archives: School Culture

August 28, 2026 · 1:01 PM

Joy in the Partnership: The Pastor-Principal Relationship and the Culture We Create

Joy in the Work | Episode 4 | A Conversation with Father Pawel Sass, M.A., S.T.L.

What becomes possible in our Catholic schools when pastors and principals see their partnership not simply as a responsibility, but as a gift?

That is the question I have been carrying with me since my recent conversation with Father Pawel Sass, Pastor of the Shrine of Saint Jude in Rockville, Maryland, for Episode 4 of the Joy in the Work series.

When we talk about strengthening Catholic schools, we rightfully talk about teachers, principals, students, families, curriculum, instruction, faith formation, and school culture. However, there is another relationship that I believe deserves much more of our attention: The pastor-principal partnership.

The pastor and principal have distinct roles and responsibilities, but they share something extraordinary: responsibility for advancing the mission of a Catholic school community. When that partnership is healthy, collaborative, prayerful, and rooted in mutual respect, the effects can extend far beyond the two people involved.

Teachers and students notice and experience it, and the school families and parishioners take notice and experience it. This partnership has a huge impact on a Catholic school culture. 

Partnership Has Shaped My Own Leadership Lens

Throughout my years serving Catholic education, I have been blessed to work alongside wonderful priests and to learn from spiritual leaders who modeled a positive approach to Catholic schools. Msgr. Chuck Kosanke in the Archdiocese of Detroit and Father John Williamson in the Archdiocese of Baltimore are two priests whose mentorship and example helped shape my own understanding of partnership.

They helped me see that the relationship between pastor and principal does not need to be defined by hierarchy, territoriality, or uncertainty about who controls what.

At its best, it can be characterized by trust, communication, shared mission, respect for one another’s expertise, prayer, laughter, and a genuine belief that we are better when we serve together.

At one point in our conversation, Father Pawel offered a wonderfully simple reminder:

“We are too blessed to be stressed.” (Sass, 2026)

It made me smile. Of course, leadership can be stressful. Catholic school leaders and pastors carry real responsibilities, difficult decisions, competing priorities, and the needs of many people. Father Pawel was not suggesting otherwise. What I heard in his words was an invitation to remember the blessings while carrying the burdens.

Leadership can become so consumed by what needs fixing that we forget to notice what is flourishing:

The student who finally understands. The teacher who stayed a few extra minutes to help. The family who expresses gratitude. The colleague who makes us laugh or put up a bulletin board. The parishioner who quietly supports the school. The opportunity to celebrate Mass together. The privilege of accompanying children as they grow in faith and knowledge, and the people God has placed beside us.

There will always be another problem to solve, but there will also always be something for which to give thanks. Perhaps part of sustaining joy in the work is learning to hold both realities at once.

Another image Father Pawel shared has stayed with me.

“Clean the cup.”

His reflection was that we need to clean the cup so we can be filled by the Holy Spirit and then empty ourselves again in service to others (Sass, 2026).

What a beautiful image for leadership. Those of us who serve others spend much of our lives pouring out. We give attention. We give encouragement, time, we solve problems and we listen. We teach, lead and we accompany others on this journey of life. But we cannot continually pour from a cup we never allow God to refill.

Prayer, reflection, rest, gratitude, community, and time with God are not distractions from leadership. They help prepare us for it.

Perhaps the question is not simply, “How much more can I give?”

Perhaps sometimes the better question is:

“What do I need to release so there is room for the Spirit to fill me again?”…Clean the cup, be filled, be poured out in service, return, and allow God to fill it again! There is a rhythm of vocation in that image that I find beautiful.

One of the most practical parts of my conversation with Father Pawel centered on conflict. Healthy partnerships are not partnerships without disagreement. Pastors and principals will disagree. Teachers and administrators will disagree. Colleagues will misunderstand one another. We are human beings doing important work together, so conflict will happen.

The question is not whether disagreement will occur. The question is what we do when it does.

Father Pawel offered three practices that are beautifully simple and profoundly useful.

1. Begin With Quiet, Personal Prayer

Before responding, reacting, emailing, calling, or entering the difficult conversation: Pray.

Not necessarily publicly, not performatively, but quietly and personally. Bring the situation to God before bringing it back to the other person. Prayer creates space between the emotion we are experiencing and the response we choose to make.

It invites us to ask: Am I listening? Am I seeking understanding? Is pride influencing my response? What might I be missing? Holy Spirit, how are You asking me to enter this conversation?

For Catholic leaders, perhaps prayer should not simply open our meetings. Perhaps it should also precede our disagreements.

2. Practice “Table Fellowship”

Father Pawel’s second recommendation may be my favorite:

Enjoy table fellowship. (Sass, 2026)

Sit down together, share a meal, have coffee, break bread, and just talk.

Father Pawel reminds us that there is something deeply human, and deeply Christian, about gathering around a table. The person across from us can become very easy to misunderstand when our interaction is reduced to an email, a disagreement, a meeting agenda, or a problem that needs solving. The table changes the posture. At the table, we remember the person. We listen differently. We tell stories. We laugh. We learn about one another, and we discover what we have in common.

I think sometimes the disagreement that seemed enormous becomes easier to navigate once the relationship returns to the center. There is wisdom in table fellowship that extends far beyond the pastor-principal relationship. What might change in our leadership teams, faculties, departments, and school communities if we spent a little more time breaking bread together?

3. Assume the Good

Father Pawel’s third piece of wisdom may be the most challenging:

Assume the good.

When someone says something that frustrates us, assume the good. When a decision surprises us, assume the good. When communication is imperfect, assume the good. When we disagree about the path forward, begin with the belief that the other person also cares about the mission.

Assuming the good does not mean avoiding accountability or pretending harmful behavior is acceptable. It means resisting the temptation to assign negative motives before we have taken the time to understand.

Imagine beginning a difficult pastor-principal conversation from this posture:

“I know you care about our school and our mission. Help me understand how you are seeing this.”

That is very different from beginning with:

“Why would you do this?”

One posture opens a door and the other may close it before the conversation even begins.

I keep returning to Father Pawel’s three practices:

  • Pray
  • Table Fellowship
  • Assume the good

They require no new program, no strategic plan, no committee, or budget. They require intentionality. I think this is one of the lessons emerging throughout this entire Joy in the Work series. Positive culture is often built through seemingly small, repeated relational practices.

How we enter the room, how we listen, how we choose to respond to mistakes, how we welcome people, how we handle a disagreement is important to the partnership. 

How we recognize another person’s gifts, how we repair a relationship, and how we choose to begin again can build trust and a strong foundation for the partnership. 

As shared in earlier episodes, small moments, repeated consistently, have a way of becoming culture.

A healthy pastor-principal partnership does not require the pastor to become the principal or the principal to become the pastor. Their roles are distinct, their gifts are different, and areas of expertise vary. That is not a weakness in the partnership, and it may be one of its greatest strengths.

Partnership asks us to recognize: You bring something to this mission that I cannot bring alone. In Catholic education, that recognition carries particular significance. The pastor brings spiritual leadership, sacramental life, theological formation, and pastoral care. The principal brings educational leadership, instructional expertise, organizational leadership, and the daily stewardship of the school community. Together, they can help ensure that Catholic identity is not simply something written in a mission statement, but becomes something people experience.

As the Joy in the Work series continues, another piece of the larger picture is becoming clearer to me.

  • Dr. Christina Mendez-Hall invited us to Lead with Joy,
  • Dr. Nicci Dowd encouraged us to Make Room for Joy,
  • Dr. Joy Roberts helped us explore Joy, Belonging, and the Power of Community, and 
  • Father Pawel Sass reminds us that there can also be Joy in the Partnership.

We do not have to carry the mission alone, and that in itself is a source of joy. There is someone beside us. Someone with different gifts. Someone who sees things we may not see. Someone with whom we can pray, and can break bread together. Someone with whom we can disagree and begin again. Someone who can remind us, on the difficult days, why we said yes to this work in the first place.

I left my conversation with Father Pawel inspired and grateful.

The Shrine of Saint Jude and St. Jude Catholic School in Rockville, Maryland, are blessed to have a pastor who so clearly values Catholic education and recognizes the importance of collaboration.

Our conversation has me reflecting on…

What becomes possible in our Catholic schools when pastors and principals see their partnership not simply as a responsibility, but as a gift?

Perhaps we create stronger relationships, and we navigate conflict with greater grace. Perhaps our teachers feel more supported, and families experience greater unity. Perhaps students encounter a more authentic witness of Christian community, and perhaps we make a little more room for joy.

I am grateful to Father Pawel Sass for sharing his faith, wisdom, humor, and JOY in Episode 4 of the Joy in the Work series:

Joy in the Partnership: The Pastor-Principal Relationship and the Culture We Create

Join the conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BqIdg4uuwCU or listen wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts.

Maybe the next time conflict finds its way into our work, we can remember Father Pawel’s simple wisdom:

Pray, enjoy table fellowship, and assume the good! Maybe, every once in a while, remind ourselves: “We are too blessed to be stressed.” (Sass, 2026)

When we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen!

Reference

Ball, D. M. (2026). Joy in the partnership: The pastor-principal relationship and the culture we create [https://youtu.be/BqIdg4uuwCU]. Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball.

Leave a comment

Filed under Joy in the Work Series, Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 26, 2026 · 7:21 AM

Joy in the Work | Episode 3

Joy, Belonging, and the Power of Community

A Conversation with Dr. Joy Roberts

What if one of the greatest sources of joy in our work is knowing that we belong to something larger than ourselves?

That is the question I have been carrying with me since my recent conversation with Dr. Joy Roberts for Episode 3 of the Joy in the Work series.

What a joy it was to welcome Joy to Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball for a wonderful conversation about joy, belonging, relationships, and the power of community.

Joy is the co-founder and president of Friendzy, an organization that partners with schools across the nation and across governance models to help create classroom and school cultures where students and educators experience a strong sense of belonging.

Throughout our conversation, Joy reminded us that strong communities do not happen by accident. They are built through relationships and through the everyday ways we help people know they are seen, valued, and connected.

Belonging Matters

Belonging is a word we hear frequently in education, but I wonder if we sometimes underestimate just how important it is.

At its heart, belonging communicates something profoundly human (Roberts, 2026), conveying I am known here, I am valued here, my presence matters here, and there is a place for me here.

Research gives us good reason to pay attention to these experiences. The Institute of Education Sciences has studied school belonging as part of the social, emotional, and behavioral context for teaching and learning, examining its connections with student engagement, well-being, behavior, and academic outcomes. In one rigorous middle school study involving more than 1,000 students, an intervention designed in part to address students’ concerns about belonging produced a statistically significant improvement in students’ reported social belonging and fewer behavioral referrals overall (Borman et al., 2019).

At the same time, the larger research base reminds us to be thoughtful about our claims. The What Works Clearinghouse’s review of social-belonging interventions found mixed effects on academic achievement. Belonging is not a magic program that guarantees an academic outcome. Rather, it is part of the relational and cultural environment in which learning takes place.

I think the distinction matters. Belonging is not another initiative to add to the school calendar, but is something people experience.

Culture Answers the Question: Do I Belong Here?

Think for a moment about the messages people receive throughout an ordinary school day.

A principal stands at the door and knows a student’s name. A veteran teacher checks on a new colleague. A student is invited into a group. A teacher’s idea is genuinely considered during a faculty meeting. A parent walks into the office and is warmly greeted. Someone notices when a colleague is having a difficult day. A student makes a mistake and discovers that the mistake does not diminish their value within the community.

None of these moments requires a new program, which Dr. Roberts reminds us that educators do not need, yet together, these moments communicate: You are seen, you are valued, you are connected, and you belong! That is culture.

Research on school marginalization offers another important lens. The Institute of Education Sciences has supported research examining how experiences of marginalization relate to student social relationships, engagement, well-being, behavior, and achievement. Importantly, student-teacher and student-peer relationships are among the factors researchers examine when trying to understand these connections.

In other words, relationships are not peripheral to the educational experience, but are part of it.

Belonging Is for the Adults Too

One of my favorite parts of my conversation with Joy was that we did not limit our discussion of belonging to students.

Students absolutely need to know that they belong, but so do teachers, and so do principals. We also cannot forget the importance of belonging is for our instructional assistants, counselors, administrative assistants, maintenance teams, professors, diocesan and system leaders, and everyone else who contributes to the life of a learning community. As someone who has spent much of my research and professional work thinking about school culture and teacher retention, I continue to come back to the importance of the environment in which educators are asked to do their work. We cannot continually ask educators to create communities of belonging for children while paying little attention to whether the adults themselves experience connection, trust, collaboration, and belonging.

Imagine the difference between a teacher thinking: “This is where I work.” and believing: “These are my people. My contribution matters here. We are doing something important together.”

That is a very different experience of work, and perhaps that is where belonging and joy begin to intersect.

We Were Never Meant to Do This Work Alone

Education is deeply relational work. There will always be difficult days. There will be students whose needs challenge us, lessons that do not unfold as planned, difficult conversations, competing priorities, and problems without immediate solutions.

Belonging does not eliminate any of those things. Community does, however, change how we carry them.

There is a profound difference between thinking: “I have to figure this out.” and knowing: “We will figure this out together.” That is the power of community; we learn from one another. In a healthy school culture we encourage, challenge, and celebrate one another! We sometimes carry one another, and need to remind each other why the work matters.

A Thread Through the Joy in the Work Series

As this series continues, I am beginning to see a beautiful thread emerging through these conversations. Dr. Christina Mendez-Hall invited us to Lead with Joy and consider how we choose to enter the work. Dr. Nicci Dowd encouraged us to Make Room for Joy by creating environments where people have permission to learn, make mistakes, collaborate, and grow. This week, Dr. Joy Roberts has invited us to think about joy, belonging, relationships, and the power of community.

Perhaps these ideas are not separate at all. We choose how we show up, and we choose to make room for one another. We build relationships, and through this we create belonging. We discover that we are part of something larger than ourselves, and together, we shape culture!

Belonging Is Built in the Small Moments

Perhaps one of the most encouraging things about belonging is that strengthening it does not always require a large-scale initiative.

It can begin today:

*Learn someone’s name,

*Pull up another chair,

*Ask a colleague what they think…and then LISTEN,

*Invite someone into the conversation,

*Notice who has become quiet,

*Celebrate someone’s contribution,

*Check on the new teacher,

*Listen to the student who needs a few extra minutes,

*Thank the person whose work frequently goes unnoticed, and/or,

*Remind someone that they matter.

These actions may seem small, but small moments, repeated consistently, have a way of becoming culture, and culture has the power to communicate something transformative: You do not have to earn your place here. You are part of us.

A Question I Am Carrying With Me

I am grateful to Joy for generously sharing her wisdom, research, experiences, and JOY.

As I reflect on our conversation, I continue to carry this question: What if one of the greatest sources of joy in our work is knowing that we belong to something larger than ourselves?

To take it one step further, perhaps the question for each of us is: What can I do today to help someone else know that they belong too?

Join the Conversation

Learn more about Friendzy and explore its impact reports by visiting Friendzy.co, including the Competency and Belonging Impact Report.

Join the conversation on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/OfkNJkom_rY

Or listen wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts.

When we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen!

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,

Denise

#SharingTheGood #JoyInTheWork #Belonging #SchoolCulture #SchoolLeadership #CatholicEducation #EducatorJoy #Community #Friendzy

Research and Resources

Borman, G. D., Rozek, C. S., Pyne, J., & Hanselman, P. (2019). Reappraising academic and social adversity improves middle school students’ academic achievement, behavior, and well-being. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(33), 16286–16291.

Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. (2021). Social Belonging Interventions: Intervention Report. U.S. Department of Education.

Institute of Education Sciences. School-Based Marginalization, Social Behavioral Competencies, and Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. National Center for Education Research.

Leave a comment

Filed under Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 16, 2026 · 6:24 PM

Make Room for Joy: Creating Environments Where We Have Permission to Learn

What if one of the greatest gifts we can give the people with whom we work is permission?

Permission to ask a question. Permission to say, “I don’t know yet.” Permission to try something new. Permission to make a mistake. Permission to learn from one another, and perhaps, permission to experience JOY along the way.

After a wonderful conversation with my friend and colleague, Dr. Nicci Dowd, for Episode 2 of the Joy in the Work series on Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball, these are the questions that came to mind.

Our episode is titled Make Room for Joy, but our conversation reminded me that making room for joy may begin by making room for people to be learners.

We Are All Still Learning

Nicci shared an idea during our conversation that has stayed with me: academic humility.

There is something freeing about recognizing that none of us has all the answers. Teachers do not. School leaders do not. Professors do not. Researchers do not, and that is okay.

We can bring years of education, research, leadership experience, and expertise into a room and still remain open to the possibility that someone sitting beside us may see something we have missed. That is one of the reasons I value collaboration so deeply. Many voices create the best outcomes.

When we create environments where people feel safe enough to ask questions, offer ideas, respectfully disagree, try something new, make a mistake, and begin again, we are doing more than supporting professional learning. We are helping create a culture in which people can grow; I believe there can be tremendous joy in that growth.

Making Room for Joy Means Making Room for Mistakes

As educators, we frequently tell students that mistakes are part of learning. But do the adults in our schools believe the same is true for them? That question is worth considering. If a teacher tries a new instructional strategy and it does not work as planned, what happens next? If a new school leader admits that they do not know the answer, how is that received? If someone offers a different perspective during a faculty meeting or professional learning session, do we become curious or defensive? If a colleague needs help, have we created an environment where asking for it feels safe?

The answers to those questions tell us something about culture. School culture is not created only through mission statements, strategic plans, programs, or initiatives. It is experienced in the everyday interactions between people: how we listen, how we respond, how we encourage, how we handle mistakes, how we celebrate growth, and whether the people around us believe they are valued members of the community. Sometimes the smallest interactions communicate the biggest messages.

UDL, Joy, and Creating Space for Every Learner

Nicci also shared how Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, has shaped the way she approaches her courses at Marymount University and the professional learning she facilitates with educators as an adjunct consultant for ADAC, Inc.

I loved hearing her connect the Universal Design for Learning to this conversation because at its heart, UDL asks us to think intentionally about the learners in front of us. Who is in the room? What might help them engage? What barriers might we remove? How might we provide different pathways for people to learn, participate, demonstrate understanding, and grow? Those questions matter whether the learners sitting before us are children, graduate students, teachers, or school leaders, and perhaps there is a connection to joy here too.

When people know they do not have to learn exactly like everyone else, when their questions are welcomed, when they have opportunities to contribute their gifts, and when mistakes are treated as part of learning rather than evidence that they do not belong, we make room for something important to happen.

We make room for growth, for belonging, and for joy.

The Joy of Learning Alongside One Another

One of the gifts of this season of my own work is the opportunity to keep learning alongside thoughtful people.

Nicci and I have the privilege of serving together on the Marymount University faculty, collaborating as adjunct consultants with ADAC, Inc., and beginning a second year of research with an amazing team focused on school culture and developing practical tools to help school leaders create environments where educators thrive.

Different settings, roles, and conversations, but there is a common thread running through all of them:

We can do more for the educators, school leaders, students, and families we serve when we learn and work together.

That is one of the reasons these Joy in the Work conversations are bringing me so much joy themselves. They are not intended to suggest that education is easy or that choosing joy somehow removes the very real challenges educators face. Instead, I hope they create a little space for us to stop, listen to one another, share what we are learning, ask good questions, and remember the good that continues to happen every day in classrooms, schools, universities, dioceses, and communities.

A Question for the New School Year

As another school year begins, perhaps there is a question each of us can carry into the environments we help create:

Do the people around me have permission to still be learners, and to experience joy while doing it?

Imagine what could happen in our classrooms, faculty meetings, professional learning communities, and leadership teams if the answer increasingly became yes. Perhaps making room for joy begins by making room for one another.

Join the Conversation

I am grateful to Dr. Nicci Dowd for sharing her wisdom, experience, and joy in Episode 2 of the Joy in the Work series, Make Room for Joy.

Join the conversation on YouTube: [https://youtu.be/ZeFiwsHr9hg] or listen wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts.

As you begin another week of this important work, I invite you to consider:

Where are you finding joy in the work?

AND perhaps just as importantly:

How are you making room for someone else to find it too?

When we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen.

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,

Denise

Leave a comment

Filed under Educational Resources

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 13, 2026 · 4:20 PM

What Will Be the Legacy of Your Words?

There are moments in life when we are given the gift of seeing something familiar through a different lens.

This week has been one of those gifts for me.

I have had the privilege of spending several days with my mother- and father-in-law, who have been married for 65 years. I came into this week simply hoping to lend a helping hand. Instead, I have found myself deeply moved by what I have been allowed to witness. Sixty-five years of marriage…sixty-five years of building a life together.

Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, joy and disappointment, laughter and probably a few tears, seasons of abundance and seasons of uncertainty. There has been sacrifice, moments of forgiveness, examples of faith. They have walked through moments of illness, celebration, and ordinary days that, when woven together, become an extraordinary life…and through it all, words.

Words spoken across kitchen tables and during long car rides. Words exchanged while raising 7 children and navigating the challenges of life. Words of encouragement during difficult seasons. Words of forgiveness, words of prayer, and words that communicated, in countless ways, I am here. I love you. We are in this together and let us share our joys and sorrows as grandpa taught us. 

This week, I have had the honor of hearing some of those words.

I have listened as prayers were offered for children, their spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren by name. I have heard gratitude expressed for the men and women their children have become. I have witnessed love and devotion that have been cultivated over more than six decades. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I wasn’t simply listening to words.

I was witnessing their legacy. That realization has stayed with me.

It has caused me to look at my own words differently and to ask a question I have not been able to shake: What will be the legacy of my words?

The Words We Leave Behind

When we hear the word legacy, we may think about accomplishments, careers, possessions, awards, organizations built, books written, or things passed from one generation to another.

However,  perhaps some of the most important parts of our legacy will never appear on a résumé or hang on a wall. Perhaps our legacy also lives in the words other people carry because of us. Think for a moment about the people who have shaped your life.

Can you still hear some of their words? Maybe a parent told you, I’m proud of you. Maybe a teacher saw something in you before you could see it in yourself. Maybe a coach said, Try again. You’ve got this.

Maybe a friend sat beside you during a difficult season and reminded you that you did not have to walk through it alone. Sometimes a sentence spoken in seconds lives within another person for decades. Unfortunately, the opposite can also be true.

Words can discourage, words can diminish, words can divide, and words spoken carelessly in a moment can remain in someone’s heart long after the person who spoke them has forgotten the conversation entirely.

We don’t have to look far to see examples of words being used to tear down rather than build up. Our public discourse, social media feeds, workplaces, schools, communities, and sometimes even our homes can become filled with language that wounds rather than heals.

We may not be able to control all the words filling the world around us.

BUT we can decide what words enter the world through us!

For Educators: What Will Our Students Carry With Them?

As another school year begins, this question feels particularly important for educators.

Soon, classrooms will once again be filled with young people bringing their gifts, questions, hopes, insecurities, experiences, and possibilities through our doors.

They will learn countless lessons this year. They will solve equations, read stories, conduct experiments, study history, create art, collaborate, make mistakes, ask questions, and discover new things about themselves and the world around them.

They will forget some of what we teach, but what words might they carry with them?

What words will my students carry after they leave my classroom?

  • Did I tell them they were capable?
  • Did I cultivate curiosity rather than a fear of being wrong?
  • Did I encourage their sense of wonder?
  • Did my words communicate, I see something in you?
  • Did I help a young person recognize a gift or talent they had not yet discovered for themselves?

Educators are entrusted with an extraordinary opportunity. Sometimes a sentence that takes us five seconds to speak becomes part of the internal voice a young person carries for years.

What an incredible privilege, and what an incredible responsibility!

For Leaders: What Do People Experience in Our Presence?

The same reflection applies to leadership. Leadership inevitably involves words. We encourage, redirect, question, challenge, explain, listen, coach, correct, celebrate, and sometimes enter conversations we would rather avoid.

So I have been reflecting:

What words do people associate with being in my presence?

  • Did my words invite collaboration?
  • Did they make difficult conversations safer and more productive?
  • Did I listen with a genuine desire to understand?
  • Did I ask questions before making assumptions?
  • Have my words preserved another person’s dignity, even when disagreement was necessary?

Positive words do not require us to avoid difficult truths.

We can disagree without diminishing. We can correct without humiliating. We can hold someone accountable while still honoring their dignity. We can speak truth and remain kind. Sometimes the legacy of our leadership may be found not in the decisions we made, but in how people experienced themselves while making those decisions alongside us.

For Families: What Are We Handing to the Next Generation?

Perhaps this is the question that has touched me most deeply this week.

What language are we handing from one generation to the next through the words we choose today?

After 65 years of marriage, my mother- and father-in-law have created far more than a shared history. They have created a vocabulary of family…

  • Words of faith,
  • Words of prayer,
  • Words of gratitude, and 
  • Words spoken over children who eventually became adults, spouses, parents, and grandparents themselves.

Some of those words are being carried forward into another generation.

It makes me think about the words I choose with my own husband, my adult children, family members, and friends. What language am I helping to make part of our family’s story? What will they remember when I am no longer in the room? What will they repeat? What will they pass along? What words of mine might someday come back to them when they need encouragement, peace, courage, or hope?

Sometimes the Legacy Is in the Words We Choose Not to Say

This week has also reminded me that the legacy of our words isn’t only about what we say. Sometimes it is about the words we choose not to say:

  • The angry response we decide not to send,
  • The criticism that serves no constructive purpose, or
  • The last word we decide we don’t need to have.

Sometimes our legacy is found in the words we finally find the courage to say.

  • I was wrong,
  • I am sorry,
  • Please forgive me,
  • Help me understand,
  • I forgive you, and 
  • Let’s begin again!

There is tremendous power in an apology finally offered, a difficult conversation courageously entered, or grace extended when someone else’s words have hurt us.

Forgiveness has a language, too. So does humility, and so does GRACE.

The Language of Our Lives

As I have reflected this week, I have also thought about phrases that have become part of my own vocabulary over the years:

  • Calm your spirit,
  • Thankful Thursday,
  • Sharing the Good, and 
  • When we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen. 

They are simple words, but over time, repeated words can become invitations to a way of seeing.

This relfection led me to another question that reached my heart:

What phrases have I repeated so often that the people I love might someday hear them even when I am no longer in the room?

Perhaps that is one measure of a life well lived. Not simply: What did I accomplish? But: How did people feel after being in my presence?

  • Did my words give others courage?
  • Did they spark inquiry and curiosity?
  • Did they strengthen someone’s sense of belonging?
  • Did they bring peace into a difficult moment?
  • Did they point toward hope?
  • Did they help another person recognize the good within themselves?

If These Words Were Remembered…

I began this week hoping to be helpful. Instead, I feel as though I have been given a gift.

I have been given the opportunity to slow down, to listen, to observe, and to look through a different lens at a life and marriage built over 65 years.

There has been something sacred about witnessing love expressed not through grand gestures, but through presence, care, prayer, devotion, and words spoken faithfully over a lifetime.

I am grateful to have walked through this week looking through this lens, and perhaps that is why this reflection feels so important to share, because someone will carry something we say today:

  • A child,
  • A spouse,
  • A colleague,
  • A friend,
  • A student,
  • A family member, or 
  • Perhaps even a stranger.

We may never know which sentence stays with them.

So as we begin a new school year and step into another day filled with opportunities to encounter one another, perhaps we can pause before we speak, teach, correct, post, email, lead, or respond and ask:

If these words were remembered, would I be grateful they were mine?

Maybe we can ask one another another reflection question, too:

What words have stayed with you because someone believed in you, encouraged you, or helped you see something in yourself that you couldn’t yet see?

Those remembered words remind us that what we say today can become part of someone else’s tomorrow.

  • Choose words that encourage,
  • Choose words that invite wonder,
  • Choose words that heal,
  • Choose words that forgive,
  • Choose words that strengthen,
  • Choose words that preserve dignity,
  • Choose words that remind another person of their worth, and 
  • Choose words that help us see the good.

Because long after a conversation ends, our words may continue living in another person’s heart.

So, I leave you with the question that has accompanied me throughout this extraordinary week:

What will be the legacy of your words?

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,

Denise

Assistant Professor

Marymount University

Join the conversation

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deniseballedu

Instagram: deniseball_edu

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@SharingTheGoodwithDrDeniseBall

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SharingTheGoodWithDrDeniseBall

Blog: www.unlocktheteacher.org

Sharing the Good is also available wherever podcasts are enjoyed!

Leave a comment

Filed under Educational Resources

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 3, 2026 · 9:31 PM

Fellowship, Conversation, and the Joy of Serving Middle School Students & Families

The Middle School Culture Blueprint series-Episode 1

One of the unexpected gifts of this season has been the opportunity to gather Catholic educators and leaders from across the nation in meaningful conversation. As Dr. LaTonya White and I continue our work on The Middle School Culture Blueprint, I have been provided a good opportunity to reflect on and be reminded that some of the most powerful professional learning happens when educators come together in fellowship, share what they are seeing in the field, and reflect honestly on what students and teachers need most. There is something deeply hopeful about bringing people together who serve in different schools and dioceses, yet carry the same commitment to helping students feel seen, supported, and loved.

The middle school years are so unique. Students are navigating understanding themselves, belonging, friendship, independence, emotion, peer pressure, and academic growth, often all in the same day. Those who serve middle school students understand that this work requires patience, humor, flexibility, structure, compassion, and joy. It also requires intentionality. What we do at the school level is so important. How we welcome teachers back, how we build routines, how we create opportunities for student voice, how we communicate with families, and how we support one another as teams all help shape the culture students experience.

This is why I am so grateful for the educators and leaders who have said yes to engaging in this conversation. They are not coming together to offer perfect answers. They are coming together to share reflections from the field, practical strategies, lived experience, and wisdom rooted in service. These conversations are supported by the literature that school culture is not built only through programs or plans. It is built in the daily interactions, team meetings, hallway moments, classroom routines, and faithful decisions made by educators who care deeply about the students placed before them.

Pulling educators together to share ideas is, quite honestly, fun. It is also cultivating joy in my own life. To listen to teachers and leaders speak with such love for their students, their colleagues, and Catholic education is a reminder that good is happening every day in our schools.

https://youtu.be/uMM1O_6Ygq8

When we create space for fellowship and conversation, we strengthen one another.

Fellowship reminds us that we are not doing this work alone. It is also a wonderful way to see how much wisdom already exists within the people serving on our campuses and in our diocesan communities.

I hope this work encourages school leaders to create similar spaces on their own campuses. Before the year begins, make time not only for logistics, but also for fellowship and table talk.

Invite teachers to reflect on what students need most. Ask teams what they want students to experience consistently across classrooms. Create room for laughter, honest conversation, prayer, and planning. When educators are given time to connect as people before they plan as professionals, the culture of the school is already being strengthened.

I am grateful to host this important conversation in Episode 1 of Middle School Culture Blueprint: Reflections from the Field: Creating a Positive Start to the 2026–2027 School Year. It is a privilege to welcome Dr. Nancy Baker, Mary Peters, Lynsie Reavis, Karina Lepkowski, and Tricia Florance as we reflect together on practical ways to support middle school teachers, students, families, and leaders. May these conversations continue to help us notice, name, and share the good happening in Catholic education.

You can also listen to these conversations anywhere you enjoy your podcasts.

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,

Denise

Leave a comment

Filed under Educational Resources, The Middle School Culture Blueprint -Episode 1

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 28, 2026 · 6:24 PM

Tuning In to the Middle School Student

Middle school students are standing at a unique crossroads. They are navigating growth, identity, friendship, independence, belonging, peer influence, and the desire to be seen and known. For educators and school leaders, this means the beginning of the school year is more than a calendar event. It is an opportunity to intentionally create a culture where students feel safe, supported, challenged, and connected.

In the work Dr. LaTonya White and I are developing through The Middle School Culture Blueprint, we continue to return to the importance of designing culture with purpose, not leaving it to chance. As noted in our framework, middle school culture is strengthened when belonging, clarity, coherence, and formation are intentionally supported across classrooms, teams, and schoolwide systems (Ball & White, 2026).

This work also connects deeply to my earlier research on teacher retention and school climate, which affirmed the importance of communication, collaboration, leadership support, and a positive school climate in helping teachers remain committed to their school communities (Ball, 2023). When middle school teachers feel supported, aligned, and prepared, they are better able to create classroom environments where students can flourish. That is why tuning in to middle school students must also include tuning in to the teachers and teams who serve them each day. How leaders welcome faculty and staff back matters. The rhythm leaders create before students arrive can shape the tone, trust, and energy of the entire school year.

One simple strategy school leaders can use is a Welcome Back Reflection Checklist before the first faculty meeting or middle school team gathering. Before launching into schedules, logistics, and tasks, pause and ask:

Have we created time for fellowship?

Have we provided space for teachers to reconnect as people before they plan as professionals?

Have we built in table talk around what our students need most this year?

Have we clarified the language, routines, and non-negotiables we want students to experience across classrooms?

Have we invited teachers to name what they need in order to begin well?

These questions can help leaders move from information-sharing to culture-building. I invite you to watch or listen on August 5 as I host Middle School Culture Blueprint: Reflections from the Field: Creating a Positive Start to the 2026–2027 School Year. I am honored to welcome Dr. Nancy Baker, Lynsie Reavis, Tricia Florance, Mary Peters, and Karina Lepkowski for a meaningful conversation on this important topic.

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,

Denise

References
Ball, D. M. (2023). Improving teacher retention within Archdiocese of Washington schools [Doctoral dissertation, Liberty University]. Scholars Crossing. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5006/
Ball, D. M., & White, L. (2026). The Middle School Culture Blueprint: Practical Strategies to Support Teachers, Engage Students, and Build Stronger Teams. Manuscript in development.

Leave a comment

Filed under Educational Resources

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 14, 2026 · 7:23 PM

JOY of the Work- A Conversation with Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling

As we bring our three-part summer series, Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work, to a close, I find myself filled with gratitude.

I am deeply grateful to Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling for generously sharing her research, leadership experience, wisdom, and heart throughout these conversations. Anita helped us pause and consider what it truly means for people to experience belonging within a school community.

Belonging is more than entering a building, attending a meeting, or being included on a faculty list. It is the experience of being seen, known, valued, supported, and connected to something meaningful.

Throughout this series, Anita reminded us that belonging does not happen by accident. It is cultivated through INTENTIONAL leadership, authentic listening, trust, communication, presence, and relationships.

In our first conversation, we explored why belonging matters, and in our second, we reflected on the important role leaders play in creating and sustaining cultures where people feel welcome, heard, and valued. In our final conversation, we connected belonging to joy, teacher retention, school stability, and the overall health of a school community. It felt especially important to end this series with joy.

Joy is not an extra benefit of a healthy school culture. Joy is part of what helps sustain the people who serve within it. Joy is synergistic! Joy does not mean that every day is easy. It does not mean that challenges disappear, difficult conversations are avoided, or the demands of leadership become lighter.

A joyful school community is not a perfect school community.

It is a community where people continue to notice the good, name the good, and carry the good forward together, even during demanding seasons. Joy grows when people know they are not alone. As a school team, exercising the muscle of gratitude can be transformational!

Joy within a school community grows when faculty and staff feel connected to one another and to the school’s mission. It becomes visible when people are encouraged to share their gifts, when contributions are recognized, and when leaders create space for gratitude, celebration, reflection, and genuine connection.

Joy is strengthened when it is shared. This is why I believe joy must be more than something we hope people eventually experience. Joy can become the first step we use in leading others.

Before beginning with the agenda, we can begin by seeing the people in front of us. Before moving immediately to the next task, we can pause to recognize someone’s contribution. Before focusing only on what needs to be corrected, completed, or improved, we can name what is already good and growing. Before assuming the worst, we can choose to see through the eyes of grace. Leading with joy does not ignore reality. It helps us face reality with hope, gratitude, courage, and a renewed sense of purpose.

As leaders prepare for the 2026-27 school year, there will be calendars to finalize, meetings to plan, classrooms to prepare, new employees to welcome, and many decisions to make. Within all of that important work, we can also ask:

How will people experience belonging here? [a leadership opportunity]

How will faculty and staff know they are valued? [essential building block for trust]

How will we listen to one another? [a powerful visual that you are being present]

How will we help new members of the community feel supported? [essential reflection question]

How will we keep joy visible when the year becomes busy? [because it will]

How will we notice and share the good? [my favorite]

The answers do not always require complicated programs or large initiatives. Belonging and joy are often strengthened through small, sincere, and consistent practices.

A handwritten note, a meaningful check-in, or a moment of gratitude at the beginning of a faculty meeting can really help build and maintain a positive school culture.

A celebration of a small victory, or a question asked with genuine care, demonstrates a leader who listens and follows through.

One small practice, offered consistently and sincerely, can become part of the building blocks for a joyful school campus.

My gratitude to Anita for helping us all reflect more deeply on the cultures we are called to build and sustain. I want to thank her for reminding us that belonging is experienced through both our words and our actions. Through this summer series, we are reminded that when people feel seen, known, valued, and connected, joy has room to grow and THRIVE!

As this summer series closes, I hope each of us will carry one invitation into the new school year:

Let joy be the first step. Let it shape how we welcome and guide our listening and communication with others.

May we continue to seek to see the people behind the work.

As school leaders or teachers, let us seek joy and let it help us build communities where educators, students, and families know they belong.

As a sharing the good community, let us continue to train our eyes to see the good, because when we do, amazing things happen.

Stay tuned…

Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball is honored to welcome Dr. Christina Mendez-Hall on August 13 as we continue the conversation about joy, why it is so important, and how leaders and teachers can allow joy to become the first step as they enter the 2026-27 school year.

Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeartRadio.

What began with the simple hope of encouraging at least one person is growing into a space where stories, faith, reflection, research, and practical wisdom can be shared.

I feel deeply honored to help notice and share some of the good happening in our schools, communities, churches, families, and the world.

Thank you to everyone who has listened, subscribed, encouraged me, and prayed for me on this journey. Scan the QR code for your preferred platform and join me as we continue Sharing the Good.

Until then, pause, exhale, reflect, and keep sharing the good.

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,

Denise

Leave a comment

Filed under Educational Resources, Sharing the Good, Sharing the Good in Education, Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball, Summer Series 2026 Podcast on Beloning, School Culture and the Joy in the Work, teacher retention, Team Building/Positive Work Environments

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 6, 2026 · 7:01 PM

The Leader’s Role in Creating Belonging

Summer Series 2026: Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work

Episode 2 Featuring Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling

In Episode 2 of Summer Series 2026: Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work, I am grateful to continue the conversation with Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling, Associate Superintendent for the Archdiocese of Omaha.

In Episode 1, Anita and I reflected on why belonging matters and why summer is such a meaningful time for school leaders to pause, exhale, and consider the culture they hope to build and maintain for the 2026–27 school year.

In Episode 2, we turn our attention to the leader’s role in creating belonging and shaping a positive school culture.

A positive school culture does not happen by accident. It is nurtured through the rhythms, routines, relationships, words, and actions that help a school community stay connected to its mission. Culture is not created by a mission statement alone. Culture is experienced in the daily life of a school, in the way people are welcomed, supported, heard, encouraged, and invited to contribute to something greater than themselves.

Belonging is shaped through intentional relationships, communication, trust, presence, and the daily choices leaders make. The school leader sets the tone and helps create the conditions where people feel seen, valued, welcomed, and connected to the mission.

One of the important reminders Anita shared in this episode is that leaders should be intentional in how they welcome faculty and staff back to campus. The beginning of the school year is often filled with tasks, meetings, checklists, schedules, and classroom preparation. All of those things matter. Yet Anita reminds us that leaders also need to create space for people to reconnect, get to know one another, and remember that they are part of a shared mission.

That balance is so important. Teachers need time to prepare their classrooms. They need time to organize, plan, and feel ready to welcome students. They also need time to breathe, reconnect, laugh, share, pray, and remember that they do not carry the work alone.

The way a school year begins matters. People remember how they were welcomed (Ball, 2026). They remember whether the opening days were only about tasks or whether there was also time to reconnect with purpose, community, and joy.

As I listened to Anita, I found myself reflecting on my own leadership experiences and my research on school culture and teacher retention. I have spent much of the past decade studying and working in this area, and I continue to believe that school culture is created in ordinary moments. It is shaped in how a leader greets people, follows up, listens, remembers, encourages, and makes space for others to contribute.

One example from my own leadership practice was something I called Thankful Thursday. A couple of times a month, before the team arrived, I would leave notes of gratitude or encouragement. Sometimes the note was connected to something I noticed in a classroom. Sometimes it was simply a word of encouragement. They were not long or complicated, but they were intentional. These sticky notes were one more way of saying, “I see you. I notice the good work you are doing. Your presence and contribution matter here.” Gratitude helps shape culture and it sets a tone. It helps people know that their work is not invisible. 

Another practical way leaders can strengthen culture is by creating intentional opportunities for table talk during faculty and staff meetings. Meetings do not have to be used only for announcements, updates, and logistics…in fact they shouldn’t be. These are school culture prime opportunities to build trust and distribute joy!. They can also become spaces where people reflect together, listen to one another, and contribute to the shared mission of the school.

For example, after sharing a schoolwide focus or initiative, a school leader might ask each table to discuss: “Where are we already seeing this lived well in our school?” or “What is one next step we can take together?” Then each table can share one insight with the larger group. That kind of routine communicates something important: every voice matters, perspectives matter, and we are building and maintaining this positive school culture together.

In this episode, Anita and I break open the importance of helping faculty and staff feel seen and valued in specific ways. A general “thank you” is always appreciated, but specific gratitude has a different kind of impact. When a leader says, “I noticed the way you helped that student,” or “I saw how you supported your colleague,” it communicates that the person and the work are truly seen.

Again, this does not need to be complicated. Leaders might begin the year with handwritten notes, ask each staff member what helps them feel supported, highlight quiet acts of service during faculty meetings, check in with new faculty after the first two weeks, or intentionally thank office staff, aides, maintenance staff, cafeteria staff, and all who help the school function each day. Create a school environment where gratitude is the norm. If the adults model it, the students will follow. 

Culture is strengthened when leaders create a rhythm of noticing and naming the good.

Presence matters deeply, and in the life of a school, presence is not about hovering or checking up on people. It is about walking with people. It is about being close enough to the life of the school to understand where joy is visible, where support is needed, and where people may be carrying things quietly.

Dr. Harkins- Mehsling reminds us that sometimes the most powerful thing a leader can do is show up, listen, and remain steady. Presence builds trust over time, and is at the heart of belonging. In school culture work, trust is often the bridge between intention and impact. I call trust the glue for a strong positive school culture. Trust does not mean everything is easy. It means people believe they are being led with honesty, care, and purpose.

Leaders may intend to create belonging, but people experience belonging through communication, listening, relationships, and follow-through. Anita shared that she kept a notebook on her at all times, so she could jot down notes that would allow her to be intentional and follow-up with team members. 

Listening does not mean leaders can do everything requested. It does mean people are treated with dignity. Communication should help people understand not only the “what,” but also the “why.” When people understand the why behind decisions, they are more likely to stay connected to the mission, even when decisions are difficult.

One of the most helpful ideas in this conversation is that belonging does not have to become one more program, one more initiative, or one more thing added to everyone’s plate. Belonging can and should be woven into the rhythms that already exist. It can be built into faculty meetings, prayer, mentoring, communication, classroom visits, welcome-back days, celebrations, and leadership team conversations.

It is a way of asking: How will this decision, meeting, message, or practice help people feel seen, valued, and connected?

As leaders prepare for the 2026–27 school year, Episode 2 offers a simple but meaningful invitation: start small and be intentional. Create space for preparation and connection. Know or get to know your people and listen before acting. Build trust through follow-through, and create rhythms that help your community notice and share the good.

Belonging does not require perfection, but it does require intention, consistency, and love for the people we are called to serve.

I am grateful to continue this summer conversation with Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling and hope Episode 2 encourages school leaders to reflect on the culture they are creating, the welcome they are preparing, and the daily habits that help people feel seen, valued, and connected to the joy of the work.

Pause. Exhale. Reflect.

Join us for Episode 3 of Summer Series 2026: Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work on Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball on July 14th.

Until next time, keep sharing the good.

When we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen.

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,

Denise

Leave a comment

Filed under Episode 2 of Summer Series 2026: Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 1, 2026 · 5:47 PM

Belonging Begins When People Know They Matter

Summer Series 2026: Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work

Featuring Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling

This adventure in learning new ways to communicate, connect, and share the good in education has been fun, meaningful, and, quite honestly, joyful.

I am so grateful to Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling, Associate Superintendent for the Archdiocese of Omaha, for spending time with me in conversation and reflection for the first episode of Summer Series 2026: Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work on Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball.

Our first conversation focused on a topic that is deeply connected to the heart of education: belonging.

Belonging is more than being present. It is more than being included on a roster, invited into a building, or welcomed into a room. True belonging begins when people do not just enter a space, but feel that they matter within it (Harkins-Mehsling, 2026).

Students need to know they are seen, known, valued, and loved. Teachers need to know their work matters and that they are part of something larger than themselves. Families need to experience school communities as places of trust, welcome, and partnership. Leaders need to be intentional about creating the conditions where acceptance, connection, and community are not accidental, but cultivated.

During this episode, Dr. Harkins-Mehsling and I reflected on how belonging is experienced across school campuses and leadership communities. We discussed the ways people come to understand whether they are accepted, valued, connected, and part of a community. These are not small ideas. They shape the daily experience of school life, and the summer is a perfect time for school leaders and teachers to reflect on how they will create an environment and attitude of belonging for students, parents, and one another for the upcoming school year.

When people feel that they belong, they are more likely to participate, contribute, trust, grow, and remain connected to the mission. Belonging strengthens the culture of a school because it reminds each person: You matter here!

As I continue to reflect on my own research on teacher retention, school climate, leadership, collaboration, and culture, I am reminded, through this conversation with Anita, that positive school culture is not built by chance. It is shaped through intentional leadership, trust, and shared commitment. Belonging is one of the ways we begin that work.

This summer series is an invitation to pause, exhale, reflect, and consider how we can continue to build schools and communities where people feel seen and supported. It is also an invitation to celebrate the joy of the work. Education is hard and holy work. It requires courage, patience, faith, and love. But it also brings great joy when we recognize the good all around us and the reasons we said “yes” to serve in education.

I am thankful for leaders like Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling who continue to share wisdom, experience, and encouragement with the broader educational community. Her insights remind us that belonging is not simply a program or initiative but it is a way of being together.

Episode 1 begins this reflective journey.

Episode 2 will air on July 6, and our conversation will focus on school culture. Anita and I will share strategies we have learned through our combined 50+ years of serving in education to help create, strengthen, and maintain positive school cultures.

I value feedback and would love to continue the conversation. Please message me or drop a note in the comment section after watching. What helps you feel a sense of belonging in a school or leadership community? What practices have helped strengthen culture in your own setting?

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things, notice the good around us, and build communities where every person knows they matter

Denise

Leave a comment

Filed under Educational Resources, Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball, Summer Series 2026 Podcast on Beloning, School Culture and the Joy in the Work

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

June 25, 2026 · 4:26 PM

Summer Series: Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work

As school leaders enter the summer months, there is a sacred opportunity to pause, exhale, and reflect on the culture they hope to build and maintain for the 2026-27 school year.

I am grateful to share that Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball will launch a three-part summer series on July 1st focused on Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work.

This series will feature Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling, Associate Superintendent for the Archdiocese of Omaha. Dr. Harkins-Mehsling brings more than 30 years of experience serving in education, and her recent research has focused on helping school leaders create a stronger sense of belonging within their school communities. She earned her doctorate from Doane University and continues to support Catholic school leaders in building healthy, mission-centered, and joy-filled school cultures.

The purpose of this series is to invite school leaders to reflect on belonging as a foundation for strong school culture. When people feel they belong, they are more likely to feel seen, known, valued, connected, and committed to the shared mission of the school.

Belonging is not an extra. It is part of the daily work of building a school community where students, teachers, staff, families, and leaders can flourish.

In episode 1, Dr. Harkins-Mehsling and I will discuss why belonging matters and why summer is such a meaningful time for school leaders to reflect on the culture they hope to create. We will explore what belonging means, how it is experienced by adults and students, and why feeling seen, known, and valued matters so deeply in the life of a school community.

In episode 2, we will focus on the leader’s role in creating belonging. Belonging is shaped through intentional relationships, communication, trust, presence, and the daily choices leaders make. We will talk about how school leaders can help faculty and staff feel seen and valued, how a leader’s presence shapes culture, and how belonging can be woven into the rhythm of the school year without becoming “one more program.”

In episode 3, we will connect belonging, joy, and the 2026-27 school year. This final conversation will invite leaders to consider how belonging can become part of the language, rhythm, and lived experience of the school. We will also reflect on how belonging contributes to joy, teacher retention, school stability, and the overall health of a school community.

Joy is not meant to be held alone. Joy is synergistic! When joy is shared among a school team, it strengthens culture, builds connection, and reminds us that the work we do matters. A joyful school community does not mean a perfect school community. It means a community where people are willing to see the good, name the good, and carry the good forward together.

For decades, I have found great joy in encouraging my family, teachers, students, schools, and school communities to notice and share the good. I have seen how transformative it can be when we pause long enough to name what is good, celebrate one another, and remind people that their work and their presence matter.

The Thankful Thursday shout-out this week is for the joy distributors… You know who you are!

Summer gives us space to breathe. It gives us space to ask important questions:

Who in our school community needs to feel more seen?

How do we help new faculty, staff, students, and families feel welcomed?

What practices help people feel connected to the mission?

Where did we see joy this year?

How can we carry that joy forward?

My hope is that this series offers school leaders a gentle but meaningful invitation to pause, exhale, and reflect before the next school year begins. Belonging matters, joy matters, and developing and maintaining a positive school culture matters.

The faculty, staff, students, and school communities we serve matter, and they deserve nothing less than our best!

I invite you to join us beginning July 1st for this three-part summer series on Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball YouTube channel.

When we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen.

May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,

Denise

Leave a comment

Filed under Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,