Ten Moments That Define Great Administrators

(Things Teachers Watch For)

by Michael Keany

August 13, 2026

1. Covering a teacher’s dismissal duty after noticing they have had an especially difficult day.
2. Taking responsibility when a district directive creates confusion instead of blaming teachers for its implementation.
3. Sitting beside a new teacher after a rough observation and beginning with, “What support would help you most?”
4. Quietly arranging coverage so an exhausted teacher can attend an urgent medical or family appointment.
5. Calling a teacher at home—not to discuss work, but to ask how they are recovering from an illness.
6. Intervening when a staff member is being treated disrespectfully while still preserving everyone’s dignity.
7. Following up several days after a difficult student incident rather than assuming the problem ended when the paperwork was completed.
8. Changing a meeting agenda when teachers need time to solve an immediate instructional or student-support problem.
9. Giving a teacher public credit for a successful idea while offering corrective feedback privately.
10. Keeping a promise made during a hectic hallway conversation—and returning later to say, “I told you I would handle this, and here is what happened.”

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (5.2) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com