Two years ago, I led a series of faculty workshops on belonging. Together, we explored this question: What does it take for people to feel that they truly belong in a school community? We talked about psychological safety, relationships, trust, and the importance of creating spaces where faculty, students, and families all feel seen, heard, and valued.

As the inadvertent face of belonging at our school (my nickname was ‘Mr. Belonging’!), I knew that I needed to ensure that I was practicing what I was preaching, that I was demonstrating belonging every day.

So, I started paying attention to something I had previously overlooked. Every day, I walked past members of our maintenance and security teams. They were essential to our school, and appreciated by many, but too often faded into the background during our busy days. 

I made myself this promise: every single day, I would make eye contact, smile, and greet every maintenance and security staff member I encountered.

Now, at first, it was awkward. Some individuals looked away. Some seemed unsure why I was speaking to them. A few barely acknowledged the greeting at all. I realized that this wasn’t because they were unfriendly. It was because this kind of interaction simply wasn’t expected.

Still, I continued. Over the course of the following two years, one greeting became ten, ten became a hundred, and those hundreds became thousands. And finally, something changed: staff members began smiling back. And, some individuals began greeting me before I had the chance to greet them.

Now, this year, our school welcomed a large number of new teachers following significant staff turnover. Watching them settle into our community, I noticed something that made me smile.

The newcomers witnessed these warm interactions happening every day. And, without anyone telling them to do so, many of them began greeting our maintenance and security staff in exactly the same way I did. They were learning our culture not through a handbook or an orientation presentation, but by observing the everyday behavior of the people around them.

As educators, we often ask ourselves how we can improve our schools. Perhaps a better question is: What small actions could I model every day that others might begin to imitate?

Ed X!