Principal

On this episode of Working Well we speak with Dr. Ricki Gibbs. At the time of the recording, Dr. Gibbs was the principal at Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School, in Nashville, TN, but recently transitioned to be the head of all elementary schools for LEAD Public Schools, also in Nashville. In 2020, Dr. Gibbs was named Elementary Principal of the Year for Metro Nashville Public Schools. Under Dr. Gibbs’ leadership, Warner transformed from one of the lowest performing schools in Metro Nashville Public Schools to being the first and only Metro Nashville Public School to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon Beacon School in 2021. He talks with NCSSLE Training Specialist Melanie Goodman about the importance of self-care and setting boundaries, recognizing seen and unseen trauma, supporting families and the community, and how his staff uses mindfulness, movement, and breath work to help students develop emotional self-regulation strategies. 0:25 - Introduction1:11 - Balancing the demands of the job and school leaders as decision makers 4:12 - Biggest challenges during and following the pandemic6:22 - Post-pandemic innovations 10:41 - What other schools are doing post-pandemic11:53 - Systematic approach to staff and workforce well-being 14:22 - Responsiveness to teacher autonomy within the system 16:41 - Success with teacher retention17:30 - Supports for the workforce beyond teachers (i.e., paraeducators, support staff)21:05 - Recommendations for supporting and stabilizing the workforce24:16 - Closing