Each morning, our school’s administrative assistant, Jenni, sends out an email with the morning’s daily update. It summarizes the day’s staff absences and reminds everyone of any big events for that day. The email isn’t an original idea or anything; “daily update” emails fly all over educational cyberspace every single morning.
This year, though, Jenni upped the game. She began attaching a GIF at the end of each email. It’s different every day. Sometimes it’s a cat swatting away at something. Other times, it’s a popular scene from The Office. On Fridays, it might be a stressed-out teacher-type showing excitement for the weekend, or an image of a runaway toboggan “sliding into Friday like…” Once, for our area’s first snowfall, the GIF featured Pooh dancing delightedly through the snowflakes in the woods, singing “SNOW DAY!!!!”
Sometimes it’s inspirational, a sunset or mountain view with words reminding us we are strong, smart, and amazing. Jenni has an uncanny ability to find the perfect GIF for the day, always funny or motivational and sometimes both. It is guaranteed to be spot-on, and more than once it’s been so hilarious, I’ve spit out my coffee when I’ve seen it.
All throughout the day, as staff walk through the office to check their mail or bring supplies for parent pickup, they comment on the GIF. “Jenni, that GIF this morning was fabulous,” they say. “You always identify the exact mood for the day.” They pause, they compliment, they stay and chat. They share a story or two. One day, as morning rain came down in torrents, the GIF featured a disheveled woman battling a broken umbrella in a hurricane. All day, people told stories about their own mishaps that morning trying to get into work without getting drenched. Every story told reveals people’s experiences and feelings. “We love your GIFs,” they all say. “Keep them coming.”
“How do you do it?” I asked her once. “You always nail it.”
“I just type the first word that comes to my mind that day,” she said, shrugging. “When the options pop up, I scroll until I find one that feels right. I don’t overthink it. The first one that stops me is the one I use.”
School culture is a funny thing. Many books and articles have been written about how to improve it, move it, master it. This year it’s more complicated than ever, especially as fears of COVID kept us anxious and upset, and because many of us are still working in unconventional or unpredictable instructional environments. Shifting back and forth between remote instruction, hybrid schedules, and all-in student attendance makes our work unpredictable and uncertain. It’s difficult to keep staff members connected to one another or feeling part of something bigger.
None of the books or experts have been able to capture the effect of an authentic, unplanned morale boost on school culture. Jenni’s GIF does just that, working wonders each morning. Here’s why.
It’s consistent. It’s a mood boost that comes every single day. It’s not a one-and-done token of appreciation in a teacher’s mailbox—those are valuable too, of course, such as a tube of Chapstick with the “You’re the Balm” message, or a Kind bar with a note of gratitude—but a daily, dependable, consistent message of inspiration goes a long way, too.
It fits. Each message is just for that day. It’s the right thing at the right time. “I can’t plan ahead for which GIF I’m going to use,” Jenni says. “It has to speak to the mood and morale of the moment.”
It requires no action. All anyone needs to do is look at it. Or not. Smile, or not. Take value from it, or not. And then move on.
It brings positivity. Even if the GIF is making note of something complicated that happened, it can be reassuring and inspiring. On January 7, the day after the uprising on the Capitol steps, the GIF was of a smiling penguin saying, “We’re going to be okay.”
It’s unpredictable. No one knows what GIF Jenni will uncover, and she never relies on old standbys. Every day is anyone’s guess for what she’ll find to make us smile.
It’s not coming from the “boss.” This is what I believe: Since it’s not me, the principal, who chooses the GIF, it seems to be more effective as a morale boost. The staff hears quite enough from me, thank you very much. Jenni taking on a culture task like this is an example of hidden opportunities for shared leadership. I don’t want to be, nor can I be, the sole keeper of culture. We all need to do it. And Jenni—beloved Jenni, adored by our staff for countless reasons, not least her sense of humor—is perfectly perfect for helping set the tone of our day.
As we trudge through the year, principals and leaders might consider how their school might receive a daily morale boost. It doesn’t have to be a GIF, of course. It could be any sort of outreach to staff that consistently speaks to a positive start to the day. If it requires no action beyond a moment of reflection and a flash of enjoyment, well, then, you’ve got yourself a winner.
