Abstract

Keywords:Traveling; Social skills; Outdoor environment; Rural communities; Destination; Planned activities; Cultures; Trip; Education; Environment

Short Communication

Rural educational leaders face many challenges, including the day-to-day operation of the school, moving the school forward academically, dealing with parent issues, student issues, and public concerns while trying to maintain a quality life and family at home. Activities that include leisure activities, traveling, and relaxation can help contribute to increasing the longevity of school leaders staying in rural administrative positions as well as increasing the overall productivity and job performance of school leaders and personnel.

Leisure time can benefit rural school leaders by reducing stress, helping build social relationships and reducing health concerns. Additionally, these activities can improve executive functions, and impacting academic results in the schools they lead. Meaningful leisure time outside the school like being involved in extracurricular activities can provide opportunities for individuals to take on leadership roles and responsibilities outside the school, thus, contributing to their social skills. Communicating with peers outside of the school environment can contribute to success back at the school like managing time more effectively and making friends outside the school can increase peer relations.

Being connected to peers can increase a needed support base in the community thus helping with overall longevity in these rural educational settings where school leaders sometimes do not last long and move on. Connecting is a must in keeping leaders in these positions [1] has stated that being isolated and thinking there is “nothing to offer” can prevent school personnel from staying in these positions. She said that communities with more to offer than fresh goods and welcoming people are attractive to school personnel. Additionally, high-regarded programs such as agriculture and athletic programs can commit school personnel to staying longer.

Discovering the community by traveling and enjoying the surrounding area can reinforce the chances of school leaders staying longer. After all, school leaders move to rural communities and are drawn to these areas often because of the beauty, outdoor environment, limited traffic, low crime rates, and enjoyment of country living. Additionally, they offer a chance to be part of something smaller to get to know the teachers, students, parents, community members, and their families. These things can contribute to rural school leaders being attracted to these areas and staying longer.

For over a century, school boards in rural communities have struggled to recruit and retain rural school leaders [2]. In addition, these same school boards have struggled with being remote and new teachers who did not grow up in rural communities. Additionally, popular media represents rural communities as backward, dull, and out of touch with life. This is why being involved in leisure activities and traveling to explore and learn about one’s rural communities is vital to keeping rural school leaders in their communities.

Rural school leaders often need help with the challenges of distance from rural schools, such as airports and specialized medical care, which can cause them to feel isolated. School boards have polished their recruiting messages, emphasizing the many benefits of working in rural schools. Despite the challenge of hiring these school leaders, retaining them is still a concern. National data from 2012-13 show that, on average, rural schools had higher teacher attrition rates (8.4%) than city, suburban, and town schools (6.4-7.9%) as well as some of the highest rates of teacher turnover (14.7%) in the rural South [3].

Travel and vacation are similar but differ regarding the target destination and planned activities. While both can be fun, vacation typically means disengaging from day-to-day surroundings, relaxing with few goals, and getting away from work. On the other hand, travel has the purpose of exploring new things, and it could be cheaper than vacationing. The cultural aspects, such as food, customs, and celebrations, can feed the soul and benefit one’s physical and psychological health. Communication while traveling helps one to improve how they communicate with others and improves their problem-solving skills.

Travel experiences allow one to share with others to inspire and encourage others to evaluate their own beliefs and assumptions about other cultures. Students traveling abroad share their experiences learning new cultures, languages, customs, and more. Those experiences can break down the students’ biases and misconceptions about a destination. Another part of travel is the tangible items we collect to recall the memories of the trip and places visited. Those artifacts can be shared with colleagues and students, broadening their opinions, biases, and misconceptions.

Rural school leaders can travel extensively in their positions, which requires them to attend meetings and collaborative sessions with colleagues out of town. That trip allows them to listen to a podcast or book they may not have time for, generate ideas about possible solutions to improve their schools and relieve some stress. The time spent traveling may allow for contemplation and self-examination.

Professional education leaders do well with their positions by coaching and engaging with those in similar positions and their educators. However, they may need to remember why they are in that position and choose to work in education. This could create more stress, leaving them needing to address issues that could be lessened by following intentional self-care strategies. Being consciously aware of stressors helps leaders to address them as they arise, reflect on the situations, prepare and respond to stressful situations, and be mindful of the demands of their position and environment.

In an article for ISC Research, Dr. Helen Kelly wrote about school leader burnout and devoted her time to research and consulting in the education field. There are some similarities between international and rural school leaders, such as the need to recognize the demands of work and the stress that goes along with it. According to Dr. Kelly’s [4] research and others studying leader burnout, four areas of recovery from work stress could aid in avoiding burnout. Leaders should be detached from work, relax, manage their time and activities outside the work environment, and feel a sense of accomplishment unrelated to their work environment.

Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA), an organization whose mission and vision are to be a resource, be an advocate, and provide beneficial professional development to school leaders in Texas, has recognized the demands of school leaders but also provides strategies and resources to overcome these potential obstacles. In their book “Steps to Success: What Successful Principals Do Every Day,” Dr. Mungal and Dr. Sorenson [5] wrote about stress in general and stated some stressors that school leaders face. In an article for TEPSA, Dr. Mungal and Dr. Sorenson give the audience a list of ways to manage and overcome stress. Many of these school leaders are aware of this, but they must be reminded of the importance of addressing those stressors before burning out.

There are benefits to practicing mindfulness. School leaders who practice mindfulness throughout the day and model for their educators and students find that their school climate is more optimistic, assessments are more manageable, and focus on the content is improved. They are teaching students to be mindful by pausing before reacting to stressful situations and becoming more aware of their emotions and body to respond more calmly. School leaders can lead by creating supportive and safe environments for students and educators. They can also look into programs to promote mindfulness, cultivating an environment that allows for empathy and self-awareness.

References

1. Romero-Robles C (2018) A new perspective on Hamilton City. I am a Rural, USA.
2. Azano AP, Downey J, Brenner D (2019) Preparing pre-service teachers for rural schools. In: J Lampert (Ed.), Oxford research encyclopedia of education. Oxford University Press.
3. Carver-Thomas D, Darling-Hammond L (2017) Teacher Turnover: Why It Matters and What We Can Do About It. CA: Learning Policy Institute, USA.
4. Kelly H (2023) How to Avoid School Leader Burnout.
5. Mungal AS, Sorenson R (2021) Why Stress is Linked to Health and the Principalship: A Management Perspective.