https://www.theunorthodoxprincipal.com/

The Unorthodox Principal, 200 W Columbia Street, Farmington, MO (2026)

10/16/2026

🚨 UNPOPULAR OPINION: YOUR TEACHERS DO NOT OWE YOU THEIR WEEKENDS. AND NEITHER DO PRINCIPALS. 👏👏👏

Yep. I said it. And I’ll die on this hill. 😂💪

It’s FRIDAY.

And somewhere right now, there’s a teacher packing up a bag FULL of papers to grade.

A principal thinking about the 47 things that didn’t get done this week.

An administrator preparing to spend their Sunday afternoon sending emails.

And an educator feeling GUILTY because they’re planning to do absolutely NOTHING school-related this weekend.

CAN WE PLEASE STOP NORMALIZING THIS?! 🤯

Listen, I spent 20 years in public education.

I’ve been the teacher.

I’ve been the assistant principal.

I’ve been the principal.

And I’ve been the person who thought EVERYTHING needed to be done RIGHT NOW.

But here’s what I learned:

🚨 JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN WORK 24/7 DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD.

And LEADERS, I’m talking to YOU, too!

If you’re sending emails at 9:30 on Sunday night, don’t be surprised when your staff feels like they need to respond.

If you’re praising the teacher who stays until 7 PM every night, what message are you sending to the teacher who leaves at contract time to pick up their own children?

If you’re constantly telling your staff to practice SELF-CARE but never giving them the TIME or SPACE to do it…

THAT’S NOT SELF-CARE. THAT’S A CONTRADICTION. 👏👏👏

And before somebody comes for me in the comments…

YES, there are emergencies.

YES, there are deadlines.

YES, sometimes we have to do things outside our regular hours.

BUT THAT SHOULD BE THE EXCEPTION. NOT THE EXPECTATION.

I had a rule as a principal.

NO SUNDAY EMAILS.

PERIOD.

My staff received their operational updates before the weekend, and Monday morning we started fresh with our MON-YAY message!

Because I wanted my teachers to be PRESENT with their families.

To go to their kids’ games.

To sit on the couch and watch Netflix.

To take a nap.

To do absolutely NOTHING without feeling an ounce of guilt.

And guess what?

THE SCHOOL WAS STILL STANDING ON MONDAY MORNING! 😂🙌

Here’s what I need every school leader to understand:

❤️ Your staff members are PEOPLE before they’re employees.

❤️ Their families deserve the BEST of them, too.

❤️ Being exhausted is NOT a badge of honor.

❤️ Leaving at contract time does NOT mean someone lacks dedication.

❤️ And protecting your peace doesn’t mean you don’t love your students.

WE CANNOT KEEP PREACHING WORK-LIFE BALANCE WHILE REWARDING WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE.

Because here’s the bottom line…

YOU CANNOT BUILD A HEALTHY SCHOOL CULTURE WITH EXHAUSTED ADULTS.

And I’ve said it a thousand times:

STUDENT CULTURE WILL NEVER EXCEED ADULT CULTURE.

So this weekend…

PUT THE BAG DOWN.

CLOSE THE LAPTOP.

STOP CHECKING YOUR EMAIL.

GO LIVE YOUR LIFE.

Your students need you.

But so does your FAMILY.

And so do YOU. ❤️

💥 NOW LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING…

DO YOU THINK TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO ANSWER EMAILS OR WORK ON WEEKENDS?

👇 YES or NO? And tell me WHY!

I have a feeling this comment section is about to get INTERESTING. 😂🔥

10/16/2026

🔥🙌🏽 YOU KNOW IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD MORNING, A GREAT DAY, AN AMAZING WEEK, AND ONE HECK OF A MONTH when you start it with THIS BALL OF ENERGY AND WORLD CHANGER, Stephen Ritz!!! 🩷🌎💪🏽🌱

Some people just have a way of filling your cup, lighting a fire in your soul, and reminding you WHY we do what we do.🔥💃🏼💪🏽

STEPHEN RITZ IS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE! ❤️

From the BRONX to Bonne Terre and everywhere in between, who would have thought our paths would cross and our missions would align?! 🥹🩷

Stephen, THANK YOU for your infectious energy, your HUGE heart, your incredible belief in kids, and your commitment to making this world a better place, ONE CHILD AT A TIME! 🌱🌎

You don’t just TALK about changing the world.

YOU ARE OUT THERE DOING THE DAMN THING! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

And you KNOW how I feel about that!

DON’T TALK ABOUT IT. BE ABOUT IT! 💪🏽🔥

I am so incredibly grateful that our paths crossed, that our friendship continues to grow, and that we get to cheer each other on while doing what we LOVE!

The world needs more people like you, my friend!

My cup is FULL, my heart is HAPPY, and I cannot WAIT to see what we do NEXT! ❤️🙌🏽

KEEP GROWING! KEEP GOING! KEEP CHANGING THE WORLD! 🌱🌎

10/15/2026

🚨 STOP LETTING THE 10% RUN YOUR SCHOOL.

It is mid-October.

The honeymoon is OVER.⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

And this is when leaders start making one HUGE mistake:⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️(I’ve been there, trust me!)

WE LET THE LOUDEST 10% CONTROL 100% OF OUR ENERGY.🔥🔥🔥🔥

The angry parent.

The same discipline issues.

The staff member who complains about EVERYTHING.🤬🤬🤬

The handful of kids who are struggling.

And suddenly, THAT becomes the story of your school.

NO.

And listen, I GET IT.

That 10% is usually the FREAKING LOUDEST. 😂

They are the ones you replay in your head on the drive home.

They are the emails you think about at 2:00 AM.

They are the conversations you wish you could redo.

TRUST ME. BEEN THERE. DONE THAT.

But we cannot keep letting the loudest 10% steal our attention from the 90% who are quietly doing the RIGHT THING every single day.

90% of your teachers are showing up and doing the work.

90% of your students are trying, learning, and doing what they are supposed to do.

90% of your families are supportive and want their kids to succeed.

STOP BUILDING YOUR LEADERSHIP AROUND THE 10%.

Address the 10%.

Support the 10%.

Hold the 10% accountable.

BUT STOP LETTING THEM RUN THE DAMN BUILDING.

SEE THE 90%.

THANK THE 90%.

CELEBRATE THE 90%.

POUR INTO THE 90%.

🔥 THE 10% MAY BE LOUDER, BUT THE 90% IS YOUR CULTURE.

If tomorrow you are choosing to focus more on the people who are SHOWING UP, DOING THEIR BEST, and DOING THE RIGHT THING…

👇🏽 COMMENT 90% BELOW.

And then go find somebody in your building who needs to hear:

“I see you.”

Big Love,
Leigh 🩷🩷🩷

10/14/2026

Tomorrow is FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to see you bright and early Jefferson County Growth Association & the STAR that makes all of the magic happen, Kami!!!🩷🩷🩷

10/13/2026

🚨 UNPOPULAR OPINION… BUT I’LL DIE ON THIS HILL. 😂💪🏽🔥

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS IS NOT A FIRST-WEEK-OF-SCHOOL ACTIVITY!

And PRINCIPALS, I’m talking to US, too! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

It’s the middle of OCTOBER.

The honeymoon is OVER. 😂

The routines are established.

The curriculum is moving.

The assessments are piling up.

The behaviors are showing up.

And EVERYBODY is counting down the days until the next break.

Well… ALMOST everybody. 💔

Because here’s something I need us to remember…

NOT EVERY CHILD IS EXCITED ABOUT FALL BREAK OR WINTER BREAK.

For some kids, SCHOOL is their safest place.

For some kids, their TEACHER is the most consistent adult in their life.

For some kids, SCHOOL is where they receive dependable meals, encouragement, and CONNECTION.

And for some kids, those long breaks mean LESS stability, LESS predictability, and LESS safety.

So while we’re trying to survive October, wrap up assessments, plan holiday celebrations, and prepare for November and December…

PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO KEEP BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS! 🩷

And PRINCIPALS…

🚨 YOU CANNOT EXPECT TEACHERS TO PRIORITIZE RELATIONSHIPS IF YOU DON’T GIVE THEM THE TIME TO BUILD THEM!

You cannot preach BELONGING in August and then bury teachers in paperwork, meetings, assessments, and a never-ending list of things that needed to be done YESTERDAY.

You cannot tell teachers that relationships matter and then treat a ten-minute classroom connection activity like WASTED instructional time.

And you cannot expect teachers to pour into students when their own cups are EMPTY.

STUDENT CULTURE WILL NEVER EXCEED ADULT CULTURE. 🔥

When I was a principal, I encouraged my teachers to pull out their BEST, MOST LIFE-CHANGING LESSONS during those first days of school.

The lessons that made kids THINK.

LAUGH.

CREATE.

COLLABORATE.

CONNECT.

And I gave them the TIME and FREEDOM to do it!

But here’s the important part…

WE DIDN’T STOP AFTER THE FIRST WEEK!

We continued building relationships.

We continued celebrating students.

We continued creating opportunities for CONNECTION.

Because you don’t build a school culture in AUGUST and expect it to magically sustain itself until MAY!

RELATIONSHIPS REQUIRE MAINTENANCE! 👏🏽

And sometimes that looks like:

🩷 Greeting students by name.

🩷 Taking five minutes for a classroom check-in.

🩷 Noticing when a student’s behavior changes.

🩷 Making a positive phone call home.

🩷 Creating opportunities for students to LAUGH and CONNECT.

🩷 Making sure EVERY child has at least ONE adult who knows them beyond their grades and behavior.

NONE of that requires a fancy program.

NONE requires another expensive curriculum.

And NONE should require teachers to give up their planning periods or personal time.

IT REQUIRES INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP.

When I was a principal, we didn’t just TALK about belonging.

We BUILT IT INTO OUR SCHOOL DAY.

From Morning Gym to schoolwide celebrations, we intentionally created opportunities for students to feel SAFE, SEEN, VALUED, and CONNECTED.

Because here’s something I wish every school leader understood…

CULTURE ISN’T WHAT YOU SAY MATTERS. CULTURE IS WHAT YOU MAKE TIME FOR. 🎯🔥

And as we head into NOVEMBER and DECEMBER, please remember…

That child acting out before break?

They might be worried about going home.

That student who suddenly becomes withdrawn?

They might be carrying something you know NOTHING about.

That kid who seems to need a little extra attention?

They might be asking for CONNECTION.

Does that mean we lower expectations?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Does every behavior mean a child is experiencing trauma?

NOPE.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS ARE LOVE IN ACTION.

We can hold students accountable AND lead with compassion.

We can teach the curriculum AND build relationships.

We can maintain structure AND create opportunities for JOY.

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EITHER/OR! 👏🏽

So here’s my challenge…

🚨 PRINCIPALS: PROTECT THE TIME.

Give teachers the freedom to CONNECT.

Stop adding unnecessary things to their plates.

Make room for classroom community.

And remember that building relationships is NOT taking time away from learning.

IT’S AN INVESTMENT IN EVERYTHING THAT COMES NEXT!

🚨 TEACHERS: KEEP MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS.

That five-minute conversation MATTERS.

That smile MATTERS.

That positive phone call MATTERS.

And that child who seems to be pushing you away?

Sometimes they’re the one who needs to know you’re STILL THERE. 🩷

Because the questions children were asking in AUGUST are the SAME questions they’re asking in OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, and EVERY MONTH AFTER THAT.

Am I safe here?

Does my teacher see me?

Does someone care?

DO I STILL BELONG HERE?

And our answer should ALWAYS be…

YES. YOU BELONG HERE.

Not just in August.

Not just when you’re making good choices.

Not just when everything is going right.

EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 🩷

Because BELONGING isn’t a back-to-school initiative.

BELONGING IS A DAILY COMMITMENT.

BELONGING FIRST. BELONGING NEXT. BELONGING ALWAYS.

SAFETY FIRST. SAFETY NEXT. SAFETY ALWAYS. 🩷🔥

And as I always say…

DON’T TALK ABOUT IT. BE ABOUT IT. 💪🏽

💬 TEACHERS, LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING…

Are you STILL being given time to intentionally build relationships with your students?

Or has everything else taken over?

And PRINCIPALS, how are YOU protecting that time?

👇🏽 LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!

10/09/2026

So I’ll start here, because this is the moment I knew we had officially lost our MINDS & COMMON SENSE. 👇

When I was a principal, I told our head of tech, “I wish I could take all these Chromebooks, pile them up, and light a bonfire for my Pre-K through 2 kids.” 🔥💻😅

And let me be clear… this man was NEVER a teacher.
He had never taught a day in a classroom. Not one. 👀

And he looked at me dead serious and said, “You’d be doing them a disservice… because by third grade they’ll be on a Chromebook all day.”

That right there was a gut punch.👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽
Because how are we letting people who have never taught kids make decisions that shape how kids LEARN? 💥

Here’s what I find hysterical.
Non-educators act like it is “so crazy” that getting back to paper and pencil helps kids with cognitive skills, memory, stamina, and actual learning.

But about 10 years ago, we were out here acting like handwriting didn’t matter. “They won’t need it.” “Everything is typed.” ✌️⌨️

And then what happened?

We watched reading struggles explode. We watched dyslexia referrals skyrocket. We assessed and met and intervened and panicked.

And I’m not saying dyslexia isn’t real. It is.
I’m saying a whole lot of kids were not dyslexic. They were under-practiced. Under-developed. Over-screened. 💔

Handwriting and reading are connected. Always have been.
Kids need to build their brains, not just click their way through childhood. 🧠✏️

So yes, give kids access to technology. It’s part of the world.
But if a 6-year-old cannot form letters, hold stamina, or write a sentence without melting down, the answer is not “more screen time.” 👀

Bring back pencils. Bring back handwriting. Bring back real learning.

Because the basics are not “old school.”
They are the foundation. 💥👟

✏️🧠🔥💻i

10/08/2026

I am SOOOOO EXCITED for this!!!!!!

10/07/2026

WHO KNEW CUPCAKES WOULD BE THE HILL WE DIE ON?! 🧁😂💃🏼🩷

Some of y’all are BENT OUT OF SHAPE over a cupcake policy.

And I’m over here wondering…

If we put this much energy into our children’s EDUCATION, imagine what we could accomplish. 👀

And since apparently a 90-second TikTok is enough for some people to determine my entire leadership philosophy, let me help you out.

At my school, we had:⬇️⬇️⬇️

❤️ Morning Gym EVERY DAY where we built community, celebrated students and recognized birthdays, including weekend and summer birthdays.

🎈 40 minutes of protected Morning Meeting and Emerging Engineer time EVERY DAY for relationship building, creativity and play-based learning.

👏 Monthly Good Choice Assemblies where EVERY student attended, with community organizations invited into our school to build relationships with our kids and families.

🤝 A full school-wide Service Learning Day dedicated to giving back to the community that supported us.

📚 Birthday books, birthday pencils, crowns, balloons and plenty of ways to make kids feel SPECIAL without sacrificing 30 minutes of instructional time for 25 separate birthday parties.

So no, I’m not anti-cupcake.

I’m pro-teacher.
I’m pro-kid.
I’m pro-relationships.
I’m pro-community.
I’m pro-learning.

And I’m REALLY pro-common sense. 😂

You can disagree with me ALL DAY LONG.

But if you’re going to watch 90 seconds of my content and use it to attack 20 years of leadership, my relationships with families, or how much I cared about my students…

PACK A LUNCH.

Because I’ve got receipts. 😂🧁

The Unorthodox Principal

10/16/2026

10/16/2026

10/15/2026

10/14/2026

10/13/2026

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