My name is Tanner Fischer, and I am the elementary school counselor and K-12 mental health team lead at Hartington-Newcastle Public Schools in Hartington, Nebraska. I am fortunate to be part of a fantastic school district that places a strong emphasis on mental health and student well-being. Our school district has a strong tradition of excellence in almost all that we do. As an alumnus of Hartington-Newcastle, I can attest this has been the case for a very long time, and the pride in our district and community is astounding. That said, excellence does not come without cost. In every realm of our school, you will find staff going above and beyond their expected duties, putting in long hours, and making efforts that not all educators do. This, for the betterment of our students, school, and community. Burnout is a reality for many professions, but educators, especially those who are passionate about their work, are particularly susceptible. We have passionate staff at Hartington-Newcastle. So much of our time, effort, and resources as a school district have been directed toward the development of our students and programs. As a school, we decided it was time to invest in our staff as well—they undoubtedly deserve it.
Connecting with Tim McGowan was an amazing first step in kickstarting our district’s goal of valuing staff just as much as we value students. And not just valuing staff, but making conscious efforts to show them they are valued, while proactively striving to develop and maintain healthy social connections within our school. Tim’s experiential workshop helped lay the foundation on which we now build. Not only were staff sore the next day from laughing so much, but the research-driven approach Tim and his team take to educate others on social connection and build social networks left lasting impressions that our staff still talk about to this day.
“We’ve needed this for a really long time.”
“I’ve learned more about my coworkers today than I have in years of working with them.”
“We have a great school and great coworkers, but it’s so easy to get siloed in what we do and forget that the relationships we build with the people around us are what actually matter. Today helped our school realize this.”
These were just a few of the comments I heard from staff after participating in Tim’s workshop. It was truly groundbreaking. Not only is our school a better place since working with Tim, but the future is bright. Staff morale is high. Social connections are strong. And the continuation of Tim’s work has come naturally. Laughs, happy tears, and maybe even some after-work beers were all results of working with Tim. If you are a school or organization looking to invest in your staff and truly make a positive impact on your climate and culture, I could not recommend Tim McGowan enough. Professionally and personally, Tim is as good as it gets.
