How to Appreciate School Leaders in Ways That Actually Land

By: Salina Mae Espinosa-Setchko

School Principal Appreciation Day (May 1) is here and like Teacher Appreciation Week, it often brings gestures of gratitude—notes, treats, small acknowledgments. Still, many school leaders will tell you: it doesn’t always land.

At The Teaching Well, we think about appreciation a little differently. It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing what is truly felt. For school leaders, that often looks like something specific: relief, recognition, and being seen as human.

School leaders move through their days holding an enormous amount—student needs, staff dynamics, family concerns, and system pressures—while making constant decisions and often having very little time to pause. The most meaningful appreciation reflects an understanding of that reality.

In our work alongside school leaders, we see that appreciation lands when it is specific, supportive, and reduces burden rather than adding to it. Here are a few ways that tends to happen.

1. Take Something Off Their Plate

One of the most meaningful forms of appreciation is time.

Covering recess or lunch duty, helping with supervision, or handling a small logistical task can create a rare moment of breathing room. Even a short window of support can make a meaningful difference in a day that rarely slows down.

2. Feed and Hydrate Them (For Real)

School leaders often move from one situation to the next without eating or taking breaks.

Offering a nourishing meal, dropping off coffee or tea, or providing a gift card for food delivery is more than a treat—it’s care. It communicates awareness of how much they are holding.

3. Say Thank You Without an Ask Attached

Leaders are used to receiving feedback, concerns, and requests all day long.

A simple “thank you,” offered without needing anything in return, can go a long way. Even more powerful is naming something specific you’ve seen: steady leadership, thoughtful decision-making, or how they supported the community during a challenge.

4. Advocate for Them Upward

One of the most meaningful—and often overlooked—forms of appreciation is sharing positive feedback with their supervisors.

Writing a note to a superintendent or district leader that highlights a principal’s impact helps ensure their work is recognized beyond the immediate school community. It amplifies what’s often invisible.

5. Support Their Well-Being in a Tangible Way

Leadership carries a physical and emotional toll.

Pooling resources for something restorative—like a meal delivery, a massage, or a wellness-oriented gift card—acknowledges that reality. It communicates care for the whole person, not just the role. Lastly, appreciation should not feel like another responsibility. If it creates more work, it’s not going to land.

At The Teaching Well, we invite a shift from performing appreciation to practicing it with intention. This means paying attention to what school leaders actually need and responding in ways that are grounded, specific, and human.

A simple question to hold is: What would make this leader’s day easier right now?

To make appreciation land it doesn’t need to be elaborate—it needs to be sincere, thoughtful, and supportive.

For all of our principals out there…

Thank you for the steadiness you bring, the care you extend, and the countless decisions you make each day in support of your school community. We see you and appreciate you.