Montessori Administrators Community - 2026

Beyond Burnout: A Dignity-Centered Approach to Teacher Retention

Teacher retention isn't just a hiring challenge. It's often a culture challenge.

As a new school year approaches, July is the ideal moment for leaders to pause and think intentionally about the culture they want to build before staff return. The way adults support, care for, and work alongside one another establishes the foundation for everything that follows.

In this engaging, hour-long session, Carson Smith introduces The Dignity Way, a practical framework for building an adult culture where people feel safe, valued, recognized, and inspired to stay. Participants will explore the core principles of a dignity-centered culture, examine why respect alone is not enough, and learn how well-intentioned leadership practices can unintentionally contribute to burnout, disengagement, and turnover.

And a school's culture never stops with the adults. The way educators experience one another inevitably shapes the experiences of students. When adults feel…