With spring finally taking hold in most of the country, it is a pleasure to see how all of the flowers and buds in bloom are adding bright color to the landscape. While the spring semester is a busy one in all schools—bringing with it the temptation to keep one eye on the “finish line” and revel in thoughts of summer break—there is one other thought the coming of spring brings to mind. That is, just as the earth “comes back to life” in spring, we, too, need to attend to our own “renewal” as professionals.

‘Tis the season for hiring new teachers for the 2011-12 school year—and also for renewing current contracts. You want to bring in the best possible teachers, and you want to keep those who are assets to your school. Still, you may have situations where you are not planning to renew a faculty contract, or have to deal with disciplinary situations.

You can find just about anything on YouTube. There is a plethora of educational material that can apply to your classroom, from algebra lessons to science experiments to a video montage of the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Rising costs and changing policies are leaving much more than a trail of frustrated employers and Business Managers. People are becoming more aware of their health, lifestyle, and options—changing their routines to include healthier options in hopes of avoiding expensive doctor visits and medical bills.

Here we go again. Gas prices are rising daily and reporters predict costs to peak this summer around $5 a gallon. Are we really going through this again?

Springtime around ISM means it’s time to start our community garden. If your school has a garden, it might also have some native wildlife. Here in our patch, we have a few bunnies and a groundhog we’ve lovingly nicknamed “Tubby.” But, as much as we love to see them visit, we’re not huge fans of what they do to our vegetable garden—especially our bunny friends.

In your fund-raising efforts, you are most likely focusing on the constituents who are with your school now—current families. But what about your alumni? Alumni and their families are some of your biggest fans, and you should strive to keep them “in the family.” Often, your alumni constituency is a lightly tapped, or untapped, source of support.

Often the spring means it’s auction season—live and/or silent—at private-independent schools. The auction is not only a fund raiser but also usually a fun celebration for everyone. With eBay as a household word, more and more, schools are using an online auction options for their silent auctions.

Your annual fund is the foundation of all your other fund-raising efforts at your school. This month, Phil Higginson, Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement, and Penny Rogers, Director of Communications, both from Ravenscroft School (NC), tackle a question about donor categories and benefits.

The conventional idea is that teacher evaluation is based solely on classroom observation—and that the annual review is a “lets get it over with” thing. Personal and professional development is not generally part of the equation, and the evaluation system can be viewed as punitive rather than productive.