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Be honest with yourself: if a teacher called out tomorrow, do you know exactly what it’s costing your school? Not roughly. Not in theory. The actual number.
Most school leaders don’t — and that’s where the real problem begins.
In this bonus episode, I’m sharing a raw, unfiltered Facebook Live conversation that hit a nerve with our community, and for good reason. We’re talking about call outs — the most rewritten policy in early childhood education — and why your current system is probably breaking down exactly when you need it most.
Here’s what I see over and over again: school owners have a policy. A real one. A multi-step, point-tracked, five-strikes-and-you’re-out policy. But the moment they’re short-staffed — which is basically always — that policy quietly goes out the window. Because you can’t fire your fifth call-out offender when you’re already running on fumes and ratios are stretched.
That’s not a policy. That’s a prayer.
What you actually need isn’t another rewrite of your call out procedure. You need infrastructure — systems that are pressure tested against the real, messy, unpredictable reality of your school. Not your dream version of it. The actual one. The one where four people call out on a snow day, licensing walks in unannounced, and you still haven’t had lunch.
That’s what this episode is about. I walk through exactly what it means to pressure test your systems, why “first available opportunity” is not a standard, and how to start building a call out response that holds even when everything else is falling apart.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why knowing the actual dollar cost of every call out is the non-negotiable first step
- The difference between a real infrastructure standard and a situational, circumstantial, in-the-mood-when-we-can policy
- What “pressure testing” your systems actually looks like in practice — and why you’ve probably never done it
- Why the “good teacher exception” is silently eroding your entire school culture
- How your teachers learn to gamify a system that isn’t consistent — and what to do about it instead
- Why Schools of Excellence has shifted from a training and coaching company to an infrastructure installation company
- How to access the Call Out Solution, including the Call Out Cost Calculator and Call Out Standard Brief
Resources Mentioned:
- Call Out Solution (includes Call Out Cost Calculator + Call Out Standard Brief): https://schoolsofexcellence.com/callouts
- This Can’t Be Normal by Chanie Wilschanski: https://thiscantbenormal.com
Discover your school’s hidden breaking points
Stop Guessing & Start Knowing
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Ready to Build Infrastructure That Holds?
Installing standards, ownership, and rhythms that create predictable safety, profitability, and growth — is exactly what happens inside the Schools of Excellence Leadership HQ program.
HQ is for school leaders who are done surviving their own organizations and ready to build infrastructure that holds, even when they’re tired, even when they’re not in the room.
Apply for Leadership HQ → https://schoolsofexcellence.com/apply
And if you haven’t picked up This Can’t Be Normal yet, the book is available worldwide at thiscanbenormal.com.
About Chanie Wilschanski & Schools of Excellence
Chanie Wilschanski is the founder of Schools of Excellence and a sought-after mentor for early childhood and private school leaders. Her work is grounded in building operational systems, emotionally intelligent leadership, and sustainable rhythms for long-term success. Through her podcast, trainings, and membership program, Chanie helps private school and ECE leaders lead with confidence, build high-functioning teams, and step into their full leadership potential—without burnout or chaos.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with another school leader ready to move beyond survival mode and into intentional, systems-driven leadership.
