Appreciating Educators Builds a Strong School Culture

#Culture Read time:
School culture reaches much further into the community than leaders might realize. Especially for districts struggling to keep great teachers, now’s a great time to take a look at your teacher and staff appreciation strategy, and share it with the wider community. Here are 4 things people in your community can do to appreciate educators, along with the ways leaders can emphasize them.

 

A shiny apple is just the beginning

Gifts are nice, but the sentiment is better. As you lead by example creating a culture of gratitude, share a simple template and an open call for messages. Not ready in time for the calendar date celebration? Messages of thanks never spoil, and they’re better received late than not at all. 

 

Get involved in supporting education all year round

Did you know that school board elections see only roughly 5–10% voter turnout? Get involved at the ballot box or consider serving on your local school board. School board decisions result in policies the district leaders abide by. Especially if community members want a say in students’ lives day-to-day, involvement in school board decisions goes a long way.

 

Pitch in to match resources to kids in need

Many families struggle to make ends meet, which can make it hard to reach out asking for donations. However, as we all are aware, educators are pretty much constantly dipping into their own paychecks to boost classroom supplies. 

There are a few ways to help out by sharing items, resources, and time families already have access to. Read more about 9 donations schools love but communities tend to forget.

 

Change how you speak about teachers and staff

It can be easy to slip into a paternalistic way of speaking about teachers and staff. This is an error for so many reasons (chief of which: teachers are no longer exclusively single women contractually obligated to remain so whilst serving a term on a lonely prairie). A culture of respect relies on leaders to set an example of professional treatment. Require parents to speak and act with respect. Encourage families to speak positively of school around their children (since those ideas will show up in classrooms the next morning). We can all pitch in to speak mindfully—and gratefully.


District leaders, your example goes a long way to inspiring action among families. What will you do to appreciate your teams?
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