Attitudes, whether good or bad, are contagious. As an administrator of a school, it is important to realize that teachers and all school staff are watching what you say, what you do, and how you react to others. Education is a difficult job. The demands of being a teacher increase each year. Teachers make relatively low pay, deal with regularly, prepare students for testing, and much more. In order to keep a high morale, administrators must continuously take the pulse of their school and work to maintain and strengthen staff morale each day.
Be Appreciative
One of the most important things an administrator can do to boost morale within a school is to be appreciative. According to , 60% of employees say they have quit a job because they did not feel appreciated. Verbal appreciation is one of the easiest ways to express gratitude to your employees. Simple praises such as, 鈥済reat job today鈥� or 鈥渢hanks for all you do鈥� go a long way. Compliments like this show hard working teachers that you, the administrator, notice what they are doing and you recognize they are important.
Administrators can also be creative and make appreciation fun. For example, at one elementary school, the administrator broke out maracas, drum sticks, and any kind of noise maker she could find to celebrate the 鈥渢eacher of the month鈥�. This teacher was nominated by a student chosen by the administrator. The administrator had the student write a short paragraph about why the educator was great and the student read the note to the teacher after surprising the teacher with a noisy classroom entrance! Whether administrators express appreciation in a fun and crazy way, in a note, in an email, or verbally, expressing gratitude regularly is important in creating a happy and productive staff.
Empower Staff
In addition to being appreciative, it is also important that . This means encouraging teachers to take on leadership roles and to play a part in the decision-making process at the school. Teachers can take on leadership roles such as mentoring, coaching, and participating in school planning committees.
Teachers who are empowered and feel that they are being heard are more likely to make a positive impact on students. Want to know if your teachers feel empowered? Ask them. Send out an anonymous survey and see what you get back. If your teachers don鈥檛 feel empowered, work on implementing strategies and leadership opportunities that will allow for your teachers to participate in leadership roles at your school. You could also look at your school鈥檚 Teacher Working Conditions Survey responses.聽 This survey contains an entire section on 鈥淭eacher Leadership鈥�. Administrators can use this data to make changes within the school and strengthen teacher leadership and empowerment.
Respect Brings About Respect
You鈥檝e probably heard the statement, 鈥淚f you want respect, you have to earn respect.鈥� This could be applied within the world of education and the setting of our public schools. Respect is important because it sets the stage for the entire context of the school. We want our students to respect our staff and our staff to respect our students and families.
In turn, administrators must model that respect and set clear expectations for what respect looks and sounds like. Administrators can create and model a climate of respect by: listening to others, avoiding negative conversation, showing kindness and helpfulness, giving others an opportunity to voice their opinions, supporting teachers, within the school, knowing the curriculum and current programs being used at the school, and making choices based on the best interest of the students. When students, families, and teachers see that administrators care about the wellbeing of everyone involved, respect will follow.
Morale Impacts Student Achievement and Engagement
Teachers make up the largest part of the school and spend the most time with students. Research suggests that poor teacher morale can negatively affect student achievement and performance, while high teacher morale can boost student performance.
A study tilted 聽by John Lambersky discusses the impact that the principal鈥檚 relationship with teachers has on student achievement. The study quotes Halligner and Heck (2011): 鈥淎chieving results through others is the essence of leadership鈥� understanding the routes by which principals can improve student outcomes through working with others is itself a worthy goal for research.鈥� It is important for administrators to consider that their actions, reactions, and words impact teacher performance, as well as student performance and engagement.
Examples of Morale-Boosting Activities
Ways to boost morale are just one web search away! There are so many ideas and resources available to today鈥檚 administrators. Here are just a few examples of how administrators can boost morale:
- Award teachers (jean days, certificates, etc.)
- Treat your teachers (snacks, duty-free lunch)
- Post positive quotes in teacher work areas
- Have an open door policy whenever possible
- Brag about good teaching during announcements and on social media platforms
- Give compliments
- Ask for advice and input
- Provide teachers with extended planning time when possible
