|
|
|
The views expressed on this page are
solely
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
|
Getty Images
Education Dive
4 ways leaders are keeping teachers motivated through pandemic disruption
The K-12 model has been overturned since spring, but these principals
and superintendents say focusing on people first and finding joy are
key to success.
Shawna De La Rosa
Oct. 29, 2020
From the pressure put on first responders to the demands placed on
essential workers, COVID-19 upended professional norms across all
industries — especially education.
Last spring, teachers had to retrofit in-person curricula for a virtual
environment and adopt new approaches for teaching students from afar.
Then came fall, with the question of whether buildings would reopen
hanging over every district. Concerns about the virus are mixed with
worries that students aren’t getting as much through online learning as
they did in the classroom. With cases continuing to surge into winter,
the light at the end of the tunnel remains distant.
Through it all, principals and other administrators are continuing to
serve as cheerleaders and make connections to invaluable resources. We
asked four leaders how they're keeping teachers and staff motivated.
Here's what we learned.
Susan Kessler - Executive Principal, Hunters Lane High School (Tennessee)
While the world is incredibly stressful in a wide variety of ways in
2020, the most successful teachers and administrators have an almost
myopic view of what they need to do. When we focus only on our students
and meeting their needs right now, this year, then the external
stressors — which can be overwhelming — melt away.
This is the way educators have always survived. They make sure what
they do with students each day makes a difference. As an administrator,
my job is to make the realm of the teacher’s responsibility smaller
than the weight they naturally carry.
We don’t have to solve the crisis of the pandemic or the economic or
social implications worldwide. We have to connect with kids by caring
about them first, and teach them second. When we commit ourselves to
doing those two things well, everything else can get worked out by
everyone else. We can take comfort in knowing that the children and
their education, which we have great influence over, are well taken
care of.
Joe Sanfelippo - Superintendent, Fall Creek School District (Wisconsin)
We have been trying to ensure that our staff can start the day and end
the day with joy. Whatever it is that brings them joy, start your day
that way to put you in the right mindset, and end your day in a way
that makes you smile.
Just as important as saying "end your day with joy" is the word "end."
We want people to have joy when their day is complete, but we also want
to make sure they put an end to their day. Many of our staff continue
to answer emails and work well into the night. That takes time away
from the people who give us the most latitude (but shouldn't have to
give us the most latitude): our family.
Sanfelippo recently released a video after a professional development
day that allowed teachers to do whatever they needed to get done. “The
vast majority of the day was open time,” he said in the video. "The
amazing part of the day came at how people filled in that time. ...
They smiled, they laughed, they talked, they took a deep breath.”
If you trust your staff with time, they will fill in the gaps with whatever makes them better, he said.
Richard Gordon IV - Principal, Paul Robeson High School (Pennsylvania)
To keep teachers motivated and positive, administrators must be mindful
of their workload and support them in helping them manage it. Ensure
the school’s master schedule, as well as your own professional learning
community (PLC) schedule, takes teachers into consideration.
Teacher motivation and buy-in are key to the success of the virtual
learning experiences. As administrators, it is imperative that we not
only have realistic expectations on what our teachers can handle, but
also we must create a learning environment that sets teachers up for
success.
We need to recognize them formally and informally for their efforts
with positive affirmations, praise, tangible rewards and public
displays of appreciation. Ask teachers what is happening in their
online classes. Send out surveys to gather their input on what they
need and what their students need. Ask if there are any areas of
concern. Be flexible as best you can, and organize online happy hours
and other staff social events.
The master schedule should allow for teachers to teach in reasonable
blocks of time, incorporate breaks and facilitate
peer-learning/visitation opportunities. It should provide additional
time in the schedule, when possible, for teachers to adequately address
all the other concerns they have related to their job responsibilities
such as grading, student/parent/family contact, and conferencing,
planning, and preparation and professional learning opportunities.
As for the PLC schedule, I believe it is imperative to consistently
utilize common planning time to not only cover academic and operational
agendas, but to also do "check-ins" with our teachers. We need to give
them a voice to freely express how they are doing and how they are
feeling. We must tend to the mental, emotional and physical demands and
challenges virtual learning places on everyone, including our teachers.
If we do this, and ensure that our teachers are able to operate at
their very best, they will give their very best to meet the standards
we set in place and give their very best to students.
No matter how engaged they may be with students, we must keep our
teachers from feeling as if they’re isolated on their own island. They
should know we are all in this together and we can all rely on one
another for support, even from a distance.
Marlon Styles - Superintendent, Middletown City School District (Ohio)
First, I tell all the educators and staff that they can’t inspire
someone if they aren’t taking care of themselves. Everyone needs to be
honest with themselves about when they need to recharge their batteries.
Once they get past taking care of yourself, then they need to do what
they’ve always done best when they were face-to-face with their
students. That is, they need to have fun. We are all scattered, but you
have to have fun with it and find creative ways to connect with your
colleagues and students.
My staff came up with great ways to stay connected to their classes. In
the spring, they held virtual fire drills for their students. We also
had a community-wide fight song sing-along on our front porches. We
livestreamed the event and urged everyone to get out on their front
porches and rally and have fun. We also have staff members interview
each other for the students and then do karaoke. Everyone has fun.
Everyone feels good. That’s a culture piece.
You need to rely on the strong culture you had in your building before
this pandemic ever showed up, before you even started missing your
students. Allow the culture you already had in place to continue, that
culture that made sure the work environment and the school environment
was fun.
The other thing I suggest is to use technology, not just in the ways we
used it before the pandemic, but in new ways that inspire students.
Let’s say you want to figure out what a student knows by having them
put something on Flipgrid. Teachers can give them personalized video
feedback and the kids love it. It’s a personal way to connect with
students and help them improve. It’s much different than a worksheet
that may have been done in class. It’s much more meaningful for a
student to have a personalized response from their teacher on video.
Right now — in the environment we are in because of the global pandemic
— we aren’t able to connect with people like we used to when we saw
them face-to-face. We have to continue to have fun, be creative and
find ways to do the same things as we’ve always done. It’s about
relationships, having fun on the job, loving the kids and making sure
you are still inspiring people. Focus on service and stay positive.
|
|
|
|
