43 days. There are a short 43 days left in my instructional year. As I ponder how I will continue to engage my students during those 43 days, my mind wanders to what will engage me – as a professional – during the last stretch towards the finish line.
I teach in a building with 45 other educational professionals. While we are independently responsible for our own rosters of students, we are a team focused on the same goal – preparing students for the next leg of their life journey – academically and socially. This time of year, we are challenged to maintain high expectations and continue learning, even when the students might prefer to be outside in the beautiful spring sunshine. Teachers are using every educational strategy to engage students as we review for exams.
What about the teachers? Teachers are feeling the stress of exams and the end of the year frenzy just as much as the students. What keeps a teacher going when kids would rather relish in the spring sunshine, the “to do” list gets longer while the number of days gets shorter, and everyone seems to be in a rush to check boxes as “complete”?
This quote speaks to me – particularly this time of year. I use this philosophy with my students to spark a stronger work ethic. I appreciate their work – so they give me a little more. I appreciate their attention to manners, to guidelines, to meeting expectations and to maintaining the same principles that we have had all year. By appreciating their efforts, both in large groups and individually, my students continue to surpass my expectations, even with 43 days left.
Teachers are students, too. With budgets dry and limited hours, what can be done to appreciate teachers so that they, too, will continue to exceed expectations during that last month of school? While I cannot speak for all, this is what motivates me:
Get to Know Me
Relationships are the number one ingredient in my educational environment. In my class, we start building those relationships on Day #1 – and, I work diligently to overcome barriers that surface throughout the year. As a teacher in the building, I thrive on that same camaraderie with my administrative team and colleagues. When an administrator knows me – what is important to me, can identify my strengths, help me strengthen my weaknesses and celebrate my growth – I am willing to be innovative, am resilient to failures and am confident in my efforts. There will be times when our conversations are challenging. However, if we have a relationship that is built on mutual trust with a focus on the same goal, we minimize the level of awkwardness, allowing us both to move forward in the best interest of all stakeholders.
Model Innovative Practices
Be just as innovative in leadership as you expect me to be in my classroom. Just like I am expected to be organized, current, thorough and collaborative with my student/parent communication, I expect the same from my administrative team.Talk to me about ways that I can professionally grow and collaborate with me on how to reach those goals. Allow me to share areas that need improvement in our building – as, if we are going to embrace a student-centered, growth mindset, then no area of our learning environment is immune to that reflective practice, including building leadership. Evaluate every meeting agenda, audience and expectation – how can these be more efficient? In evaluating efforts, be open to recommendations about every practice. What dated practices can be revisited and revamped? For example: can we rethink the “End of Year CheckOut List” where teachers spend hours trying to find someone to sign a document – only to learn that person is off-campus for lunch or not back until Tuesday. Isn’t there a better way to do it? Innovative methods are not just for classrooms.
Involve Me
Students appreciate being kept “in the loop”. Teachers are no different. When thinking about school improvement, consider teacher voices. ALL teacher voices. While some teachers exercise their voices louder than others, I promise that ALL teachers have thoughts on student discipline, professional development, instructional evaluations, school schedules and teaching assignments. By building bridges between leadership and faculty, opportunities surface for all teachers to have input on improvement. Exercising a voice in the decision-making process may result in a team of teachers more open to building changes and innovative initiatives.
In stepping away from this post, I recognize a common thread:
The importance of relationships.
Talk to me. Collaborate with me. Involve me.
In turn, I will move mountains for you.
Together, we really are better.