Showing Teachers They Are Valued

I know one thing...putting old apples with worms in them in the faculty lounge during Teacher Appreciation week does not work. :)

I think that principals who look to actively cultivate building and grade-level leaders do much to show a staff that they are valued.

In addition, I think the principal who listens to hard criticisms and grows shows a staff they are valued. During her first year, my most recent principal pushed the staff hard and we did not always see or feel the vision she had. At the end of the year, she sent a Google Forms survey out and some staff members responded with RELISH. Instead of coming back in the Fall and blaming the staff for their responses, she told the staff she heard them, they were right, and they would see changes in her second year. True to her word, she changes our approach to PLCs, making them much more driven by staff choices, and she literally transformed the culture in our building. When you speak and are not just heard, you will feel valued.

Professionally, a principal can also serve as a mentor. When I finished my year as English department chair, my principal insisted I start training to become a principal and paired me with our AP during my practicum. I was worried about my role after the return of our previous department chair, and my principal quickly alleviated those concerns by showing a clear value and appreciation of my leadership in the school.

It may seem corny, but I always appreciated when our admin team cooked burgers and brats for us each Spring, paying for the food out-of-pocket. They made a big deal out of it and lamented that they couldn't treat us more often. Yes, administrators make more than their staff, but they are not rich. Paying for burgers, brats, hot dogs, chips, salads, cake and drinks for a staff of nearly 150 does not come cheap, so I always felt valued when the admin team did this.

Backing your staff is another way to make them feel valued. We all have probably experienced the a parent issue that skips the teacher and goes directly to the principal. I always appreciated and felt valued when the principal insisted the parent communicate with me first. Communication is vital in teacher/parent relationships, and I always appreciated when I had the first opportunity to address parent concerns.

Genuine visibility also goes a long way towards showing interest in and value of a teacher’s work. I always loved when my AP would come into my class - no notepad - and just see what we had going on that day, engaging with the students, and joking with me to show all of us that he was human.