Make Teacher Appreciation a Part of Your Staff Culture
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
The work you do every day changes lives - I hope you can take a moment to give an extra dose of appreciation to yourself and to the wonderful teachers you work with.
This week is a wonderful, celebratory tradition, but it’s also a great time to reflect on how we can bring teacher appreciation into every week.
Below, check out 3 clear, action-oriented steps your teaching team can take to make appreciation a habit among staff.
I.
Activity: “I appreciate you because…” (2 min.)
Start or end team meetings by turning to a partner, and for one full minute say what you appreciate about them. You can mention tasks you notice them doing for the school community, or parts of their character that you admire. Then you’ll switch so that your partner can say what they appreciate about you. It’s two minutes of time that can really help everyone feel seen and appreciated.
You can also do this activity with your students, or do a monthly optional challenge for parents to share what they appreciate about their child’s teacher throughout the year!
II.
Say “thank you” to your coworkers at least 3 times a day (<5 min.)
Let’s be honest, hearing a heartfelt ‘thank you’ feels nice, but it doesn’t always just happen organically. Make saying thank you a habit for your school community by challenging teachers to say thank you to another staff member at least 3 times a day. You can periodically challenge students and even parents to join in on the thank you challenge!
Bonus points if you hand out thank you’s to educators who may not work on a specific team very often, such as special education and ELL teachers.
III.
Organize a Staff Secret Admirer Game (15 minutes, once a month)
I worked in a school that did this and I loved it - it’s a little like a game of Secret Santa that goes on the whole school year. Assign each teacher to another staff member, and instruct teachers to leave their secret person a small gift or token of gratitude once a month. These gifts could be inexpensive treats, or homemade gifts, or little notes of appreciation. Reveal your secret admirers at the end of the school year.
What do you think?
How do you already show appreciation for your teachers? What would you like to start doing to appreciate staff members?
Your ideas can support others in our community :)