If you missed our blog last week on how to keep your students motivated as the end of the school year approaches, you can check it out here. But this week, we’re going to discuss a topic that might not be brought up as frequently, but is just as important: how to keep teachers motivated!
It’s not just the students who are counting down the days until summer. Teachers too are excited for that nice long summer break and a chance to recharge their batteries after a long school year. But until then, there’s still plenty of work left to be done. Teaching is an incredibly rewarding profession in and of itself, but there are still times when everyone needs a little extra to keep them going. These tips for motivating your teachers will help the whole faculty get that extra boost they need to make it to the end of the year.
Recognition
A little recognition from the principle or another superior can go a long way in motivating a teacher. One of the easiest ways to do this is to recognize teachers for their accomplishments at staff meetings. If a teacher successfully organized a class event, give them the recognition they deserve in front of everyone. If his or her students recently performed well on a test, congratulate them.
While it’s easy to give recognition at meetings, you can also go the extra mile by dropping in on a class unexpectedly. Take some free time to visit a few teachers classes during the day. Observe for a few minutes, and then leave a note on their desk commending them for something good you saw.
Support
Giving teachers the support they need is another great way to motivate them. If a teacher wants to organize a field trip for his or her class, see if you can fit it into the budget. These tips from Education World are also great ways to provide support.
“Encourage teachers to seek out professional development courses or workshops. Approve all reasonable requests. Then get extra mileage out of those sessions: Set aside time during each staff meeting, or arrange a special professional development day, so teachers can share with their peers the main ideas they learned from each session they attended.”
Incentives
There are tons of great incentives to offer your teachers to keep them motivated. From small incentives like gift cards to local restaurants, to bigger incentives like group staff outings to sporting events, incentives have great potential. Ask the faculty to brainstorm ideas for incentives at your next meeting to get a feel for what your teachers might be interested in.