# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
J.K.Rowling at Harvard Commencement. Read more at http://goo.gl/ZpPS2

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson | TED

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pcKbf_vpHg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What kids wish their teachers knew | Kyle Schwartz | TEDxKyoto

# data[].attributes.headline
Getting at the heart of teaching: Lisa Lee at TEDxCrestmoorParkED

# data[].attributes.subject
Getting at the heart of teaching: Lisa Lee at TEDxCrestmoorParkED

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJM6WUNDnhA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Getting at the heart of teaching: Lisa Lee at TEDxCrestmoorParkED

# data[].attributes.headline
Ellen Meets An Amazingly Motivational Teacher

# data[].attributes.subject
Ellen Meets An Amazingly Motivational Teacher

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O50orJCGCWU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ellen Meets An Amazingly Motivational Teacher

# data[].attributes.headline
Three Ways Administrators Can Foster Teachers’ Growth

# data[].attributes.subject
Three Ways Administrators Can Foster Teachers’ Growth

# data[].attributes.body
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/3_ways_administrators_can_foster_teachers_growth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Educators know only too well that teaching is a never-ending learning process. It is less acknowledged that improvement in teaching can be enormously facilitated by quality relationships between teachers and administrators.

My own experience bore this phenomenon out. The culture at my first school did not encourage seeking advice or support, let alone idea exchange between colleagues. In fact, I was made to feel like a bother for even asking questions. When I brought a particularly challenging situation to the attention of the principal, I was told to work it out on my own. After three years, I still felt like a new teacher with very little handle on creating effective lessons or dealing with the ever-looming challenge of classroom management.

The following year I changed schools and was pleasantly shocked by a supportive staff and principal. I felt safe to make mistakes, ask for help, and take risks. My role as a teacher was respected and my triumphs and trials validated. As a result, I gained confidence in my ability to teach, and, most importantly, my students were showing greater academic progress than at my previous school.

Looking back, I've often wondered what specifically made my experiences at these schools so different. It wasn't that I disliked the staff at the first school, but I knew there was some dynamic in the second school that helped me to learn (and hence improve) as a teacher.

Researchers call the ability to express oneself without fear of negative consequences "psychological safety." A recent study found that positive relationships in the workplace can facilitate employee-learning by helping workers feel safe to take the risks that are an inherent part of the learning process.

In other words, the positive and supportive relationships I experienced at the second school made me feel comfortable asking for help and feedback because I knew I wasn't going to be humiliated for doing so. Instead, the principal and other teachers welcomed my questions and offered support when I needed it, and I reciprocated in kind. As a result, I became a better teacher.

Scientists are quick to point out, though, that positive working relationships go beyond surface-level friendliness and are in fact based on deep trust and respect. Deep trust allows for the healthy expression of emotions and conflict without fear of repercussion. For example, the principal at my second school always validated my experience first, then kindly offered her advice. As a result, I began to trust my own ability to deal with the situations without needing her help.

Respect in the workplace includes a positive regard for each other as individuals and for the work each does. Everyone trusts that others will do their jobs well and support one another in learning how to do their jobs even better. My many moments of self-doubt during my first year of teaching would have been greatly alleviated by being validated in my experiences of overwhelm and uncertainty as extremely normal for a first-year teacher.

So what can administrators do to cultivate positive relationships with teachers that will contribute not only to their improvement, but also to a positive, more effective school environment for everyone?

The research is resoundingly clear on this: model, model, model. It's the trickle-down effect. Just as teachers are expected to act as role models for students, administrators must model the kinds of behavior that create positive relationships amongst the staff. Here are a few specific tips:

1) Admit your mistakes. This sends a message to teachers that it's okay for them to make their own once in a while, too. A study of 51 work teams illustrated that those who felt safe and supported were better able to handle and learn from failure.

2) Be open to receiving feedback. Teachers are under constant scrutiny in today's educational landscape. Teachers and administrators need to work together to create a happy and healthy school culture. Therefore, the feedback loop needs to work both ways. Psychological safety for teachers and schools can be too easily and thoughtlessly destroyed (e.g., the recent grading of teachers in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times).

3) Validate teacher uncertainty. The complexity of teaching often makes teachers uncertain about the choices they make to best serve their students. Administrators who acknowledge their own uncertainty create a school culture where it's safe for teachers to experiment and learn from each other. Results of a study that involved 55 interviews of leaders showed that leaders who admitted they did not have all answers validated their own followers' uncertainty which led to a culture of experimentation and open dialogue.

Building positive relationships amongst a school staff does not happen overnight, but the effort it takes is well worth it. In the end, a school culture where everyone feels safe to express themselves and learn from each other can only lead to a better education for the students.
On deck for next week: Helping teachers thrive-a lesson on self-compassion
Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Three Ways Administrators Can Foster Teachers' Growth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Educators know only too well that teaching is a never-ending learning process. It is less acknowledged that improvement in teaching can be enormously facilitated by quality relationships between teachers and administrators. My own experience bore this phenomenon out. The culture at my first school did not encourage seeking advice or support, let alone idea exchange between colleagues.

# data[].attributes.headline
Suggestions for Principals to Provide Teacher Support

# data[].attributes.subject
Suggestions for Principals to Provide Teacher Support

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.thoughtco.com/suggestions-for-principals-to-provide-teacher-support-3194528

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Having a supportive principal can make all the difference for a teacher. Teachers want to know that their principal has their best interests in mind. One of the main duties of a principal is to provide ongoing, collaborative teacher support. The relationship between a teacher and a principal has to be built on a foundation of trust. This type of relationship takes a lot of time to build. Principals must slowly cultivate these relationships while taking the time to get to know each teacher's strength and weaknesses.

The worst thing that a new principal can do is to go in and quickly make a lot of changes. This will assuredly turn a group of teachers against a principal quickly. A smart principal will initially make small changes, allow time for teachers to get to know them, and then gradually make larger, more meaningful changes over the course of time. It is important to note that any significant changes should be made only after seeking and considering input from teachers. Here, we examine ten suggestions for earning teacher trust and ultimately providing them with ongoing, collaborative teacher support.

Allow Time for Peer Collaboration

Teachers should be given time to work together in a collaborative effort. This collaboration will strengthen relationships amongst your faculty, provide new or struggling teachers with an outlet to gain valuable insight and advice, and allows teachers to share best practices and success stories.

The principal becomes the driving force in this collaboration. They are the one who schedules the time to collaborate and sets the agenda for these times. Principals who reject the importance of peer collaboration are selling its value far short.

Ask Them Questions/Seek Their Advice

The principal is the primary decision makers in their buildings.

This doesn't mean that teachers shouldn't be included in the decision-making process. Although a principal may have the final say, teachers should be given a platform to express their feelings or provide advice for the principal, especially when the issue will directly affect the teachers. A principal should use the resources at hand when making decisions. Teachers have brilliant ideas. By seeking their advice, they may challenge your thinking on an issue may validate that you are on the right track. Neither case is a terrible thing when making any decision.

Back Them

Teachers are people, and all people go through difficult times both personally and professionally at some point in their lives. When a teacher is going through a difficult situation personally (death, divorce, illness, etc.), a principal should give them 100% support at all times. A teacher going through a personal issue will appreciate any support their principal shows during this time. Sometimes this could be as simple as asking them how they are doing and sometimes it may be necessary to give them a few days off.

Professionally you want to back a teacher as long as you believe they are effective, ethical, and moral. There are situations where you absolutely cannot support a teacher because the decision they made is ethically or morally wrong.

In this case, do not skirt around the issue. Be upfront with them and tell them that they messed up, and there is no way you can back them up based on their actions.

Be Consistent

Teachers hate it when principals are inconsistent especially when dealing with student discipline or parent situations. A principal should always try to be fair and consistent with their decision making. Teachers may not always agree with how you handle situations, but if you establish a pattern of consistency, then they will not complain too much. For example, if a 3rd-grade teacher sends a student to the office for being disrespectful in class, check your student discipline records to see how you have handled similar issues in the past. You do not want any teacher to feel like you play favorites.

Conduct Meaningful Evaluations

Teacher evaluations are meant to be tools that show a teacher where they are and to move them in a direction to maximize their overall effectiveness.

Conducting meaningful evaluations takes a lot of time and time is not something a lot of principals have, therefore many principals neglect making the most out of their teacher evaluations. Providing effective teacher support requires constructive criticism at times. No teacher is perfect. There is always room for improvement in some area. A meaningful evaluation allows you the opportunity to be critical and to offer praise. It is a balance of both. A satisfactory evaluation cannot be given on a single classroom visit. It is a collaboration of information gathered through many visits that provide the most meaningful evaluations.

Create a Teacher Friendly Schedule

Principals are typically responsible for creating their building's daily schedule. This includes class schedules, teacher planning periods, and duties. If you want to make your teachers happy, minimize the time they need to be on duty. Teachers hate duties of any kind whether it is lunch duty, recess duty, bus duty, etc. If you can figure out a way to create a schedule in which they only have to cover a few duties a month, your teachers will love you.

Encourage Them to Bring Problems to You

Have an open door policy. The relationship between a teacher and principal should be strong enough that they can bring any problem or issue and trust that you are going to try your best to help them out confidentially. Often times you will find that teachers simply need someone to vent their frustrations to, so being a good listener is often all that is necessary.

Other times you will have to tell the teacher that you need some time to think about the problem and then get back with them with some take it or leave it advice. Try not to force your opinion on the teacher. Give them options and explain where you are coming from. Tell them what decision you would make and why, but don't hold it against them if they go with another option. Understand that every situation that is brought to you is unique and how you handle that situation depends on upon the situation itself.

Get to Know Them

There is a thin line between getting to know your teachers and being their best friends. As their leader, you want to build a trusting relationship without getting so close that it interferes when you have to make a tough decision. You want to build a balanced relationship between personal and professional, but you don't want to tip it where it is more personal than professional. Take an active interest in their family, hobbies, and other interest. This will let them know that you care about them as individuals and not just as teachers.

Offer Advice, Direction, or Assistance

All principals should continuously offer their teachers advice, direction, or assistance. This is especially true for beginning teachers, but it is true for teachers throughout all levels of experience. The principal is the instructional leader, and providing advice, direction, or assistance is the primary job of a leader. This can be done through a variety of ways. Sometimes a principal can simply provide a teacher with verbal advice.

Other times they may want to show the teacher by having them observe another teacher whose strengths are in an area where that teacher needs assistance. Providing the teacher with books and resources are another way to provide advice, direction, or assistance.

Provide Applicable Professional Development

All teachers are required to participate in professional development. However, teachers want these professional development opportunities to be applicable to their situation. No teacher wants to sit through eight hours of professional development that doesn't directly apply to what their teaching or they will never use. This can fall back on the principal as they are often involved in the scheduling of professional development. Choose professional development opportunities that are going to benefit your teachers, not just ones that meet your minimum professional development criteria. Your teachers will appreciate you more, and your school will be better off in the long run because your teachers are learning new things that they can then apply to their daily classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Ways Principals Can Provide Ongoing, Collaborative Teacher Support

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Having a supportive principal can make all the difference for a teacher. Teachers want to know that their principal has their best interests in mind. One of the main duties of a principal is to provide ongoing, collaborative teacher support. The relationship between a teacher and a principal has to be built on a foundation of trust.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi0Lbjs5ECI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Carpe diem. Seize the day." - Dead Poets Society

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swnt0wvBDsE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Song is Aqua Vitae by Future World Music

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZBTYViDPlQ

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=falHoOEUFz0

# data[].attributes.headline
NEA's Lily Eskelsen García on What Teachers Do

# data[].attributes.subject
NEA's Lily Eskelsen García on What Teachers Do

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zMbspRhqJc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NEA's Lily Eskelsen García on What Teachers Do

# data[].attributes.headline
Do schools kill creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson

# data[].attributes.subject
Do schools kill creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Do schools kill creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson | TED

# data[].attributes.headline
17 Inspirational Videos to Help Remind You Why You Teach

# data[].attributes.subject
17 Inspirational Videos to Help Remind You Why You Teach

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.weareteachers.com/17-inspirational-videos-to-help-remind-you-why-you-teach/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's May and we've heard a rumor that you might be running low on fuel. You're not sure how you're going to make it to Friday, much less the end of the year.

That's why we've rounded up our favorite videos to reference whenever you need a little extra motivation. The ideas in these clips will help reignite that special spark that makes you so good at what you do.

1. The Dot by Peter Reynolds

Help your kids make their mark!

All it takes is a cardboard box and little bit of imagination.

Be sure to watch Caine's Arcade 2 for even more inspiration.

Look for other teacher inspired Taylor Mali poems, such as "Like Lilly, Like Wilson," "Miracle Workers," "Any Language, Much Less English."

4. "The History Teacher" by Billy Collins

This one is not a video, but take a moment to read this poem by the US Poet Laureate dubbed "the most popular poet in America."

A classic videotaped talk that inspired a radical shift in the way we think about education.

Here is Ken Robinson's playlist of 10 more TEDtalks about Education

Introverts should be encouraged and celebrated.

7. "What Teachers Do" Speech by Lily Eskelsen Garcia, President of the National Education Association

Insider called this the #1 Best Thing that anyone said in 2015. We agree, darlin'!

[Note: she received some backlash for one phrase in this speech where instead of saying "chronically tardy" she tripped up and said, "chronically tarded." She totally owned the flub and apologized. She also acknowledged that her made-up phrase medically annoying, meant to be funny, missed the mark as it could have offended some. I still think the speech is great and worth sharing. Your call.]

"Connection is why we are here. It is what gives purpose to our lives." Also watch her TEDtalk on The Power of Vulnerability.

Steve Spangler, America's Science Teacher

Daniel Pink animates his thoughts about the latest research on what motivates us all.

11. Brain Rules

Don't skip recess and be sure to let your kids get up and move around in class. John Medina has defined 12 Brain Rules, backed by research, that help us understand how kids (or anybody) learns best. Watch the videos. Read the book. Share with colleagues.

"Because getting a -18 on a 20 point test sucks the life out of you. Getting a +2 says I'm not all bad! ... Every child deserves a champion-an adult who will never give up on them. Who understands the power of connection. And insists that they can become the best that they can possibly be. Is this job tough? You betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We are educators. We were born to make a difference."

It's never just play. Darwin's father said he would never amount to much because he spent too much time playing with insects.

A TED Talk by the founder of Girls Who Code for anyone who has or teaches girls.

If you liked that one, here's another Pep Talk from Kid President.

And a whole lot more Pep Talks from Kid President.

16. 12+ Must-See Teacher Movies

If you are up for a feature length film, TeacherHub.com recommends these classics. Also check out The WeAreTeachers A-Z Movie LIst.

Be sure to put To Sir With Love at the top of your list!

17. "Unstoppable Learning"

This last one is not a video. It's a 50-minute podcast from NPR's TED Radio Hour, so you can look up at the clouds while listening to these incredible stories from educational experts about the infinite possibilities that exist in the realm of teaching, learning, and the human brain.

Do you have a favorite video that always picks you up after a long day of teaching? Please share it in the comments!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
17 Inspirational Videos to Help Remind You Why You Teach

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's May and we've heard a rumor that you might be running low on fuel. You're not sure how you're going to make it to Friday, much less the end of the year. That's why we've rounded up our favorite videos to reference whenever you need a little extra motivation.

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin289.shtml

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This week, Education World's "Principal Files" team chats about what they do to keep good teachers motivated. What special things do they do to inspire teachers to keep learning and improving their skills? What do they do to keep up staff morale and make their schools fun places to work? Our principal team shares their best ideas for encouraging teachers to keep on plugging... Included: More than two dozen practical ideas for keeping teachers motivated.
Given the state of school budgets, it is extremely difficult for most principals to do substantial things to motivate and inspire teachers. But sometimes little things can make an even bigger difference! That's why Education World recently asked our Principal Files principals to share with us some of their best ideas for keeping teachers motivated. As usual, our principals responded with dozens of practical ideas.

This month's P-Files question reminded principal Les Potter about Robert Greenleaf, author of Servant Leadership. Greenleaf's idea is that "administrators need to serve the worker," explained Potter. "At our school we try to do that. We work hard at making things less difficult and complicated. We try to cut down the amount of paperwork our faculty must do, limit the number of staff meetings, streamline procedures..."

Administrators at Potter's school try to show teachers every day that they care in many ways. "We have an open-door policy, they see us picking up trash and cleaning cafeteria tables, we arrive on campus before they do and we are here when they leave, and we do not have designated parking or other perks sometimes associated with management," Potter said.

"Administrators always have to put aside their own issues and do what is best for students and staff in a caring and sensitive way. We try not to say no to teachers, and we always treat them as adults."

Principal Tony Pallija agrees. He and the rest of his administrative team try to do lots of special things for the entire staff -- from special little gifts to Cookie Day. "We try to pretend we are at IBM -- we treat everyone as a professional and we celebrate whenever we can," said Pallija. "The material things are nice, but I have a motto that I try to live by each day: My job as principal is to make the teacher's job easier, better, so they can teach and students can learn."

"Developing a positive school climate is critical to an effective school," added Les Potter. "Morale is a very tentative issue. You can do 99 things right and make one mistake that will shoot morale forever."

RECOGNIZING THOSE WHO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND!

All teachers yearn for reassurance that they are doing a good job. Most principals recognize teachers' efforts by offering positive feedback -- both publicly and privately. Weekly memos or e-mails, and regular staff meetings, are the perfect forums for recognizing special contributions that teachers or other staff members make.

Principal Jeff Castle includes such recognitions in staff memos and during a special celebration portion of each month's faculty meeting. He also makes a special point of spotlighting efforts teachers make to develop projects that involve students across grade levels or with other schools. Castle hopes those special recognitions encourage others to consider projects that extend learning outside the walls of individual classrooms.

"With all teachers have to do, motivation is the key to keeping them focused and feeling worthy," principal Larry Davis told Education World. Davis reports that at each month's staff meeting at his school two teachers are awarded the "Golden Apple" for their above-and-beyond efforts. The neat thing about the Golden Apple is that the teachers select its recipients! Each of the winners of this month's Golden Apples are responsible for passing on the award to another worthy teacher at next month's meeting.

Many principals try to leave a little extra money in the budget to recognize outstanding efforts with small personal gifts such as prepaid phone cards or store gift certificates. Recently, one principal gave a phone card to a teacher who stepped in without being asked (because the principal was out of the building) and took over an after-school program for a teacher who was stuck in a dentist's chair having a tooth pulled.

Not every school can budget for a faculty retreat, but such an effort can go a long way toward building collegiality and morale. At The American School in London, lower school principal Julie Ryan has fond memories of a two-day retreat held an hour north of the city two years ago. Parts of the conference center where the retreat took place dated back to the time of Elizabeth I (16th century). "Retreat activities included a mix of socialization and team-building activities; analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the school's culture; and creating essential agreements about how we want to work together," Ryan told Education World.

That retreat was paid for by a parent donation, Ryan noted, "but in other years we have held simpler daytime, off-grounds retreats that have been very effective in setting a tone for the year. Teachers feel treated and they get to know new colleagues -- which is essential in an international school with a fairly transient faculty."

STICKY NOTES, OLYMPIC GAMES, TV STARS, MINI GRANTS, MORE!

Principal Teri Stokes tries to observe every teacher at least two times a month. Many of those visits are unscheduled, "snapshot" stops. Before heading on to the next class, Stokes takes a moment to scribble a positive comment or two on a sticky note. On the way out of the room, she sticks that note to the door or the teacher's desk.

In addition, Stokes often drops little feel-good cards or inexpensive gifts in teachers' mailboxes or on their desks. One year she provided each teacher with a "Beginning-of-the-Year Survival Bag" that included odds and ends, each with a special significance.

Does this sound like an idea you might want to employ? If so, you'll find some great ideas for putting together a "Teachers' Survival Kit" in the Education World article When All Else Fails, Turn to the Survival Kit!

Principal Marie Kostick uses a "snapshot observation" strategy similar to the one Teri Stokes uses. In addition, she takes advantage of local television stations that reach out into the community to offers awards such as "The Class Act Award" or the "Excellence in Teaching Award." Kostick nominates members of her staff who go beyond the call of duty. Reporters from the television stations come to school to interview the teachers and present them with certificates. Each teacher is then recognized in a TV spot that is broadcast several times in one week.

To build a strong team, principal Phil Shaman held an "Educational Olympics" at this school one year. Teachers were divided into teams and competed in a variety of events. All events required that team members support each other to complete a task. Events, planned with the support of his physical education staff, were both athletic (for example, relay events and a team table tennis match in which team members had to alternate hits) and non-athletic (such as going through a maze blindfolded).

Many states and some local school districts offer reward monies for schools whose students show improvements on standardized tests. In some schools, those monies are divided among contributing staff. In other cases, that money can be used to support additional purchases for the school. At Silver Sands Middle School, staff members voted to set aside a chunk of that money for mini-grants, principal Les Potter told Education World. Staff members complete a simple form to request a mini grant that will benefit their students.

20 MORE GREAT IDEAS FOR MOTIVATING TEACHERS

Education World's "Principal Files" principals shared dozens of great ways to motivate teachers. So far, we have mentioned just a handful of those ideas. Following is a list of more than 20 additional ideas presented by principals already mentioned above:

Plan noon-hour lunches for all staff members several times a year. (Don't leave out the paraprofessionals, the school secretaries, or the custodians!) Those lunches can be "roving lunches" in which people eat during their regularly scheduled lunch period, or they can be whole-staff lunches that kick off professional development sessions scheduled for the p.m. part of the day.

Organize small fundraising activities to raise money for an all-staff holiday or end-of-year banquet. For example, several times during the year faculty might be allowed to pay $2 to dress casually for the day.

Contact local restaurants, sports franchises, movie houses, arts centers, and other businesses to arrange for gifts, gift certificates, tickets, or discount coupons that can be used as special prizes for teachers or coaches who volunteer their time or who go above and beyond.

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.

Encourage teachers to ask for the instructional supplies they require to facilitate teaching and learning. Provide reasonable requests from the budget, or enlist local politicians or businesspeople to sponsor or help you track down other needed supplies.

Organize a trip to the movies.

The December holidays can be such a busy time. Instead of adding one more thing to do and one more expense to the month of December, why not spread around the fun? In October, for example, one school held Secret Spook Week. Those teachers who wanted to participate filled out a profile form that asked questions about favorite colors, foods, drinks, hobbies, and so on. Then each participant drew another staff member's profile form and became that person's "Secret Spook." Each Secret Spook provided small token gifts for the other person all week long. The total expenditure for each participant was set at $10.

Include on each weekly staff memo a quick activity idea that might be tried out in the classroom, a quote related to education, or a short school-related joke. (Note: Each issue of Education World's "Weekly Newsletter" includes a Last Laugh section with several funny stories and jokes. Feel free to copy and paste them for use in your own weekly memos or parent newsletters.)

Send cards to teachers to welcome them back after an illness, celebrate a birthday or another important event, or recognize a special achievement... Add a copy of those "special achievements" cards to teachers' personnel files.

Once a semester, or once a quarter, provide all staff members with a come-late-to-work-no-questions-asked form. (Or give that form to staff members who logged one or no absences in the most recent quarter.) That form represents two hours of time that can be taken at the start or end of the school day for any reason -- from sleeping in to getting a head start on the weekend. The only catch is that the form must be "cashed in" in advance so arrangements can be made to free an administrator or somebody else to cover the staff member's responsibilities. Little things like this cost no money and demonstrate that administrators are willing to go the extra mile for the folks who work for them.

Provide free coffee in the teacher's lounge from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day.

Select a "Teacher of the Month." Set aside a special parking space close to the main faculty entrance that is marked with a "Reserved for the Teacher of the Month" sign.

To motivate professional development, arrange study groups (perhaps organized by grade level) to read a book or discuss and research a current hot topic.

Set up a schedule to ensure that every educator makes at least two visits to other teachers' classrooms or other schools during the year. Arrange coverage for those teachers. You might set up a special arrangement with other schools to open their classrooms to your teachers, but teachers should also be able to make their own arrangements for visitations to classes/schools they have learned about through the grapevine.

Feed the teachers! Celebrate the end of a busy week by arranging to have the cafeteria staff prepare a special continental breakfast -- beverages and muffins, rolls, or coffee cake -- every Friday morning. (Even once a month would be nice!) Don't forget to do something nice for the cafeteria folks a couple times a year.

Appoint a teacher to be "acting principal" when you are out of the building. (This usually convinces them that they love being a teacher!)

Make sure that everyone is on a committee that meets regularly and that they have real tasks and opportunities for real input in school-level decision making.

Arrange to have music played (or piped in) during faculty meetings. Music stimulates the brain.

Be sure to publicly commend staff members who go above and beyond outside of the school day -- by volunteering to be part of district-wide or state-level committees, for example.

Approach the parent-school association, local business partners, Jaycees, or other groups to gather materials and labor to accomplish various fix-it projects that the Board of Education is unable to tackle.

Organize a social committee to plan events just for fun. One such event might be a monthly "Treat-Your-Friends Tuesday." Each month a different group of teachers brings themed food items to share during the day in the teacher's lounge.

During Teacher Appreciation Week hold a daily drawing for a "1/2-day off" certificate. The principal will cover the class when you take that time off.

For more Teacher Appreciation Week ideas, see a previously published Education World article, Ways to Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week.

Make a spot on your weekly memo for a special thank-you or congratulations to individuals or the entire team. For example: Thank you for organizing Red Ribbon Week! Thanks for the extra effort on parent teacher conferences! Thank you to the "bulletin board fairy" who decorated the board in the workroom!...

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE

Back-to-School Survivor Day Offers Lessons About Quality Learning
Educator recounts how her school's administrators used the Survivor television show as a theme to strengthen teams, build camaraderie, present challenges -- and teach a few lessons about how to create a quality classroom environment for students. Included: Survivor activity ideas and teacher reactions!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
25 Ways to Motivate Teachers | Education World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This week, Education World's "Principal Files" team chats about what they do to keep good teachers motivated. What special things do they do to inspire teachers to keep learning and improving their skills? What do they do to keep up staff morale and make their schools fun places to work?

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vODwmZo-ecY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
They say that nearly half of new teachers quit by their fifth year. Teaching is a difficult job, so I can understand why it's hard to stick with it! But here are 10 things to keep in mind if you aren't sure you're going to make it! P.S.

# data[].attributes.body
http://neatoday.org/2011/06/07/surviving-teacher-burnout-2/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On August 15, five days before the start of the 2010-2011 school year, Michelle Totra's summer came to a crashing end. She was told by the superintendent of the Needles Unified School District in California that she had been involuntarily transferred from her elementary school to Needles High school. In an instant, Totra had five days to plan four freshman English classes and two language arts classes, an impossible task for even the most resourceful of teachers.

Until the transfer notice, Totra had spent a joyful summer organizing her classroom at Vista Colorado Elementary School in Needles. Though now teaching fourth graders, she had taught first graders for most of her 20-year career.

"I love that age group," she says. "They suit my personality...I'm a nurturer."

But the superintendent found out that she was qualified to teach freshman English, and they needed to fill the position internally.

"I was not trained for high school," says Totra, a member of the San Bernardino Teachers Association. "I contacted the union, and there was nothing that I could do about the transfer - so, in all fairness to the students, I decided I would rise to the occasion."

Totra was already coping with the separation from her husband of 30 years, who had been unemployed since 2008. On the day she heard about the transfer, her second granddaughter had been born to her son, who had been recently diagnosed with cancer. He had surgery in September.

At school, Totra says students could see she was struggling...and they pounced.

"I became the target of teacher bullying," she says. "I was their entertainment. They called me a b-ch, and yelled the F-word at me all the time. They knew what buttons to push."

Totra also heard rumors that there were unflattering photos of her on Facebook posted by students.

"By October, I could no longer fight all the battles, she says."

How Teacher Burnout Starts

School Principal Jeffrey Ritchley supported Totra. He took decisive action by transferring some students out of her class and suspending others.

Still, Totra became filled with anxiety, frustration and low self-esteem. It was a slow build up to what some clinicians call "burnout."

Teacher burnout usually occurs when a teacher feels highly stressed, emotionally exhausted, and cynical or uncaring about what happens to students. According to studies, most teachers experience job stress at least two to four times a day, with more than 75 percent of teachers' health problems attributed to stress.

"Classroom teachers are often 'on fire' for the job when they start...and anything on fire can burn out," says Byron Greenberg, an associate professor and clinical psychologist at Virginia State University, Petersburg.

A colleague of Totra's realized she needed help and referred her to the Survive and Thrive Mini-Sabbatical Intervention Program sponsored by the California Teachers Association (CTA) and conducted by Greenberg.

The program redirects teachers back to the healthy reasons they had for choosing the profession, says Greenberg.

"It empowers them by demonstrating that their experience is shared by other teachers and it promotes a sense of purpose and value in what they do as professionals," he says.

The program consists of a five-day sabbatical in a retreat setting where a group of teachers (up to 15) reflect on their lives and careers as well as receive instruction in time management, stress management, nutrition, and relationship-building. After completing the program, there are follow-up sessions with instructors at intervals of three, six and nine months.

"Within the first week, they look at themselves and come to appreciate who they are," says Donna Jefferson, who recently retired from CTA but is still a trainer with the program. "After the first year, most are back in their classrooms."

School districts and CTA typically share the $4,000 cost per participant for food, housing and teacher release time. The program is cost-effective for CTA because a dismissal proceeding and discipline grievances leading up to it can cost tens of thousands of dollars per teacher and sometimes in excess of a hundred thousand, says Robin Devitt, a program coordinator and CTA UniServ staff member.

"CTA believes in programs that support members in all areas of the profession, including but not limited to job-related stress," she says.

While many issues play a role in teacher burnout, common "stressors" include dwindling school resources, low pay, high expectations for test scores, changing assessments of student performance, lack of parental involvement, and pressure from administration for non-teaching tasks such as rubrics, reports, and curriculum assessments.

"There are a myriad of stressors for professional educators," says Devitt, who has been affiliated with the program for 12 years. "These tasks far outweigh in hours, the average work day for educators."

Stress can also be imposed by knowledge of lingering state budget cuts and layoffs, according to Jerald L. Newberry, executive director of NEA's Health Information Network (HIN). (HIN offers methods of coping with stress, burnout and other health issues. Kill Stress Before It Kills You is the title of an HIN workshop available to state Associations.)

"Being a teacher in these economic times can just wear you down," Newberry says.

"In the end, it is a system that blames the teacher for students who fail, placing on the teacher responsibility for the choices that others, such as parents, prior teachers, and students, make," says Greenberg.

Since completing the retreat last spring along with 10 other teachers, Totra feels rejuvenated, and was recently approved by district officials to return to the high school.

"The best part is, I want to be there too," she says.
See Also: How Bad Education Policies Demoralize Teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On August 15, five days before the start of the 2010-2011 school year, Michelle Totra's summer came to a crashing end. She was told by the superintendent of the Needles Unified School District in California that she had been involuntarily transferred from her elementary school to Needles High school.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/25-tips-reduce-teacher-burnout/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There's a reason why teachers receive a sad, knowing nod from others at a dinner party or when meeting new people. The profession kicks us around and often kicks hardest when we're down.

We teach for the pleasure of sharing a subject or skill that we love and hope to infuse a passion in someone else. We don't teach for the pounding headaches or the late nights grading. We don't teach because we like low pay and instability.

So, in the light of how teachers are treated, it's only natural to see teachers burnout more quickly than in any other profession. That's why we need to take steps to protect ourselves from the inevitable because it can be prevented and controlled. Follow these steps and keep yourself safe from the overkill, the stress, the demands, the inconsistencies, the long hours, the endless grind, and the disregard for competitive compensation.

TeachThought has done survival tips for teachers before. Below is a similar idea-tips to reduce teacher burnout, and hopefully have a long career doing what you love.
25 Tips To Reduce Teacher Burnout 1. Teach in the moment
Mindful meditation uses breathing techniques to bring you closer to the present moment. Being in the present moment means being more proactive and controlled in difficult situations. In a recent study, subjects who spent more time practicing this showed increased levels of gray matter according to brain images.
2. Smile
It sounds simple, but for teachers it sometimes feels crazy. How can you smile with so much work, not enough hours to finish your work, and definitely without the pay your worth? You smile because it physically changes your body chemistry and, well, if you're truly burning out, it will spark something inside you to keep moving forward. According to the Association for Psychological Science , smiling not only improves your mood but others' as well.
3. Laugh-all the time and wildly
Laughing empowers you, recharges you, and it's also contagious. Giving yourself a moment to laugh at an unbearable situation helps put things into perspective, but it also helps you stay healthy and, well, happy. Find out more about work and laughter at Laughter Works , an Australian company that promotes laughter in the workplace.
4. Avoid conflict
We all know avoiding conflict seems almost laughable when you wear the label teacher, but it's an important skill. Do it as much as possible. Conflict pelts us like a machine gun so avoiding it saves a lot of time and energy on our part. You do this by adhering to that old saying, "Pick your battles."
5. Solve problems quickly and efficiently
When you can't avoid the inevitable, solve the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible. Strike the issue and use your gut to guide you then let it all go. This keeps worry at bay and therefore saves you a lot of wasted energy.
6. Monitor your feelings
Be hyper aware of how you feel. The first signs of feeling overwhelmed materialize differently with every person, but remain aware of them and you'll be able to control them by taking a step back from work, even for a few moments, just to observe.
7. Plan for grading
There should be set times to grade. Stick to those times and you'll breathe easier when other work gets thrown your way. To make it even more effective, time yourself when you grade to ensure that you don't spend too many hours on any one assignment.
8. Shift your focus to home
When we use so much technology, we sometimes lose our sense of boundaries and forget where work should be. Understandably we can't keep work at work all the time. But, keep yourself in check. Time boundaries often make more sense. The boundary could be that for three hours you don't grade, plan, or read emails.
9. Take a day off
Sometimes, when the beatings you've taken add up to just too much work, it's time to take a day off. Often, it's just what you need to recharge and keep going. It's the day that's not a holiday or a sick day, it's just your day. When you return to work, you'll be able to teach with more power and insight than before.
10. Slow down
If taking a day off isn't possible, just slow down. Skip the coffee and just take a break. Sit and stare out the window for minutes at a time. Walk slowly to your next meeting. Breathe fresh air. Remember the beauty of taking your time.
11. Throw your lessons out the window
Relying on routine is one thing. Redundancy is another. If you feel as if teaching's become repetitive and stale, then your students will too. You're body and mind will react accordingly so start small and throw out one lesson. See what happens. When it works, do it again.
12. Sink into teaching something new
Ask to change courses or add a twist to your old way of teaching. Sometimes that feeling of burning out really means you're burning out of ideas, so map out something new and send yourself on the same path as the student when you feel as if you're slowing down too much.
13. Sleep
Frankly, this should be your trick for every other number on this list. Teachers just don't sleep enough. Between worrying over problems with our students or superiors and being overwhelmed with work, sleep takes a backseat. And, yet, it keeps us alert and powerful when we need to solve problems. So set a curfew for yourself.
14. Exercise
Walk, swim, run, do yoga or pilates, but find a way to exercise. It helps you sleep better and it keeps you healthy. Burnout won't happen if you're busy taking care of your mind and body. Exercise also releases endorphins that will help you smile in the face of difficulties.
15. Invite a friend to lunch
You might be saying, "What lunch?" Too many teachers go without lunch or even breaks so inviting a friend to lunch quickly remedies that problem. If you know you have an appointment and someone else is coming, it sets you up to meet someone. Besides, talking to friends also recharges you.
16. Take your own advice
Teachers love to give advice-especially zen-like advice that's supposed to make everything all better when students run into problems. But, we rarely take our own advice. This is where we go wrong. Look at even the most simple expectations you have for your students and think about whether or not you actually use the advice you dish out. You'll be surprised at how much you give and never receive.
17. Establish routines
It doesn't matter how old you are. Routines provide a sense of structure and therefore give us a feeling of security. So when everything else may seem out of control, our routines remain in place and you remain sane. Make sure you follow specific routines daily even if it's as small as having a morning cup of coffee.
18. Teach from your heart
Because the reason we started teaching in the first place was for the love of teaching, then remember to teach from your heart. Being passionate about your work keeps you focused and generates energy for yourself and your students.
19. Move on
If your environment and classes just aren't working out, then move on. There are lots of teaching jobs out there and this one might not be for you. Rethink your situation. Ask yourself: Is this worth it? Can I move forward here? If it feels temporary, then look elsewhere. Staying may be the source of your stress.
20. Build success
When staying means changing your circumstances, focus on success. Setting concrete goals for yourself and with your students in mind sends you in forward motion. Set daily goals or monthly goals and meet them. This will confirm a sense of success and therefore boost your ego, a more-than-necessary antidote to burnout.
21. Create small sanctuaries
Your sanctuary doesn't have to be the house and it can't be the office. It can be a garden or a walk around a garden. It can be a drive to Starbucks for a Frappuccino. Sit there for at least 10 minutes, listen to the music and people watch. It might even be your bathroom. Create a small spaces just for you in the different places you occupy in life.
22. Find support
Being right in the middle of burnout because the other tips and tricks just didn't work out might be too much for you. Find support in the form of superiors, co-workers, friends, and family. Sometimes all you need is someone to guide you, to tell you what to do, especially if you're too engulfed in an emotionally draining situation.
23. Demand respect
Burning out involves sucking someone's energy. There's something or someone bent on taking your worth from you. Be aware of this and demand respect. Don't just say it either. You must hold your head high no matter what and stand your ground in whatever situation you're battling. Even if there's an apology necessary on your part, saying it with dignity ensures that your respect remains intact.
24. Change your perspective
Give the students the bulk of the work by challenging them to do what a teacher normally does without actually using those words. Put the pressure on them. That's actually the way it should work, but too many times we take on their burdens as our own, especially when we truly care about our students.
25. Know your limits and set them
Pushing yourself to do too much will set you up for failure. You know it's too much when you feel out of synch, when confusion or chaos begins to seep into your daily activities. So, know what you just can't do and don't do it. Don't be the "yes" man. Learn to say, "No, I'd love to help, but I just have too much on my plate right now."
This post was originally published on opencolleges.edu.au ; image attribution flickr user tulanepublicrelations; 25 Tips To Reduce Teacher Burnout

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-resilience-preventing-burnout

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you're a new teacher, maybe you'll feel affirmed to know that researchers have found that the hardest stretch of the school year, especially for novice teachers, is late October to Thanksgiving break. By that time of the year, the rush and excitement of the start has faded, you're tired, and you're not yet seeing the impact of all the hard work you're putting in-you aren't yet seeing leaps in student learning.

Let me quickly define burnout. Burnout is physical and emotional exhaustion. It can manifest as low-level depression. It's what happens as a result of unrelenting stress-both physical and emotional. And you can prevent it. You can recognize the indicators of burnout, you can boost your emotional resilience, and you can draw boundaries around what you do so that you can tend to your physical and emotional well-being.

Taking Action

Whether you're in your first or 15th year of teaching, here are 10 tips for staying energized, at any point in the school year:

1. Care for your body. Prioritize sleep above all else. Aim for eight hours a night. There are many connections between sleep and emotional wellness. Eat nutritious food. Move your body. You know this, but I need to remind you.

2. Carve out downtime and honor it religiously. Make sure you take at least one weekend day off. During the week, be sure to stop working by 8 pm. You need to rest. Working yourself to the bone or martyring yourself to the cause is useless. It won't ultimately serve you or your students.

3. Build in micro-moments of renewal during the day. Every hour, or at least a couple times a day, sit still for one minute. Close your eyes. Imagine all your stress draining out of the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet.

4. Cultivate realistic optimism. Resilient people are optimistic. Remember that challenge and struggle are temporary, not permanent. Being optimistic has nothing to do with being a Pollyanna or denying reality. It's about holding to the belief that positive change is always possible. It's about seeing the glass as half full and half empty.

5. Hold a growth mindset. Whatever the challenge is that you're facing-and for teachers there are endless challenges-ask yourself, "What can I learn from this?" This question puts you in a learner mindset and reminds you that you can always learn. Just because you can't do something today doesn't mean you won't be able to do it next week.

6. Anchor in your why. Resilient people are driven by purpose. Why are you teaching? What do you want your legacy to be? What motivates you to get up every day? Get clear on your why and use it as an anchor.

7. Be patient. Patience is a disposition of the resilient. Be patient with yourself, your students, your colleagues, and your administrators. Patience has nothing to do with complacency, it's just an acceptance that we aren't the master rulers of time and all things and that we can only do what we can do.

8. Have tea or coffee with a colleague. Or host a BBQ for your students and their families. Or eat lunch in the staff room. Build your community. In moments of stress, those who thrive are those who strengthen relationships with others.

9. Learn to see what you're doing well. When we get exhausted, and when we're trying really hard to do something well, we have a hard time seeing what's working. Maybe you have an instructional coach, mentor, or administrator who helps you with this, but it's equally important for you to hone your ability to spot your own successes. After all, you're the only one watching you every day. Spend a day being your own best friend, ban your critical self-talk from uttering a word all day, and spend the day narrating your successes: "You got your first-period class focused on the 'Do Now' within 30 seconds! You weren't triggered by Johnny's attitude! You ate breakfast!"

10. Ask for help. When you're really struggling, ask colleagues, friends, neighbors, supervisors, mentors, coaches, and partners for help. Ask for all the kinds of help you need. Tell people you're having a hard time. Keep asking until you get what you need. And if you're ever in doubt, even the tiniest bit, about your mental or physical well-being, please seek professional help. Rates of depression and anxiety among teachers are higher than in the general public. Teaching is extremely stressful. If in doubt, get help.

Supporting Ourselves, Supporting Others

High levels of stress and burnout among teachers are symptomatic of a dysfunctional system. As teachers, we need to individually take responsibility for our emotional well-being by cultivating our resilience so we feel better and can meet the needs of kids. We will then have the energy to better address the underlying conditions and root causes of stress.

Education leaders also need to take responsibility for creating conditions in which teachers thrive. School administrators can help teachers by:

Giving teachers positive feedback regularly.

Helping teachers see their impact and efficacy.

Addressing conflicts between staff.

Facilitating meaningful professional development so that teachers can continue honing their craft.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you're a new teacher, maybe you'll feel affirmed to know that researchers have found that the hardest stretch of the school year, especially for novice teachers, is late October to Thanksgiving break.

# data[].attributes.body
https://educationtothecore.com/2017/01/10-burnout-proof-tips-for-teachers/

# data[].attributes.headline
Avoiding Teacher Burnout: Five Strategies

# data[].attributes.subject
Avoiding Teacher Burnout: Five Strategies

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/teacher-stress-burnout-preventing.shtml

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
EducationWorld is pleased to present this article by Christi Wilson, a credentialed teacher of highly gifted students in Northern Nevada. She has 11 years of classroom teaching experience, including K-12 education online, and writes for TeacherPortal.com.
With teaching often comes stress and burnout. Educators must fill several roles during the day including classroom instructor, record keeper, member of school committees and playground monitor. Teachers experience stress on a daily basis, and some studies indicate that they suffer from stress at a higher-than-average rate.

Burnout in this profession is so common that in California, the California Teachers Association has sponsored a "Survive and Thrive Mini Sabbatical" for teachers. This program is a five-day retreat for up to 15 teachers, who are coached on how to manage stress and reflect on the reasons they joined the profession in the first place.

Below are five strategies for counteracting stress and preventing burnout.

1. Leave work at school. I find this to be the most useful strategy in reducing stress in my job as a teacher. I have just learned to do this during the current school year, and I have never felt better. A teacher's work is never done, and I don't think any teacher ever feels completely caught up. Even during the summer break, most teachers are already planning for the next school year. This year I've learned that whatever does not get done during the school day will still be there waiting for me the next day. It's important to be able to unwind at home and enjoy time spent on myself and with my family.

2. Share the workload. This is the second year in which I have had a teacher next door to me who teaches the same age group. Sharing the workload has helped both of us reduce stress. We plan lessons together, group students across the two classrooms, assign the same homework and troubleshoot areas of concern. Having a colleague to plan with has made a world of difference, and I do not feel the same amount of burnout that I normally would during the school year.

3. Take a mental health day. Teachers get a bank of sick days and personal days. My best advice is to use those days. Many teachers save them for their retirement so they can cash out on them. In my school district, the payout is a small percentage, and I find that my sanity is worth far more than an additional check in the future. Taking an occasional mental health day benefits teachers and may even positively impact students by giving them a more refreshed teacher.

4. Arrive at school early. Most of us complete our best work earlier in the day. This is why I arrive at school at least 30 minutes before the time I have to report. I can use this quiet time in my classroom to tackle the papers that need to be graded, prepare lesson plans and make sure I have the materials needed for that day. I also answer emails and parent phone calls before the first bell, so that I am ready and focused for my students. Arriving at school early allows me to leave at the end of the day to get home and enjoy quality time with my family.

5. Avoid the Sunday blues. Every teacher knows what I'm referring to-it's the dreaded last day of the weekend, and we have to return to school the next day. We frantically scramble to lesson plan for the week, grade papers from the week prior, and enter grades into the grade book. I have finally, after 11 years of teaching, learned how to avoid the Sunday blues. I now leave the classroom Friday afternoon planned and prepared for the next week. If there's a week that doesn't allow this to happen, I simply grab my emergency lesson plan folder, and it buys me some time to get prepared. It is so important to be able to enjoy a complete weekend without having to worry about school. There's enough that needs to be caught up with around the house after a busy week in the classroom.

Keeping these helpful tips in mind should at least help alleviate stress. Those who feel an undue amount of stress should also consider communicating with colleagues for additional ideas. It's important to talk to those around us in the same profession, because we've all been through it at least a few times in our careers.
Speak Up or Burn Out: Five Crucial Conversations

Related resources

Four Essential Ways to Avoid Educator Burnout

Education World®
Copyright © 2014 Education World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Five Ways to Prevent Teacher Burnout | Education World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
EducationWorld is pleased to present this article by Christi Wilson, a credentialed teacher of highly gifted students in Northern Nevada. She has 11 years of classroom teaching experience, including K-12 education online, and writes for TeacherPortal.com. With teaching often comes stress and burnout.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/211458144978676923/?lp=true

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We all face burnout, sometimes on a daily basis, and in my case, especially after fourth period. Most of the time, we can pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off