To be a respected leader, it is essential that you make each of your team members feel valued. As educational leaders, this is especially important for your teachers. Throughout the pandemic, teachers have had to manage through a chaotic environment with fears of the long term effects of learning loss on their students.
A recent article from ASCD speaks to the benefits of making your educational community feel appreciated and engaged. The opening line of How Mattering Matters for Educators is simply put: "When teachers feel valued, their sense of purpose and efficacy increases."
The article continues, "People are the backbone of education, yet the challenges in recent years, coupled with frequent external criticism, has defined the teaching profession more as a problem to be managed rather than a calling to be celebrated."
The Conceptual Framework of Mattering presented by authors Ryan Donlan and Shelly Wilfong is a step-by-step guide to keeping your team engaged.
The full article goes into extensive detail on building a strong work environment for educators, including this handy handout on how to Make Your Actions Matter.
Why is this important? From the article:
"When teachers understand the construct and elements of mattering, they can also identify which pieces may be missing in their careers and pursue remedies to increase their job satisfaction. This can have direct and tangential influences on teaching, learning, whole-educator care, and student success—and that, perhaps, is what truly matters in the end."
Ready to get started on teacher engagement, but are worried you (and your staff) don't have the time? How about moving your staff engagement digital? With a branded mobile app you can put your staff engagement activities right in the palm of your team's hands. Rather than giving up valuable prep time or squeezing in meetings before or after school, your staff can work together digitally to build their community.
Learn more about digital engagement in a 15 minute demo with our sales team.