I saw a popular tweet from Dr. Brad Johnson. It read, "Leaders, please make morale a top priority this fall. Teacher/staff morale is [the] lowest it [has] ever been."
Educators from P-12, community colleges and four-year institutions of higher learning will all tell you the same thing. Morale has hit an all-time low!
Here's what education leaders at all levels need to do now to improve morale come fall.
1. Get out of the way. Lead from behind. Start by surveying your staff either formally or informally.
2. Listen to what the educators on the ground say. Don't dismiss what the educators who are THE professionals working most closely with students have to say. They are the practitioners, and they should be your thought partners. Educators should be empowered to make shared decisions about their working conditions. After all, their working conditions are the learning conditions for their students.
3. Implement their ideas. Nothing boosts morale more than being seen, valued and heard. NOTHING!
4. Monitor and adjust. Check in with your staff regularly. This isn't a one and done exercise. Each semester brings different challenges, and the needs of your staff will change accordingly.
Does this sound oversimplified?
Maybe it is.
But for far too long some education leaders have ignored the practitioners in the field. They've undervalued their expertise and in some cases simply ignored their point of view, their voices and their collective wisdom.
That's why being in a union is so fantastic! Your collective strength lies within your union.
If leaders take these four steps to heart and if you work together to develop, cultivate and nurture a strong labor/management partnership, you can bargain shared decision making contract provisions that can help boost and sustain morale for years to come.
Educators everywhere agree. Now is the time to improve educator morale!
So, gather up your union siblings and management partners and roll up your sleeves. Together you can build a working environment and a learning environment you and your students deserve.
