Effective Strategies for Boosting Teacher Morale

Enthusiasm is contagious! Teachers who are enthusiastic and genuinely enjoy their job will typically see better academic results when compared to teachers who do not exhibit those characteristics. Every administrator should want a building full of happy teachers. It is critical that administrators recognize the value of keeping teacher morale high. They should have several strategies in place designed to boost teacher morale throughout the year. Unfortunately, teacher morale is on the decline across the United States. This is due to several factors including low pay, teacher bashing, over testing, and unruly students.  The demands of the job are continuously changing and increasing.  These factors along with others have forced administrators to make a conscious effort when examining, maintaining, and boosting teacher morale. It will take more than one approach to boost teacher morale successfully. A strategy that works well in one school may not work well for another. Here, we examine fifty different strategies that administrators can use in boosting teacher morale. It is not feasible for an administrator to try to implement every strategy on this list. Instead, pick a handful of these strategies that you believe will have a positive impact in boosting your teacher morale. Leave handwritten notes in each teacher’s mailbox telling them how much you appreciate themHost a teacher cookout at your home.Give teachers a day off to celebrate their birthday.Allow teachers to showcase their strengths by modeling during faculty meetings.Support your teachers when parents complain about them.Put a treat in their mailbox with a short appreciation note.Allow teachers in the district to eat lunch and breakfast for free.Implement a casual Friday dress code for teachers.Organize some volunteers to cover teacher duties a couple of times a month to provide teachers with an extra break.Back the teachers 100% when it comes to a student discipline referral.Offer continuous feedback, support, and guidance for teacher improvement.Initiate a potluck luncheon for teachers one time per month.Email words of encouragement or wisdom on a daily basis.Spread out extra duties evenly. Don’t put too much on a single teacher.Buy their dinner when they have to stay late for parent/teacher conferences.Brag about your teachers anytime the opportunity presents itself.Organize an over the top Teacher Appreciation Week full of goodies and surprises for the teachers.Provide them bonuses at Christmas.Provide meaningful professional development that is not a waste of their time.Follow through on any promises that you make.Provide them with the best resources and teaching tools that are available.Keep their technology up-to-date and working at all times.Keep class sizes as small as possible.Organize a night out for teachers with activities such as dinner and a movie.Provide them with a terrific teacher’s lounge/workroom with lots of extra comforts.Fill instructional material requests through any means if the teacher believes it will benefit their students.Provide teachers with matching 401K accounts.Encourage creativity and embrace teachers who think outside the box.Conduct team building exercises such as going to a ropes course.Do not dismiss any concer n that a teacher may have. Follow through with checking into it and always let them know how you handled it.Offer to mediate any conflicts a teacher may have with another teacher.Go out of your way to offer encouragement when you know a teacher is struggling either personally or professionally.Give teachers decision-making opportunities in the school by allowing them to sit on committees for hiring new teachers, writing new policy, adopting curriculum, etc.Work with the teachers, not against them.Host a celebration BBQ at the end of the school year.Have an open door policy. Encourage teachers to bring their ideas and suggestions to you. Implement the suggestions you believe will benefit the school.Solicit donations of prizes from local businesses and have BINGO night just for the teachers.Provide your Teacher of the Year a meaningful prize such as a $500 bonus stipend.Organize a Christmas party for teachers with delicious food and a gift exchange.Keep drinks (soda, water, juice) and snacks (fruit, candy, chips) in stock in the teacher lounge or workroom.Coordinate a teacher vs. parent basketball or softball game.Treat each teacher with respect. Never talk down to them. Never question their authority in front of a parent, student, or another teacher.Take an interest in their personal lives learning about their spouse, kids, and interests outside of school.Have random teacher appreciation drawings with magnificent prizes.Let teachers be individuals. Embrace differences.Host a karaoke night for the teachers.Provide teachers the time to collaborate with each other on a weekly basis.Ask their opinion! Listen to their opinion! Value their opinion!Hire new teachers who not only fit the academic needs of your school but who have a personality that will mesh well with the current faculty.Be an example! Stay happy, positive, and enthusiastic!