Morale...Get Some!

In my second year of teaching I dreaded going to work...every single day. Hated it. Wanted to be somewhere else each of those 180 days. It wasn't my classes. I had some of the best kids that year. It wasn't my responsibilities or grading or anything even remotely related to my teaching. It was a teacher. A teacher in my grade. She was on my team, right next door to me. She was a major downer. She hated her job. And even worse, she made sure everyone around her hated theirs too. I didn't want to hate my job though. I liked teaching. I would get up in the morning and feel so excited about the day, until she came in. I wondered why she was still around if she hated things so much. 


I allowed her to control me and my feelings and my morale. 


This week on #edchat the topic centered around teacher morale, what can be done in situations when it is low and what do classrooms and school look like when morale is high. 


Here is just a taste of what was said:

• Low teacher morale creates atmosphere of teachers "clocking in & doing time"; innovation does not happen when teachers don't feel safe.
• Teacher morale can be contagious. We must surround ourselves with positive others with good sense of humor.
• Supported and empowered teachers are more likely to have high morale.
• I find that the kids are the best way to boost my morale...reminds me why I teach.
• The morale of an organization will only be as high as its leader. Low teacher morale is the result of low leadership morale.
• My morale would be boosted by recognition for hard work. When I became NBCT, only congrats I got was blurb in district newsletter.
• My PLN is a morale boost for me everyday!

I encourage you to take time and read the archive to really understand the full conversation.


Here are some of my thoughts...


Morale can make or break a building. When morale is high, teachers think they can teach anything, any way, any how. They are unstoppable. And that rubs off on the kids. When students see teachers who are happy to be in the classroom and enjoy what they are doing, the kids follow along. 


But...


On the other hand, when morale is low everyone suffers. Imagine a whole building of teachers just like the one who taught next to me. Or a building where no one wants to be and hates everything. That also translates to the classroom. In every school I have every worked in I can recall the teachers who had the lowest morale. And those were the teachers who complained the most about test scores being low and student discipline. 


If the teacher is unhappy, the kids are unhappy. And when kids are unhappy there isn't any learning going on. 


So, who is responsible for morale in a school? Is it the administration? Is it the teachers? I think it is a combination of both. The administration helps to drive morale in the building. They are the cheerleaders and should do all they can to keep it high. And it is the little things. Slipping a note in a teachers box everyday. Or a simple pat on the back when they do something awesome. Think of things that make you feel better and try to do that for teachers. 


But teachers can also help boost morale in their buildings. Negativity is a morale killer. We all understand that you are gonna have a bad day and that it helps to vent. But do it in the right ways. Bad mouthing administrators or policy do nothing to make everyone feel better about being in the building. I am not saying you have to agree with everything that goes on but disagree in constructive ways. 


Look, the point is, just what I said before. Morale can make or break a building. Be excited about what you do every day. It rubs off on people. 


Be awesome today!




Image from Google CC Search