Some of the best advice I was given as a very new administrator is to always look at everything through teacher eyes. While everything we do must be in the best interest of students, we can't forget our teachers. Therefore, with every decision we make, and with every program, initiative, or new idea we are going to implement, we ask ourselves, "How will this impact teachers?" If it is going to impact them in a negative way of any kind, we really examine the decision we are making to make sure it is necessary and is what is best for our students. We then carefully consider how we can reduce any negative impact to teachers. Most importantly, we consider if there is anything we can take off of our teachers' plates in order to free them up to take on this additional task.
Teachers work hard. So many people who are not educators think that teachers only work during the school day when students are not there, but as we all know, teachers arrive very early, stay late, coach, direct and facilitate many evening activities, work on the weekends, and put in many days in the summer. They do all of this without any extra compensation, because they love kids. They are passionate about inspiring them to achieve far greater things than their students believe is possible. They deserve our respect, our loyalty, our support, and our unending encouragement.
I am a quote person. They inspire me and lift me up. My favorite quote of all time is, "Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who believes in the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be." -Rita Pierson. As school leaders, we need to recognize that this is our teachers' primary job. We need to make sure that we give them the opportunity to be champions for our kids. Through each decision you make, we challenge you to remember your teacher eyes.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of the teachers out there!
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