Welcome to the season of gratitude. While we know it is important to show gratitude all year round, we also know that it is at the forefront of everyone’s minds right now, so let’s dive in.
Authentically expressing gratitude and showing appreciation can enormously impact school culture and educators’ job satisfaction. Multiple studies confirm that employees who feel valued are happier, more engaged, and more productive.¹ Additional research on schools across the globe shows that educators who feel seen and valued are more satisfied at work, less likely to leave their position, and more engaged in school improvement efforts. ²
Showing gratitude is important, but how can this be accomplished meaningfully with many demands already on leaders’ plates? We asked a few past and present educator colleagues about ways their school leaders have shown gratitude that made them feel genuinely valued and appreciated.
Many who responded mentioned the lasting impression of writing personalized notes or emails.
- “My department head left a handwritten note in my mailbox. The gesture of writing it out by hand and the thought she put into the note made me feel really seen and valued.”
Another frequent response was creative efforts to give a little extra planning or collaboration time:
- “Planning time! Possibly gift some time to get work done while an administrator covers a class. Provide a sign-up sheet so that teachers could be prepared for the time and mindful of the lesson they will leave for the admin to teach.”
- “Arrange coverage for a few recess duties to provide a little extra planning time.”
- “Allow a PD day to be for PLCs and grading/classroom work.”
Still, another common theme included schoolwide community and culture builders like a special shared meal or a wellness opportunity:
- “We do a wellness day in place of our normal PD once a year. We get to sign up for different activities and just decompress instead of doing PD. Activities include things like painting, baking, decorating cookies, reading, outdoor walk/hike, Zumba, dodgeball, etc.”
- “Our site admins give us breaks. If we need 5-10 minutes to just decompress, they’ll pop in and take over. They’re also mindful of school culture. We do a lot of “fun” things like Secret Buddies, TGIF, potlucks, monthly birthday celebrations, shout-out boards, sock exchanges at Winter Break, etc. They’re also really great about making sure we feel supported in our careers by buying us books or taking us to conferences. I feel like they go above and beyond to make all staff feel appreciated and valued.”
- “My school started this ongoing thing this year and, wow, it is amazing: Movement Mondays. Staff are allowed to dress in athletic clothes in exchange for agreeing to do 5 minutes of movement with our classes. I cannot tell you how excited it makes us. Teachers I have NEVER seen participate in “spirit day” wear their gym clothes every single Monday.”
- “Special lunches are always wonderful. Not having to buy [a lunch] is such a great thing. Also, dress down days and planning/collaboration times.”
Establishing rituals to show recognition was another common strategy. Some teachers shared that their principal includes a staff shoutout in the weekly newsletter or on a public bulletin board. In other schools, they employ some manner of staff recognition at each staff meeting.
We wanted to share a few more ideas, so we reached out to some of our Focused Schools team members, who are former principals, and asked them how they showed gratitude and appreciation to their teams. Here are some of their tried and true strategies with tips on how to make them happen:
- “Every Friday after school or Monday before staff arrived, I put 3-5 notes in peoples’ mailboxes thanking them for something. I had a staff list to make sure I gave one to every staff member (cafeteria staff/aids/teachers/bus drivers/custodians, etc.) no later than January 15th so that I could circle back and do it a second time. My goal was no less than 2 per person.”
- “I planned a walk around the building at least two days a week (both before school and after) to just check in with people to see how they were doing, their family, etc. Then, I always went right back to my office to write down notes and add checkbacks in my calendar if needed. For example, if someone’s sister was having a baby any day or someone’s mom was having health issues, I’d leave myself a reminder to follow up.”
- “My Weekly Memo had a “Shout-Out” section. Staff were allowed to send me shout-outs to add in as well. I used a staff list for this as well to ensure I acknowledged every staff member.”
- “[We played] the Saran Wrap ball game at the holidays.”
- “I celebrated Teacher (called it Staff) Appreciation Week 6 months before the actual month. I did this for two reasons: when I noticed teachers starting to look really exhausted, AND people always did it in May. I held raffles, got them pizza, and some other things.”
What are your favorite ways to show gratitude? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know on our socials or reach out to us at hello@focusedschools.com. We are so grateful for all of you and for all that you do each day for the students you serve. Together, we can #IgniteTransformativeChange.
Footnotes:
1. Dressler, J. (2024, September 12). The case for belonging-how feeling valued and included at work affects employee well-being. WebMD Health Services. tinyurl.com/mm755s6c
Do your employees feel respected? Harvard Business Review. (2024, October 10). hbr.org/2018/07/do-your-employees-feel-respected
From Praise to Profits: The Business Case for Recognition at Work. Gallup/Workhuman. (2023, March 29). tinyurl.com/4swu3rkk
Gallup. (2024, October 29). The importance of employee recognition: Low cost, high impact. Gallup.com.
gallup.com/workplace/236441/employee-recognition-low-cost-high-impact.aspx
2. Akiba, M., Byun, S., Jiang, X., Kim, K., & Moran, A. J. (2023). Do Teachers Feel Valued in Society? Occupational Value of the Teaching Profession in OECD Countries. AERA Open, 9. doi.org/10.1177/23328584231179184
Christensen, L. K. and K. (2024, May 28). Overworked and undervalued: Retaining Top Educators. Gallup.com.
gallup.com/education/609422/overworked-undervalued-retaining-top-educators.aspx
