How do you build up morale in your school for teachers and students? If you want to build morale in your office these ideas work as well. Usually, it takes a lot of time and money and is cute, but it does not last. This has been my experience, it seems, over the years. The administrative team works hard to gather all the items, and teachers appreciate it, but it is not always what they need.
What do teachers and students need? The great idea is to ask them.
Students
Students want you to know them. This builds morale in the most significant and lasting way. When staff can call students by name and have conversations with them, they know you see them, hear them, and are validated.
Having students actively involved in all aspects of the school’s decision-making and their learning is another way to build morale. Students will enjoy being active in helping to create incentives for students, developing projects, and knowing the importance of all that is being done. Students can present data, lead peers in positive change and help in communications in understanding the efforts of the school. While building morale, your building learners.
This reminds me of my sayings: Education is something we do with children, not to them.
Staff
Handing out cookies to everyone is a great booster, but what is it telling the individuals you are working to build up? If you are only handing out cookies without anything else to go with it, you are missing the opportunity to lift staff.
Every individual is different and will need other things; the same is for students. However, it is hard to do individual appreciation and motivational stuff without doing it as a group. I have always done group motivational and appreciation, but I back it up throughout all days with individual care.
Morale is a group effort and never rests on the shoulders of one. As a leader, we work closely with the other team leaders in our spaces to let us know when some individuals need personal attention. We can also notice things on our own as well. We all work together to make each day better than the day before.
One of the things everyone needs more of is time. Giving individuals extra time is the best gift you can provide. If you can cover a classroom for 15 minutes, it would be fantastic. What if you could hire some subs to float to cover lunch periods so groups of teachers could have extra time to have lunch together? This is one way to build up morale truly. Have the lunch catered in, or bring in a grill to cook it yourself for them—a great way to bring them all together.
Validation and knowing what they do are essential to building strong positive morale. Helping to get to know each other and learning to have fun while you work is the best way to enjoy the place you work.
If you need help in working on ways to build up your morale, please message me or comment. I can provide you with more ideas to help with your specific situation. There are solutions to every problem we have in life.
You will never change or influence if you always remain the same. So take some risks and be the light to shine bright.