16 Ways Administrators Can Support Teachers Right Now
I recently had an admin reach out to me on Instagram who wanted to know if I could ask my followers how administrators can best support teachers right now. I posted a question box in my stories and got flooded with answers. Teachers desperately need support right now, so I thought I would compile the most common answers here so you can easily send this list to your admin if you are looking for a way to communicate what you most need. The items with asterisks were repeated most often.
Provide teacher work time rather than trainings or professional development.* Now is not the time to expect teachers to absorb and implement new learning— they have enough to deal with at the moment.
Remove extra obligations.* Eliminate any extra responsibilities that you can, whether that’s committees or turning in lesson plans on a deadline.
Ask teachers what they need and really listen.* This one was repeated over and over again— teachers will tell you what they need if you ask them!
Remove or relax expectations for observations.* No observation framework was designed for use in a pandemic. If you are required to do observations and evaluations, let teachers know you are going to be understanding with your ratings to help reduce stress.
Cover a class.
Provide clear expectations.
Be gracious with deadlines— teachers are doing the best they can.
Provide words of affirmation. Saying thank you is great, but specific praise is even better!
Free coffee, chocolate, staff breakfasts, and dress down days are all appreciated. These morale boosts don’t replace everything else on this list, but they do make teachers’ days a little brighter!
Help deal with parents. I could tell from the responses that many teachers are feeling beset by parents and unsupported by their administrators.
Let teachers leave early occasionally.
Make meetings an email instead.
Be honest, especially about covid cases.
Avoid toxic positivity. Teachers don’t want to hear “Just stay positive!” or “You can do this!” without actions to back them up.
Affirm that it’s okay to take a break and not work all the time.
Don’t tell teachers to practice self-care without making it possible for them to do so. Many teachers expressed frustration that they’re being told to take care of themselves, but then still being given more work than they can possibly complete.
Teachers and administrators (and parents and students!) have incredibly difficult jobs this year. By implementing some or all of the items on this list, administrators can support teachers and show that they’re on the same team. Let me know in the comments if you have any other items I should add!