The pandemic put a lot of strain on teachers in a profession where there already was a lot of strain. Teachers are overworked, underpaid, and stretched to the absolute Max and they are still giving 100% to our children. The traditional learning model isn’t the same anymore and it’s been flipped on its head.
What used to be routine in the classroom is no longer routine and with all of this change can come to a lot of stress. Stress can be good at some points in life, but when you are a teacher just trying to keep it real with your students and keep on top of your knowledge, you don’t need that stress. There are supportive services out there such as Top Guru that can help teachers with their worksheets and lesson planning, but you need to do what you can to support the teachers around you. With this in mind, here are some of the tips that you can use to support teachers.
Keep it easy.
When it is stressful and when it’s not you need to remember above everything else to keep it as easy as possible for teachers. It’s likely that you’ve been tempted to do more or to approach more staff to respond to the growing and ever-shifting needs of virtual learning.
But when it comes to supporting teachers you need to make sure that you are asking people what they need and checking it off. Ask the teachers around you what they need the most, and provide it. It may not always be a pay bump, although all teachers need that, it could just be somebody to give a listening ear to when they’re struggling.
Focus on one thing at a time.
As a teacher, it’s really easy to split your focus. There are so many things that go into the actual role, from marking work to setting it, keeping an eye on children, checking people’s learning, and continuing your training yourself, there is a lot involved in being a teacher and being a good teacher means learning how to focus on one thing at a time Take a moment to thank people around you for their hard work, remember to thank your teaching assistant, and remind yourself that everybody is learning even the teachers if they want to achieve growth.
Don’t drag people into unnecessary meetings.
Teachers are busy enough, and they often work outside of school hours to make sure that they are meeting their expectations and the expectations of their students. Cancel unnecessary meetings. If things can be said in an email, go ahead and do that and stick to once-a-month staff meetings instead. You’re trying to make life easier for teachers, not harder.
Make your teachers comfortable.
It’s not just about having a comfy chair in the classroom but ditching the professional dress code. Let teachers wear jeans so they can jump around and be physical with their students. Letting them have more casual days on the calendar is an easy win, and it can make them feel more comfortable and at ease in their teaching.
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