69传媒

Opinion
School & District Management Opinion

The 4 Gifts Principals Should Give Teachers This Year (Hint: Not Another School Mug)

How to support teachers and nourish their craft
By Sharif El-Mekki 鈥 September 26, 2023 4 min read
A Large yellow bow across the foreground of a  photo illustration group of teachers line up happily closely together along a wall
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The back-to-school jitters are behind us. The scheduling and staffing mix-ups and snafus are (I hope) in the rearview mirror. We鈥檙e now firmly in that sort of 鈥渘ormal time鈥 of the school year where routines have been and are established, the cadence of the school day and week are driving along, and staff, students, and leadership alike find themselves in media res.

For school leaders, this is a pivotal moment. Do we take the ambition, aspiration, and optimism of the start of the school year forward, building on the momentum of the early days? Or does the gravitational pull of normalcy drive the sort of reversion to the leadership mean that too often begins to take place as the calendar turns to October and November? No school leader sets out to slide into stagnation, but it happens.

Here鈥檚 how to avoid it: School and building leaders, share some back-to-school gifts with your staff. Not a staff pizza party or a school-branded mug, but instead, give them the meaningful gifts that really support them, nourish their craft, and propel them to do their best work.

About This Series

In this biweekly column, principals and other authorities on school leadership鈥攊ncluding researchers, education professors, district administrators, and assistant principals鈥攐ffer timely and timeless advice for their peers.

First, give your staff the gift of time and space to collaborate. Your staff doesn鈥檛 need 20 extra minutes to mark papers, though I鈥檓 sure they would take them. Instead, give them the chance to be fully what they truly are: professionals with expertise and a range of talents who deserve the space to connect with peers in meaningful ways. Research鈥攆rom South Korea to Southern California, Finland to Philadelphia鈥 when educators have dedicated and structured time to develop lesson plans and collaborate on teaching strategies, .

Second, provide the educators in your building with the imperative of anti-racism in all that you do. There is a world of structural racism and bias that it creeps into every corner of how we work as educators, how our schools function. The effects of it are chilling for Black and brown students and . Hold space for Black and brown educators and students, move beyond the affinity-group confines, and celebrate the diversity of your staff and student body. Empower teachers of diverse backgrounds to have meaningful input on leadership decisions and elevate minority voices across the school community to highlight new and important perspectives.

Doing so will enable you to both more Black and brown teachers, premised on understanding and respect, and advance student well-being.

Third, and more tangibly, teachers do need stuff. Again, not so much a new school sweatshirt (though few would turn one down), but through programs like and the campaign, school leaders can be important assets in ensuring that resources make their way into teachers鈥 classrooms, above and beyond what the district is able to provide.

I hold out hope that we will one day be in a place in this country where our public school teachers don鈥檛 need to fundraise鈥攖hat all our classrooms will have all that they need to fully serve every single student鈥攂ut we are not at that day. In the meantime, these efforts can deliver resources where they are needed. With the aid of a motivated school leader, these campaigns can be remarkably successful difference makers for teachers and students.

Fourth, give teachers access to professional growth and networking opportunities. PD is great; great PD is even better. Building a professional network beyond the school walls, where content enrichment, personal growth, and new relationships can be built is a game changer. Providing teachers the time, resources, and opportunity to attend conferences, professional gatherings, and the like can open an educator鈥檚 eyes to new strategies and teaching moves. It can reinspire and reinvigorate stale practice and provide teachers sustenance through challenging times in their careers.

There are any number of great opportunities along these lines, including SXSW EDU, Southern Education Foundation, EduCon, ASU+GSV, LitCon, ASCD, and Learning Forward鈥檚 annual gatherings. A world of enrichment and connection awaits. In November, the organization I lead, the Center for Black Educator Development, will host the 6th annual Black Men in Education Convening, the largest and most influential gathering for Black male educators and our allies. Sponsoring some of your teachers to attend a gathering like these can be a catalyst for growth, both personal and professional.

These are just a few of the potential gifts that school leaders can provide to their staff. Finding the right combination can send a signal that they are valued and give substance to a school culture of personal dignity and professional respect鈥攌ey factors in avoiding the midyear malaise and the foundation for an inspired school year.

A version of this article appeared in the October 11, 2023 edition of Education Week as The 4 Gifts Principals Should Give Teachers This Year

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69传媒
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump鈥檚 pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion Let Them Eat Books: A Modest Proposal to Fix American Education
We certainly can鈥檛 risk letting students read their textbooks. Who knows what questionable ideas they might find?
5 min read
Pile of books on a dinner plate. Satire.
iStock/Getty Images