Today鈥檚 guest post is written by frequent Finding Common Ground blogger Lisa Westman. Lisa is an instructional coach specializing in differentiation for Skokie School District 73.5 in suburban Chicago. She taught middle school gifted humanities, ELA, and SS for twelve years before becoming a coach.
Recently, my school district completed our second annual, year-long professional development program we call 鈥渕ini-con.鈥� Our theme this year was assessment, and I facilitated a course which was attended by 26 enthusiastic and dedicated professionals.
Over the year, our group spent time discussing and studying a variety of facets related to assessment. Teachers then applied their learning (individually or in teams) to create an assessment for their students. These assessments had a number of desired criteria. In short, we aimed to create assessments that:
authentically assessed a prioritized standard
had clearly defined learning intentions and success criteria which were mutually understood by the students and teacher
promoted student ownership
Needless to say, we were not talking about creating multiple choice tests. This was hard work.
At our last session, learning was facilitated by the participants themselves. Teachers shared a bit about their experience creating and using their new assessments. The goal was not for teachers to showcase their 鈥渂est鈥� work. Rather, this was an opportunity for teachers to ask their colleagues for feedback and answer each other鈥檚 questions.
The mini-con session was 90 minutes, and I spent the entire time sitting back and basking in the glory of what the teachers shared. There were a variety of highlights, namely the risks teachers took as they tried new ways of assessing students, how teachers collaborated with each other to analyze student work, and how technology was integrated to formatively assess students in relevant ways. Teachers were transparent about their processes, emphasizing both celebrations and struggles.
I felt very proud of this tenacious group, and I was extraordinarily appreciative of their effort and strong will to grow as professionals.
On my ride home from work that day, I thought to myself, 鈥淗ow perfect that teacher appreciation week is soon. I can show these teachers how grateful I am for them.鈥� But, my train of thought was interrupted as I had an epiphany of sorts centered around these questions:
How had I shown appreciation for teachers throughout the year?
Do other teachers show appreciation for their colleagues regularly?
Are our methods of showing appreciation for one another effective?
When it comes to appreciation, do we all speak the same language?
Several years ago, I read by Gary Chapman, and while this book primarily speaks to personal relationships, I have found the basic premise to hold true for a variety of interpersonal circumstances.
Basically, Chapman asserts there are five ways humans show affection for each other:
By giving gifts
By sharing words of affirmation
By spending quality time
Through acts of service
Through physical connection
Chapman goes on to explain that people have a primary and secondary love language which they use to express affection. These languages are also their preferred ways to receive affection.
Chapman cautions that just like with all languages, if two people speak different languages they may not understand each other. For example, if an individual feels affection through words of affirmation and someone gives them a gift to show their love, the recipient may not feel loved just by the receiving the gift alone.
Therefore, if we want to make sure our feelings for each other are properly communicated, we need to speak the same language. I can give a gift if that is my love language, but if the recipient of my gift speaks the language of words of affirmation, I need to also include a thoughtful note or explanation. Chapman suggests watching how others show affection toward others to figure out how they prefer to receive love.
OK, but how do love languages relate to teacher appreciation?
Results of a new study, published in The American Journal of Education conclude that a positive school culture and teacher collaboration are essential for student achievement. Additionally, a recent article in cites evidence from multiple studies all which indicate employees who feel appreciated are more productive and have more positive feelings about their work/workplace than those who feel unappreciated.
And, it is here where teacher appreciation and the 5 Languages of Love intersect. As stated, studies show employees who feel appreciated have stronger performance than those who do not feel appreciated.
When surveyed, teachers consistently report feeling underappreciated (). This leaves me wondering something: how many attempts at showing appreciation go unfelt because the wrong 鈥渓ove鈥� language was unknowingly used to express gratitude?
Probably many. But, there is more to this than just using the right language.
Teachers most frequently say they feel unappreciated by society and administration. And, it is easy to look outward at factors we cannot control, we can鈥檛 make society appreciate us. But, when we look inward, we must ask, what part do we, teachers, play in creating a culture of appreciation?
Sometimes we get so caught up in how busy we are and how physically and mentally demanding teaching is that we forget to show appreciation for others who do the same strenuous job.
Then, we have weeks like this one (Teacher Appreciation Week) where teachers across the country are showered with sweet treats in the teacher鈥檚 lounge, and are given tokens of appreciation from students, parents, and administrators. But, how many of us take the time to show genuine appreciation for each other on a regular basis?
When we consider ways to improve school culture and create positive, collaborative environments which ultimately benefit students, we often look to our district鈥檚 administration or the government to foster conducive conditions. Yet, we overlook the vital role we (teachers) play, individually and collectively, in contributing to a positive school climate.
So, in the spirit of teacher appreciation week and along the lines of the 5 Languages of Love, this week, take a step back and observe your colleagues. How are they expressing their gratitude toward others? Are they sharing words of affirmation, giving gifts, offering service? Once you determine your co-worker鈥檚 language of love, consider these 5 ways to show appreciation for your teaching colleague(s) every day of the year:
By giving gifts- surprise your colleague with breakfast.
By sharing words of affirmation- Acknowledge what you appreciate about your colleague and share the specifics in an email, note, or in person. 鈥淚 appreciate how you always keep our team student focused...鈥�
By spending quality time: Look at your PLC meetings as quality time. During a meeting, share an example of something you have successfully implemented with your students which you learned from one of your PLC members.
Through acts of service: cover your colleague鈥檚 extra duty or make copies for them, because you value them, not because they asked.
Through physical connection- smile at your colleagues when you see them, everyday.
How else will you show appreciation for your colleagues? Share your ideas and more importantly, share the results. How has showing appreciation for each other impacted your school鈥檚 culture?
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