5 Tips: How Administrators Can Give Teachers the Respect They Deserve.

By Kelsey Richardson

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last decade, you know that teaching, as a profession, has been devalued and running on the unpaid labor of educators. Much of the labor force is burnt out and frustrated by their ever growing to-do lists while resources seem to shrink. They did their jobs during the pandemic, they completely revolutionized the way they taught in response to a world crisis; so why then do many underestimate teach expertise and push teachers to the breaking point?

Tip #1 Show You Value Their Time

This isn’t just lip service. There are simple, actionable ways to show staff that you value their time. For example, limit the emails you send as an administrator or create more specific email groups so that your messages only reach those who truly need to read them. Constant emailing can create animosity in the workplace, as it may be interpreted as a subtle sign that you assume they have time to read 20 emails a day.

Other ways to demonstrate that you value their time include being more discerning about whether to schedule that team meeting, how many recess duties you assign, and what you tackle during one-on-one time. They are busy. You are busy. Let’s use work time efficiently.

Tip #2 Set and Adhere to Boundaries

Some educators may be great at advocating for work/life balance, but too often, a culture of “work till you drop or the children will suffer” has been instilled in schools. Administrators must step in and model healthy boundaries for teachers. No responding to parent emails outside of work hours! This can be difficult for some, but if administrators also practice not sending emails outside of work hours, it fosters a workplace expectation of boundaries. Sure, we say that the weekend email only needs to be read on Monday morning, but in an era when work email accounts are often linked to personal phones, it can be hard to disconnect.

Further workload boundaries should include priority setting, dedicated planning and grading periods, and reasonable expectations for what is required upon returning from breaks. I have known some administrators to say, “Well, they can do it over break,” which is both unacceptable and a clear indicator that they neither value their staff’s time nor respect their personal lives.

Tip #3 Acknowledge Their Struggle

Pretending that summer holidays and school breaks offset the relentless pace of the school year is both disingenuous and out of touch. If you have ever been a teacher, you know you white-knuckle it through report cards and that those last couple of months are The Hunger Games. Name it, discuss it, and prepare for it. As the wise Zac Efron once said, “We’re all in this together,” and your staff should feel that you see and appreciate the work they are doing.

To be clear, I am not suggesting you throw a pizza party as an afterthought to celebrate their hard work. Instead, roll up your sleeves, get down in the trenches, and at the very least, bear witness to their daily efforts.

Tip #4 Do Not Underestimate Your Staff

Teachers are experts at what they do. They are highly trained educators, specialists, scholars, and authorities on childhood development and learning strategies. Talk about them as such.

Professionalize your language when discussing your staff with parents and other stakeholders. Most importantly, do this when meeting with your team. Offer professional development that truly challenges and fulfills your staff. Find and encourage opportunities where their expertise is intellectually valued. If we, as administrators, refer to educators with deference, others in the school community will follow suit.

Tip #5 Prove you Trust Them

When you meet with a concerned parent or address a student complaint, does your staff believe you have their backs, or are they nervous that you will throw them under the bus? If it’s the former, great job. If it’s the latter, you haven’t built a working relationship based on trust.

This can undermine a teacher’s confidence in both you and their work. It can also mean that when a serious issue arises that does require intervention, the staff member may be less receptive to feedback. And if you find yourself thinking, “If they don’t respond accordingly to admin’s request, they should be fired,” then you don’t understand the teacher shortage—or the upheaval caused by losing a teacher midyear.

It’s a disaster.

Better to foster a strong work culture based on respect, honesty, and teacher advocacy.

The above tips are just some of the myriad ways in which you can create a positive working culture within your school. Ultimately, it will show if you trust and appreciate teachers if you actually do! I am always shocked when educators are treated more like work horses than valuable experts. As administrators we must reflect on how we might be contributing to this type of environment, even if unintentionally.

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