We never want to take you for granted. That is why it is important that we thank you for continuing to support our foundation. We greatly appreciate those that volunteer for our committees as well as those of you sharing or liking one of our social media pages. Thank you!!!
We continue to look for volunteers for our committees. If you have experience or are interested in volunteering for finance, nominating, marketing, or fundraising committees, please let us know. The meetings are once a month and done virtually. We do our very best to keep the committee meetings to less than sixty minutes. There is NO expectation of any financial commitment such as a donation or anything else while serving on our committees. We want you for your experience, knowledge, advice, and ideas.
As educators are expected to do with their students, it is important to differentiate types of morale boosters or recognition programs with school staff. Not everyone feels public recognition which draws attention in front of the whole staff or district is positive, even if it is a gift or a reward. For some individuals it may be seen as embarrassing, rather than affirming, and it might be extremely uncomfortable. On the other hand, others feel very proud and excited when their colleagues, students, parents, or the school board hear publically about something positive that they did. It’s similar to when an artist feels they are being honored with an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, or Tony because there’s pride in being respected by one’s colleagues.
It’s important to understand what makes individual staff members feel encouraged, thus creating a more positive work environment, and improving morale. In other words, how does each staff member prefer to be recognized, appreciated, and valued? For example, while I was truly thankful when administrators, school board members, PTA, or parents had events, such as lunches, dinners, or treats, for our whole staff to show their appreciation, it was not something that I particularly preferred or liked to attend. Personally, no matter how many years I taught, I just wasn’t comfortable being in large groups. In addition, I preferred to get what I needed to get done at school, be it during lunch or my break, so I could have more time at home to do the things that I wanted to do. Be this as it may, I have had administrators and colleagues tell me that I needed to attend because if I didn’t, it made me seem ungrateful, antisocial, or appear not to be a team player. Quite frankly, while those events did show appreciation, it didn’t ultimately improve my morale. For me, I personally preferred an email or Post-It note thanking me for going that extra mile, doing a great job on a particular lesson, or volunteering for an event or committee. When I received a letter or email from a parent and they Cc’d my principal, superintendent, or the school board, that put a greater smile on my face. It made me work harder because someone shared their positive thoughts about me with my bosses. I truly didn’t need the gift cards, prizes, or special lunches to improve my morale. I just wanted something simple that ultimately was free.
On the contrary, I had colleagues who truly appreciated when they were recognized in a staff or district meeting, or over the intercom for all students and staff to hear. There were other colleagues that preferred and loved when administrators, the school board, or PTA bought lunches or treats, or had special appreciation celebrations. Some staff members really liked the gift cards during appreciation days as it would buy them their coffee, lunch, or help with dinner for the family. For each building, it was different based on the personalities of the staff.
So one might be thinking, how can a school create a sustainable program that will satisfy all staff members and improve morale? If a school has fifty, hundred, or two hundred staff members, then how can one meet the needs of all staff members? After all, recognizing differences is expected to be done for students, then why shouldn’t it be implemented for the staff?
To begin, it is important that each school develop a committee made up of classified and certified staff members from all departments of the school. This committee’s purpose is to find out what people prefer in terms of being appreciated and recognized, and then establish a variety of programs to help build morale. It is suggested to start with an inventory or maybe even a survey which includes specific “action items” for being recognized, appreciated, and valued. You will find there will be categorized groups of people that prefer one-on-one, public, or private programs. From there, the committee develops a plan of action that can be used for administrators, staff members, students, parents, and the community to show their appreciation. Notice that there are different groups of people that should be thought of in terms of implementing such programs. Certain people feel more valued and appreciated when it comes from a student or a parent then let’s say their boss, or vice versa. Plus, allowing more people to take part in your programs allows for variety and a way to help delegate the process. In this way it doesn’t fall on just one administrator to do it all.
Keep in mind that the term for serving on the committee should not be for life. Oftentimes, people who serve on committees do it for years because no one else will step up. Depending on the frequency of the meetings it is important to switch out members often so new ideas can be brainstormed and established. One organization has each person in the department rotate the responsibility for serving on the committee throughout the group, so that each month one new person would be responsible for being on the committee. This way everyone ultimately serves on it, creates a sense of fairness, and allows for new ideas.
Meetings should be short but fun. Everyone is busy, so find a time that would be ideal for the members without having them dread it. For example, you can have meetings on early releases and institute days around lunch. Talk to a local restaurant and see if they will provide a discount for group orders or maybe throw in a free drink or dessert. Establish a relationship with this restaurant and develop a partnership for all future lunches and events. With each new meeting, the purpose of the meeting should be to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. Develop new ideas, tweak existing ones, and discuss what committee members are hearing from their colleagues. Ultimately, there should be programs that satisfy all when it comes to being recognized, appreciated, and valued. Lastly, make sure after the meeting, appreciation is shown to those individuals who are serving on the committee. In addition, consider including this committee involvement within each member’s evaluation as an example of leadership.
Remember, one size doesn’t fit all. Morale booster programs, like the lessons for students, are effective when there is a variety that fits the needs for all staff members.
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