Building a positive work culture ... don't check up - check in
This article by Isabelle Boyd first appeared in TES online on Saturday 25 April 2020
https://www.tes.com/news/stop-soul-destroying-monitoring-teachers
Let’s start by making a plea to education managers and school leaders. Please ensure that any tasks you set for your teams are meaningful and productive. If colleagues feel they are being asked to do things just for the sake of it; feel they are being asked to things just because they are getting paid, then leaders are not taking the opportunities this new changed working situation offers.
Now is the time to maintain or indeed build a more positive work culture and work environment.
Teachers and school leaders find themselves in unchartered territory where the structures and processes of ‘in- school’ don’t sit well with working remotely. There have been examples – particularly before the Easter break – of headteachers 'monitoring' their teachers' work at home. There were many examples of teachers having to report in and in some cases submit lessons and/or forward plans that no class is ever going to receive! This is meaningless and soul destroying.
Rather than have lesson banks and forward plans clogging up hard drives across the country it could be a good time for professional learning activities to assist the teacher in building and honing their skills and abilities. Or teachers could just be using the time to recharge their batteries and get ready for what the new session will bring!
When schools do reopen -whenever that will be the pressure will be immense. The timetabling, the budgeting, the resource building, the transition work, the additional nurture and enhanced provision that will be needed by children and young people will have to be provided. The impact of lockdown on children and young people’s mental health is yet to be realised but it is likely to be a growing issue. The role of the teacher when schools do return will be a key one in society. It is hoped that family experiences during lockdown will have indeed enhanced the reputation of the teaching profession and have convinced any doubters that teaching is as much a vocation as a job.
It is legitimate that teachers should provide learning opportunities during lockdown. However, while the numbers of children and young people ‘logging on’ to teacher led lessons is increasing it is still very low. Therefore, there is teacher time in the system that can be used for other meaningful activity. Yes, teachers want to be engaged in direct – if online – teaching and learning, creating resources for children and parents to access at home and to take their turn on the rota to staff the school hub open for children of key workers and identified vulnerable children. Many teachers, while working from home, doing online teaching or involved in activities suggested above, also have their own families to nurture.
There are so many other professional activities that could be enjoyed. Opportunities that teachers could be offered should include free online CPD about delivering online learning – a skill that requires training and we now know is vital. Other opportunities should be additional study, research, practitioner enquiry and the other aspirations we welcomed from the Donaldson Report[1] that many teachers don’t find the time to do in the hurly-burly of normal term time workload. These might not be at the top of anyone’s agenda, but they are opportunities to build skills and abilities that in turn will positively impact on pupil achievement and attainment.
In recent research undertaken by GTCS[2], they ascertained that children and young people highlighted that good teachers display the following characteristics:
Nurturing: Teachers should create a happy, friendly and encouraging atmosphere in the classroom by being kind, offering support and using praise.
Rights-respecting relationships: Teachers should respect the rights and individuality of all pupils. They should do this by applying co-developed boundaries consistently, while ensuring individual needs and preferences are met.
Professional skills and knowledge: Teachers need to have the knowledge and passion for the content of teaching and the skills to deliver this in an engaging and balanced way.
Positivity/energy: Teachers need to show their love of teaching and an enthusiasm for the role. This will be shown by being engaging, interesting, creative and inspiring in the classroom.
So, in the intervening period, school leaders and education managers could take a leaf out of this research and apply that to all teachers now. Nurture them, respect them, show positivity and empower them to be the best they can be. Don’t ask for checklists or monitor work. Be leaderly and check in often to ask how they ‘are’ rather than checking up what they’re doing. That’s how to maintain or indeed build a positive work culture and work environment for the present and the future.
[1] Teaching Scotland’s Future 2010
[2] https://www.gtcs.org.uk/News/teaching-scotland/75-what-makes-a-good-teacher.aspx