In talking with a sampling of teachers who work at Tipton, here is what I see as the biggest concerns they face:
- Student behavior and discipline.
- Time deficits.
- Feeling heard and appreciated.
I feel like members of the Board should consistently encourage principals and teachers to follow the discipline policies that each building has established. You don't necessarily need to lead with an iron fist, but discipline procedures must be followed for the good of everyone. I know what is can be like, having 25 or more in a class with one child trying to upend everything you are trying to do. I also know how frustrating it must be to send a child to the office and either they're back in your room within five minutes or the child actually enjoying their time in the office because they are doing "fun things". I am not insinuating that our administrators don't handle discipline appropriately. I AM saying the Board should encourage the discipline procedures to be followed. We can't allow one or more disruptive students to spoil even a periods worth of education for everyone else!
Time. I DO know first hand how much time outside of the 7:40 to 3:10 day a teacher spends on school work. There is no way to adequately compensate a teacher for all of the hours that they spend during non-contractual time working. It grew tiresome hearing from people when I taught that, "you get June, July and August off". No. Teachers DO NOT have three months off to rest and recuperate. No, they don't have every weekend "off". Here is what the Board CAN do regarding time. You can instruct administrators to keep meetings to a minimum. For meetings that can't be emails, have an agenda, stick to it, and keep it short. Prep time should be treated as sacred time for teachers. Don't have them have mandatory meetings during their prep time. Some meetings can't be avoided. IEP and 504 conferences are required and necessary. Some grade levels and subject areas CHOOSE to meet every so often. The key word is CHOOSE. Principals should also be mindful of a teacher's time. If you add to their plate, take something off. A Board CAN direct staff to be respectful of everyone's time.
Feeling heard and appreciated is so critical. I have felt for a very, very long time and have spoken about how feeling appreciated leads to a higher staff morale. I'm not talking about a dog and pony show. I am not proposing a "participation trophy for everyone", and I am not talking about things that cost a lot of money. A high staff morale leads to less turnover. A teacher who feels appreciated will work harder and complain less. This doesn't just apply to teachers. It applies to everyone who works with students. One thing the Board can do is divide up into teams of 2 or 3 and spend a day in each building. Let staff and even small groups of students come and visit with you without administrators present. Climate audits used to be a real thing, and I was pleased to serve on several climate audit teams. Staff should be encouraged rather than discouraged (or worse directed NOT to under any circumstances) to talk with members of the Board.