Real Talk
In a year when teachers are feeling more stressed than ever before, a good administrator can be a lifeline when we are adrift. Even though many teachers are fortunate to work for supportive admin who “get it,” there are still some hard truths teachers keep to ourselves. We want to tell our principals, but sometimes fear or the work environment gets in the way.
For those administrators out there looking to give their staff a little extra support in time for the
holidays, here’s a list of 15 things we often wish we could tell our principals.
1. There is never enough time
This was true before the pandemic. Now? I could be given an extra 14 hours each day and still not have enough time. Teachers don’t have enough time to grade. We don’t have enough time to plan. We don’t have enough time to eat. Heck, we don’t have enough time to pee. Please help.
2. This should have been an email
One reason teachers never have enough time is because we spend a lot of hours in meetings. Please be judicious with our time. Keep staff meetings short and to the point. Don’t be afraid to ask the teacher who always has more questions to speak to you after the meeting. Better yet? Forgo the meeting and shoot us an email.
3. The numbers of hours of overtime I work would take your breath away
It never ends. The emails, the extracurricular activities, staffing the concessions stand, the grading. Late at night when the words on the page begin to blur, we pour ourselves into bed, only to get to school early the next morning. We know there’s not much you can do to change this, but recognition and appreciation go a long way.
4. We hate ice breakers, but we love food
No teacher is going to pass up the opportunity to tell their principals their favorite snack in hopes of seeing it turn up at a meeting. If you want to lure us to meetings, bribe us with food. But at this point in the year, could you please shelve the ice breakers and team-bonding activities until we have a little more mental bandwidth?
5. Please stop adding more to my plate, or compensate me fairly if you do
If you add something new to my plate, take something off. My plate is now more like a platter, and even that’s overflowing. Something’s gotta give, and I’m afraid that when I finally do drop a ball, you’ll reprimand me without realizing how heavy my load is.
6. Back me up
When parents and community members come barging into your office with complaints, please back me up. When I send a student to the office for not wearing a mask correctly or texting in class, please back me up. Please don’t override my grades or give in to every squeaky wheel.
7. If you value real rigor, some students will inevitably fail
Most administrators I know talk out of both sides of their mouth on this one. On one hand, we must hold our students to rigorous standards, but on the other, low grades make the school look bad. I can’t do both things without compromising my integrity somewhere.
8. I have a life outside of school
Please remember how much of our own, unpaid overtime we devote to this job. When teachers finally decide to step away from school responsibilities to prioritize family or self-care, don’t make us feel guilty for doing so.
9. Please include us in discussions before decisions are made
As foot soldiers in a school, we see things from a perspective that is different than yours. We have valuable insight to contribute to decisions being made at the building level. Include us at the table where decisions are being made – a smoother rollout of any change is guaranteed if teachers are aware of the changes, and staff buy-in is stronger if we feel that our voices are being heard.
10. Don’t scold everyone for the actions of a few
This is the principal version of a subtweet. The admin notices a staff member isn’t following a policy and wants to issue a correction, but instead of pulling that staff member aside and talking with them directly, the principal sends an all-staff email. You know who the email is aimed at. We know who the email is aimed at. The only person who doesn’t? The one person you should have talked to directly in the first place.
11. You have no idea what teaching during a pandemic is like
No offense, but unless this is literally your first year as an administrator, you have no idea what we are going through. Your classroom days were pre-pandemic, and this, folks, is a whole new ballgame. The kids are exhausted. So are we. Everyone is stressed all the time. This is not sustainable, and we need your support now more than ever.
12. Teach a lesson every once in a while to stay in the game
One of the greatest gifts an administrator ever gave me was the opportunity to go observe other teachers in my building. My principal taught my classes for half the day while I got to do some on-the-ground PD. We know you have classroom experience, but we wonder if you’ve forgotten the day-to-day demands placed on a teacher. And let us tell you principals, doing this is a win-win for everyone.
13. Ask what I really need, listen, and help how you can
We all have ideas, pet projects, or petty annoyances. What I wouldn’t give for an administrator to come to me, sit down, and ask, “How can I help?” Many of the things on my list are small and manageable with some support, but they would go a long way toward improving my classroom quality of life.
14. Give us a say in PD
Professional development is great – if it’s the right kind. Many teachers understand the “flavor of the month” element of PD and this tends to give us whiplash. Instead of bringing in the latest and greatest, ask us what we would like training in. I guarantee that most of us relish the chance to be students for a change, but we want to feel like our learning is relevant. We would love to tell principals exactly what tools we need to help our students and ourselves succeed.
15. Trust us
No one goes into teaching for the money. We are here because we love this job. And we love the kids. We are educated, trained professionals with the students’ best interests at heart. Please trust us to do our jobs.
In the end, teachers want to work with our administrators to build a better school community for the
students and families we serve. The way forward is mutual trust and respect. We’re all in this together.
