3 minutes
Motivating teachers is essential, because teachers generate emotions and dynamics. A motivated teacher is fundamental to the principles of teaching.
[Tweet "Being a teacher is like a running race: runners are motivated at the start, rested and prepared. Halfway through the race they begin to tire..."]
A smiling teacher can create smiling students. A passionate teacher is more likely to create passionate students. And the opposite is also true: imagine a bored teacher, or one who dislikes what they do. They are very unlikely to awaken anything useful in their students.
How to motivate teachers is today's challenge. Our teacher training lacks tools for emotional development. In today's society we tend always to blame others for failures, but never ourselves. My success is thanks to me, but my misfortunes are always someone else's responsibility. But that is not how it works. Motivation depends on oneself. It is not my salary's fault, or the principal's, my colleagues', the minister's, the law's, or society's. A demotivated classroom is my fault. And escaping that negatively polluted environment is difficult.
Collaborative leadership
As the leader of the school community, the principal must exercise fair, collaborative, inclusive leadership involving everyone in that community. It is also important to value each of those people and let them know they are essential to achieving the proposed goals. In short, it is about working as a team toward the same objective.
"Part of the principal's collaborative, motivating leadership is creating a favorable working environment marked by trust, respect, tolerance, and empathy. A principal must be able to convey that atmosphere to teachers so they feel safe, calm, and confident enough to talk about any potential problem."
Clear goals
To move toward each year's objectives, principals must have clear goals to communicate to the teaching team. It is essential to discuss, analyze, and rethink them together when necessary.
A leader
A principal is much more than a boss: a principal is a leader who motivates teachers and helps them remember why they are there. This leader is responsible for ensuring that every teacher feels valued and understands the importance of their mission.
The importance of motivation at the start of the year
The beginning of the year is the starting point for doing things well. That does not mean motivating teachers should be abandoned halfway through the year; on the contrary, the process must continue. Motivation and leadership must be constant at every stage of the year, because that is precisely how goals are achieved. Many studies demonstrate the importance of a consistently good working environment in pursuing objectives. And what are those objectives? Children's learning… To achieve that, teachers must never be sidelined.
"It is like a running race: runners are motivated at the start, rested and prepared. Halfway through, they begin to tire, breathing becomes increasingly difficult, and they lose feeling in their legs as their muscles can do less. That is exactly when they remember why they are competing; exactly when they remember all their preparation to reach the finish line. They forget their pain and fatigue and carry on with greater strength. Exactly the same thing happens to teachers halfway through the year."
The benefits of motivating teachers
If teachers receive the motivation they need from their principal, children benefit most. A teacher's happiness and peace of mind are conveyed in the classroom and therefore to students.
"All learning thrives in a positive atmosphere, so the greatest benefit is having happy children learning every day: curious children hungry for new knowledge and learning experiences."
Start the year thinking about your teachers, all those people who are part of your team and work alongside you to achieve the same objective.