How motivated are your teachers? Do they love to come to work each day?
Do they feel supported and have the tools they need to do their job?
The answer might surprise you.
Did you know that early education teachers experience the LEAST amount of personal freedom compared to almost ANY other job in our country?
Think about it… a day in the life of a preschool teacher! They are inside a room with one other adult and surrounded by children ALL day.
Think about all of the simple things that almost any other profession is able to do throughout their day that they probably take for granted…
- Being able to get up and go stretch their legs if they want to.
- Taking five minutes to go to the bathroom without asking anyone for permission first.
- Making an important personal call when needed.
- Taking a break from their co-worker if they are having a conflict or need a little space.
And we wonder why this low paying job as a child care provider or early education teacher is a high turnover position. It is no surprise that the average industry turnover year-over-year for preschool teachers is 35%.
Having personal freedom and managing conflict and having very little empowerment in your work environment is a BIG DEAL and pre-school teachers NEED your support in order have the motivation to overcome these challenges and show up day after day.
So let’s talk about four ways that we can give teachers a better experience, a better career, a motivational REASON to come to work every day.
1. Empowerment
Give teachers the ability to manage their classrooms the way they want. You can still hold them accountable to your school’s standards, but let them do it their own way. Do NOT micromanage them. Give them empowerment.
2. Opportunities for Leadership and Growth
Provide opportunities for them to grow and expand even if it is not reflected in the organizational chart. Encourage them to become a resident expert about a certain topic or become a project leader or a mentor to fellow teachers. Then PAY them for their extra work!
3. Support in the Classroom
Walk through your teachers classrooms EVERY DAY. Plan to spend 5 minutes in each class and make sure the teachers have everything they need. ASK them if there is anything you can get them. Be available to them and let them know you will schedule one-on-one time to talk with them if they need it. Make sure they feel SUPPORTED in their classroom.
4. Provide Classroom Supplies
Teachers pay for approximately 87% of their classroom supplies. We all know teachers don’t make a huge amount of money. Give them what they need for their classrooms. Don’t make them buy their own supplies.
Consider these four tips for motivating your teachers and sit down and create a plan for incorporating these practices into your child care center’s management.
Let your teachers KNOW you know how hard the job is, how little personal freedom they have and that you want to SUPPORT them.
Empower them. Provide them with opportunities for leadership and growth. Be available. Give them the supplies they need. Then, take a step back and observe how much your teachers’ job satisfaction and motivation improves.
