As teachers, we may not always get acknowledgement for what we do in the school.
It is great to start a culture of acknowledgement for the good work that each of the teachers is doing in school.
Through this initiative, we can cultivate the culture of encouraging one another as well as knowing the good practices that our school teachers are doing in their classrooms.
Praise and Appreciation Time (PAT)
Every child feels great whenever their friends or parents give them a pat for the good work done.
It is the same for adults especially for beginning teachers who are still searching for their identity as a teacher.
In school, the school leader can set a time to give the acknowledgement of the good work done by different teachers for the previous week during the regular staff meeting.
The school leaders may not know everything that is happening within the school so they can invite teachers, who see the good things being done by their fellow colleagues, to give them a short description for a teacher who has done something that they feel is good and deserve the recognition.
PAT gives recognition to teachers as well as provides practical ideas that teachers are doing in the classrooms.
Note of recognition and appreciation
The school can also provide notepad where teachers are encouraged to drop a note secretly on the tables of teachers that they notice something good is being done in their classrooms.
A personal note is a great way as it can be kept and it really motivates teachers.
Some teachers even pin them on their cupboard as a motivational reminder.
It can also be a good evidence of good work during major interviews like leadership positions.
With the notes being placed on the tables of teachers, there can be highly motivated school culture for good practices.
Recognition Board
There are schools that have recognition boards in the Staff Room where the mention of the good work is being displayed as a form of recognition and encouragement.
It is like how we showcase our students’ class work on the class noticeboard.
It is another form of recognition to acknowledge the good work done by teachers.
Praise form for parents and students
This is a good way of getting appreciation notes from parents and students.
The school can provide a mailbox to collect these appreciation notes and pass them to the teachers.
This gives teachers a strong awareness of what they are doing right with acknowledgement from parents and students.
The school leaders can also find out the things that they have done and share these great practices with other teachers.
In conclusion
By regularly focusing the good things, teachers will be encouraged to continue with them and there will be more good things to share and model by others.
With the modern society where many tend to complain more than praise so it is a great way to start a culture of praise.
The ripple effect can even impact other schools who do not have a PAT programme.
Reference:
Lawler III, E. E. (1973). Motivation in work organizations.
Disclaimer: This is my personal reflection and I am not in any position to instruct anyone what they should do. I am not responsible for any action taken as a result of this post. My post can only be a reference for your further research and growth. By reading this post, you acknowledge and accept that. All images and pictures were taken from google images that are free from copyright under labelled for reuse.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://fun2learn.vornix.blog/2018/09/15/catch-me-teaching-right-using-the-pat-programme/