I know you’ve all done well to see your school survive in 2020. Through your experience and knowledge, and not minding the whole pandemic, you were able to keep learning in your school one way or the other.
That was great, but you can even do better.
This is 2021 where the competition to stay in business as a school will get fiercer. Apart from the fact that you need to get students, teachers retention is also important. You do not want a new school taking away your teachers from you. Don’t say that is not possible, schools are growing, and there is a possibility that one is coming to your area soon.
How then do you survive?
This is a question you should ask yourself. It won’t get easy. This is the time you need a real plan on how to retain students and teachers, improve your standard of learning, and make more money.
Back to teachers retention…
One mistake that school owners make is focusing on students alone and neglecting their teachers. Small private schools most especially are bad when it comes to retaining their teachers – they wear them off, care less about them, and the teachers eventually resign. What they do not know is that this affects the student-teacher relationships negatively. As a school, you are fond of changing teachers every term, don’t you think it will take time before your students even get used to the new teacher?
If you then wish to operate like the big schools this time, I will share some teacher retention tips with you.
1. Trust your teachers
No one is saying you should place the documents of your school into the hands of your teachers. But as your worker, they are entitled to trust. It has been discovered that most school owners do not trust their teachers, they are always on a mission to pick a fault – this makes the teacher be uncomfortable.
No one can work in an environment where they are not given peace of mind. The teacher will not even be able to deliver well after some time. Such a teacher will definitely leave after being paid for that particular month. It is a known thing, your teachers will trust you if you trust them, they are your colleague, not your slaves.
2. Appreciate your teachers
Really this is it! An appreciated teacher works better. Everyone loves when they are praised for doing something right. Apart from your teachers working to be paid, they are also working to get your approval. Do not be the administrator that dwells only on the negative and neglects the positive. If you want a teacher to stay, praise them when they’ve done something good. This even prompts them to do better.
3. Be empathetic
Do you have a personal relationship with your teachers? Are you aware of their personal issues, goals, and families? You need to put yourself in their shoe at times. Yes you employ them, but you can’t go about commanding them – that won’t work in 2021.
This is for those that pay peanuts as salary. You’d expect them to come to school early looking sharp and clean when you hardly pay enough to even sustain their family. Be empathetic in your dealing with your teachers, care about their life outside the classroom. The relationship you build with them would also reflect on how they work in the classroom.
4. Respect your teachers
Do you realize that they are also human beings like you? You do not go about shouting and nagging. No one will perform well in an environment where they are not respected. Sort out negative doings professionally. The moment you burst out at a teacher for single wrongdoing, that teacher would find it difficult to perform well throughout that day.
Respect promotes growth. If the environment is a positive one, the teachers will always be happy to show up for work in the morning. Try asking some teachers, they are frustrated with working in a toxic environment. But they still show up because they do not have another place. Once they get a better option, they will leave.
5. Accept your Wrong
You read it right. Because you are the school owner does not mean you know it all, you are not perfect. When you make mistakes, you must admit them. Say sorry when necessary, even to your teachers.
It is sad that we have school owners who try to push fault on their teachers for what they’ve done wrong. Try to imagine you are the one being blamed for what you did not do, how would you feel? Accept when you are wrong, and apologize.
The most valuable resources in any organization are the people. Only a staff that is treated well will be productive and work towards the growth and development of such an organization. The same principle applies to schools and teachers too. Once you put these tips into practice, there will be a change in your school.
