#caedchat is for California educators, by California educators. All are welcome as moderators and participants discuss issues that emerge in California education, which are generally applicable to other regions of the United States.
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A1 Many of our schools participated last week. Lots of flowers, treats and special lunches. At the District Office, all of the TOSAs are having a luncheon on Thursday #caedchat
#caedchat A1 . Our parents orgs provided lunch for the staff on Friday. District is hosting a BBQ after school tomorrow. I have some treats for my team. Other than that, not sure.
Shawn here. Assistant Principal in Selma. Thankful for my teachers (current staff at my school AND my own teachers from childhood). Excited for the chat tonight! #caedchat
A1 We are doing a few things at @Compass to celebrate our 61 amazing teachers, including opening Employee of the Year nominations by our scholars. I’ll also be calling each teacher this week to express my thanks & appreciation. And a special item in the mail! #caedchat
Hi #caedchat - David here, HS English teacher, Palo Alto
A1: our parent community always serves a fantastic lunch during the week, and our ASB organized a way for students to send notes of appreciation via Google forms
Q2: How can teachers and admin best show appreciation for the support staff that work in their buildings? How can we give and appreciate others? #caedchat
A2: We have "classified week" after teacher week. Usually involves lunch, a treat, etc. I try to write handwritten notes with specific examples of what I appreciate about then. #caedchat
To SOME (okay, probably MOST). I like the idea from @John_Eick though...literally ASK your teachers how they personally like to be appreciated/celebrated (a Google form with all your other getting-to-know-you questions at the beginning of the year) #caedchat
A2) I love how @HarvestHawks have a wall of stars with individual T names on them... every teacher can write a special message to one another. Admin can too! Pretty neat! @estela_gomez19 Do you have a pic? #caedchat
A2: people have different “Love” languages. Get to know what makes them feel appreciated. Acts of service? Compliments? gifts? Recognition? Know thy staff #caedchat
A2 Our @CompassCs coordinators have created some great online opportunities for our scholars to share words of appreciation & they are passing them along to staff! We are also using @AVID4College & @EnergyBusSchool ideas to express our thanks! #caedchat
#caedchat A2 I like to find unique gifts and treats for the people I work closely with and know well. Teachers at my site "adopt" a classified member and have students make cards and gifts as well as provide treats all support staff.
A2. I have left anonymous notes (with a snack!) in their mailboxes stating something I appreciate them and what they do. Being noticed feels good! #caedchat
A2: We just straight-up call it Staff Appreciation Week and include classified in all our celebrations. #caedchat Interested in your thoughts...is this good? Or should they be celebrated separately?
A2: One thing we did this year was include cut out stars in our lounge with individual names of ALL members at our site then anyone can write words of encouragement on them. This has been a great way to include support staff in the celebration #caedchat
A2 Also, I think appreciation is important all year. It is critical to create a climate that Foster's appreciation and respect for all of the people who help make our school what it is. #caedchat
A2: I usually say hello to every person each day. Acknowledging them with "thank you for the work that you do" is nice to. most with employees who feel invisible custodians and facilities. They work at night in the shadows. Although crucial toward mission success. #caedchat
A3: listen. listen. listen. It is important to model showing appreciation in front of kids as well. As a coach, I really try to express my thanks for all they do for OUR kids. #caedchat
#caedchat I like to tell teachers about cool things their kids did in speech therapy, accomplishments, things they might find funny. (admin too--they don't get a lot of good news.) I think connection contributes to feeling appreciated (it does for me!)
A4 I know we can do better at @CompassCs. We used to have a Staff Spotlight in @WorkplacebyFB, our intranet. We now use @recognizeapp but you can never support, appreciate & celebrate enough. I’d like to bring On the Spot Awards from @ServiceSource1 to CCS! #caedchat
#caedchat A3 I'm lucky to have a great cohort with each member bringing unique abilities and perspective to our planning, prep, implementation. Egos get left behind, we laugh, we listen to and value one another. We recognize our shared goals. #grateful
A3: Always be kind, always be respectful, never ask them to do anything that you aren’t willing to do and most importantly tell them you LOve them. #caedchat
A3 Our site has "attitude of gratitude" weekly posts sent on monday where any staff member can give a shout out to someone who made theri week a little more special. This includes support staff as well. Makes looking forward to monday emails a bit more meaningful! #caedchat
A3: showing each other respect is big. Sometimes staff and faculty walk around with an air of importance which prevents them from acknowledging each other. Amazing how a little respect goes a long way toward mission success. #caedchat
I like it to be staff appreciation week--there is no IEP related service provider appreciation week (or whatever it would be called). Unless you want a specific day for every kind of staff member (IDK, you may) I say go for it all at once. #caedchat.
#caedchat A3 we take the time to take a break and do something fun once in a while. A team lunch, poolside planning at someone's house. Salad bar days where we all bring stuff for salad to share. Whatever we come up with.
A3: Sorry to be a little cynical here, but if you appreciate teachers all year long, you are probably already SHOWING that appreciation! Kind words, cards, emails, etc. If you're not doing that...hmm. #caedchat
A3) Let then know they are doing a good job! Give them praise at staff meetings, give them a thank you during walk-throughs, help them grow. Tweet out their valuable stories, thoughts and ideas,let them know you care... the list is endless! #caedchat
A4: We need to respect ourselves. Stop saying "I'm just a teacher". Make that positive so loud! I want people to be jealous of our profession...we help kids do amazing things! #caedchat
A4: I hope in 2023, teachers feel appreciated/supported by society-at-large, by the press, by our president, by our legislators, by the parents at their school...not just one week a year from the PTA/admin #caedchat
#caedchat A4: teachers embrace and improve cultural sensitivity pursuits. Greater student engagement -- family contributions result in greater engagment which helps teachers. Schools have greater funding. More equality among different school systems.
A4: In 2023, teacher appreciation festivities will be easier to organize because teachers will have more flexible time in their workday, typically used for ongoing professional learning and deep collaboration
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A4) I hope that at the forefront of
all school conversations is ‘building a positive school climate’ One that promotes trust, relationships, respect, connections, collaboration, community & transparency.... #caedchat
A5a: As an Induction mentor, I experienced this first hand. I found that you can't just offer suggestions or start with, "well, I did it this way"... Have to be humble and let them find their way too. A push/pull ... #caedchat
A4 In 5 years, & sooner - a greater voice in the school community. Something we are striving for at @CompassCs, haven’t gotten it right yet but continue to try new ways to create opportunities to be involved. Trying to break down some silos. #WorkinProgress#caedchat
A5: Veterans can offer an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, words of wisdom, encouragement, assistance with planning, advice about class managent, communication tools to name a few #caedchat
#caedchat A5: new teachers embrace technology and new initiatives more easily. Although veteran teachers have a wealth of knowledge to share -- success stories and failures along with self imposed limits i.e. deficiencies. Discussing all aspects ensures greater success in future
The prospect of teacher shortages is a crisis/opportunity kind of situation. We should have clear expectations about improving learning and the profession, and work together to bring those changes to fruition #caedchat
#caedchat A5 veteran Ts need to remember they were also new once. and the best way to support is to see the value of what we can learn from new Ts. Help them keep things simple, not overwhelm themselves, held draw them into your schools unique community. Include them, value them
A3: Let others know they are appreciated- when they are. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you it’s “time”. Words are free & take “non-time”- yet have an amazing power. #wordsmatter#caedchat
A5a)Encourage them to problem solve, support them but let them know it’s ok to try something new! Be a good listener!
A5b) Collaborate with them & be always willing to share new ways to do things! #caedchat
A5 I’d love to see more mentoring opportunities, informal & formal. I’ve personally appreciated mentoring programs & find value in building community inside & outside the school. #caedchat
A5: agreed - though I’ve been modeling less than I’d like to admit this year, we should be asking new staff members to share their expertise, and help us reflect on our practice. Model reflection, curiosity, humility
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A veteran teacher who mentored me back when I taught was instrumental in how I do things now. She helped me to see multiple perspectives, encouraged me to follow my passion and shared stories I could always learn from! #caedchat
A6: Many businesses offer deals for teachers this week :) It may be fun for a business to partner with a local school. Sometimes we don't need "things" we just need to know that what we do matters. #caedchat
A6: Educators need to tell their stories in a more public way. Schools and districts need to share the amazing stories of the individual schools and the schools in their https://t.co/ZWvGHb0Vp4 our own best advocates. People respond to personalized communication #caedchat
#caedchat A6: reinforcement and acknowldegement from all sides. Anyone who says -- "you never learn anything useful in school to help you be successful in the real world" -- need to realize that they are harming society not improving it. We need to work together!
#caedchat great question, I’m not sure I have a great answer. I suppose it all boils down to fostering those relationships, not just for teacher appreciation week but all year long.
A6 We have to continue to involve the entire community as we celebrate our staff, teachers, counselors, classified, special education, administration. We have to continue to educate the community on our role in preparing tomorrow’s leaders! #caedchat
A6: I think this piece is missing so often from most of our schools/districts...how can we tie in to the resources that are available in our communities? We need to do a better job. Not just for teacher appreciation, but for meeting student and family needs. #caedchat
A7: We have to actively show appreciation everyday, especially so our students can see. We must model the expected behavior for our students. WE are shaping our country's future. Lead by example! #caedchat
A7 @CompassCs boarded the @EnergyBusSchool to help us enhance & expand our positive culture & share those resources w/our entire community. From the Love Your Passenger campaign to Fuel Your Bus, opening the door to appreciation. #caedchat
You rocked tonight @ArcherEdTech. I always love when you moderate. Still have my perfect attendance going. See you all next week. Love to you all #caedchat
