Here's the most important question for a school leader to ask as a new year starts: "How can I cultivate emotional resilience in teachers?"
Focusing on resilience as a goal also offers an opportunity to go beyond simply preventing burnout. Resilience is about not just surviving but thriving in life. And school leaders should be committed to creating the conditions in which educators can thrive. This might help retain teachers, and it may mean they'll continue to be dedicated to growing their practice, cultivating warm and inviting classrooms, and volunteering to support and guide new teachers.
Here are five ways that principals can create the conditions in which resilience can flourish, helping educators (and kids) so they might thrive.
1. Accept emotions. Teaching is emotional labor. Human beings have emotions. When teachers demonstrate emotions, you don't have to fix them. People often feel better when their emotions are simply acknowledged.
2. Prioritize improving relationships with students. When teacher burnout has been studied, student behavior has been the top complaint to which secondary teachers attributed their own burnout.
3. Make it normal and acceptable to seek help. Teachers tend to keep their doubts and concerns about their practice from colleagues for fear of appearing vulnerable and inadequate. Create a climate in which asking questions, taking risks, making mistakes, and asking for advice is valued and appreciated.
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