Week 7 Discussion - Recognizing Staff Accomplishments

Staff recognition is extremely important in building a sense of community in a school. If teachers feel undervalued, they are less likely to try their best at work. One suggestion that I saw in the article that my school does a version of is the "Coke and Smile". At every staff meeting on Wednesdays, my principal encourages the staff to give thank you's and shout outs to other staff members that have made an impact in the previous week. The person that is being acknowledged is also given a piece of candy. I think this is a great way to start the staff recognition process. I like that it comes from the colleagues, however I think that it is also important for administration to recognize and thank staff members as well. 

There were several things that I thought were great ideas in the article, but may not be feasible without the support of the district and access to funds. I think that the most important ways to recognize your staff are the simple one. A note or shout out on the bulletin board goes just as far as something that cost money. Teachers are not in this profession for the money and while the flashy gifts are nice, that is not what is going to resonate with them. I think that as a leader I will try to focus on building culture through small acts of kindness and encourage the staff to do the same thing.