Week 7 Discussion - Recognizing Staff Accomplishments

As you read the journal article (link below), which one bullet point under "First, the Basics," have you seen at work in your school?

I have seen the "Anyone Can Be a Star" at work in my school. My principal will recognize exceptional teachers and ask them to share their passion, strategies, and successes with other staff members. Because we all have areas that we are talented in, it allows multiple teachers to share their gifts. It also makes teachers feel special to have their talents recognized. 

 Is there one of these suggestions that you believe is more important than all the rest? Which one or ones can you see making a part of your building leadership? 

I believe that all of the recognitions are important, but the "Teacher of the...." resonates with me the most. Teacher of the Year has always been a consistent acknowledgement that teachers vote on every year, but it is biased. Some teachers have multiple friends in the building, are favored more, or are more popular than others, but that does not constitute the biggest picture. Popularity and effectiveness are two different things. My goal as a leader would be to recognize a different teacher each month. I like the idea of having a parking spot, photo, celebration, gift card, and other nice gestures for the winner each month. That not only boosts the morale, but it allows other teachers to be in the spotlight, as well. I am going to bring this suggestion up to my administrative staff. Teacher of the Year also has criteria that Teacher of the Month would not necessarily have to embody. The Teacher of the Year has to be a teacher for 3 or more years. Teacher of the Month would not have any of those stipulations, so anyone can be recognized. This would be a much better process and recognition system, along with the Teacher of the Year system.