Do You Feel Appreciated Today?

     One of the greatest privileges I have had as a teacher is to be a mentor to another teacher.   While I will admit that it is hard to find the time to meet and sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with all the things on my “to do” list, I really look forward to meeting over lunch or after school with my mentees.   It could be the smile on their faces when I bring along a treat that they like to our meeting or maybe it’s the sigh that they release as I just listen to what they say and not try to one-up them in the conversation.  (BTW – that’s #2 on my list of top things that people should not do to each other.  But that’s for another blog post.)   But I think it is just that it gives them a chance to feel appreciated as I share what I have seen or heard from students about the great things going on in their classroom.  Sure it’s my job to give the mentee some counseling in dealing with tough students or lessons that are not working but I feel that the day-to-day anxieties of teaching are so intense at times that everyone needs building up and to feel appreciated.  

     Reading Elena Aguilar’s Edutopia article Teachers: FindingAppreciation at Work reminded me that I need to thank and love on more teachers in my building. Ms. Aguilar says that “ acknowledgements help us feel seen, help us focus on what we need to do more of, and help us feel as if we’re having an impact – which is what all educators in schools want. These feelings build our emotional resilience helping us manage stress and rebound from setbacks.”  YES!  That is exactly what I have been doing with my mentees but I really need to spread the love around my building. 

     Here are just a few of Ms. Aguilar's suggestions for increasing appreciation in your work life:

•         If you don’t feel appreciated appreciate someone else first!  Like the custodian or the administrative assistant who greets and deals more with parents than most of us ever need to.  (Need I say more?)
•        If you don’t feel appreciated by your principal, talk to him.   He needs to hear what may be missing and you are probably not the only teacher with these feelings.  
•       Send notes of appreciation if you can but sending a mental appreciation helps you name the things you are grateful for. 

     Giving appreciation is much more important than receiving it.  I know that full well from loving on my mentees.   So let’s all go ahead and try this with our school staff this week – it’s going to be a good thing for your mood and your view of your school.    

Aguilar, Elena. "Teachers: Finding Appreciation at Work." Edutopia. N.p., 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.