School leaders like me find increasingly limited ways to inspire and motivate our teachers and incentivize them in their hard work teaching children in the modern era. This has considerable consequences for teaching and learning. As a 25-year veteran administrator, I say without hesitation that the resources I had the liberty to provide faculty two decades ago were less restrictive, more opportunistic and far fewer obstacles kept me from these supports.
Modern-day options are less flexible and more difficult. However, there is still one commodity that school leaders have great discretion with, contrary to misconceptions, and it is as priceless, or more, today than ever, with so few options available to school leaders.
Teachers value the gift of time
Giving the gift of time is at least as powerful a tool to accomplish my school goals, if not more than, when I had more resources and choice. This is a simple, yet significant resource that too many school leaders worry about giving, and that’s the opposite approach school leaders should take. This resource is time.
Time is a finite resource. When rewarded, they treasure it, often more than money or other resources. Time gives professionals freedom, which is the penultimate sign of respect to professionals, often under pressure to meet requirements that bind their time. This is why it is always so surprising that I often hear “rule followers” repeat a constant refrain to me. Why are you so giving of your time? People will take advantage of you. Be careful. It’s also against the contract. It’s a violation of… What?!? Their well-intentioned comments sound convincing and scary. Yet they are very, very wrong. Why?
Significant evidence shows that teachers value time at least as much as money. Think about it; reducing excessive workloads, where 84% of teachers feel this is too much and reclaiming personal time is critical for preventing burnout and improving well-being. While pay and other incentives remain a factor in teacher satisfaction and retention, working conditions and the burden of uncompensated hours matter when you consider that teachers work significantly more hours and experience higher stress levels than other professionals, contrary to the age-old stereotype that teachers get their summers off. I cannot give money to my faculty, but I can give them time.
Support teachers with coverage
My liberal approach to time helps me to provide unique support to my faculty, especially when they need and appreciate it most. For example, my district requires coverage for teachers when they exceed consecutive hours of student contact time. The summers-off complaint committee may view this as laziness, even selfishness. Wrong again. Educators are professionals, and being in the right frame of mind gives their students the best version of themselves. Nickel and diming time does not translate to the best version. In fact, human nature causes those we marginalize to treat time with a clock-in, clock-out mentality. Can we blame them? If they are expected to follow a scripted schedule without flexibility, they will follow our lead and how we lead matters.
Sometimes, a teacher cannot be covered. This gives me an opportunity for a two-for-one bonus advantage. First, I get to be with kids and leading a school means being present in classrooms, not hidden in my office. Second, teachers see that I am not above mundane duties. Respect is given to those who roll up their sleeves, and this serves as great free advertising. How many teachers run to the faculty dining room where 10 colleagues sit to share, “Wow, Mike generously covered me when I needed it!” That’s an inexpensive commercial!
The reward of time
Giving time rarely costs money, and it remains a discrete option that doesn’t have to be announced like signing off on financial reimbursements. I share examples of ways to give time to teachers and, as importantly, how this has impacted my access to creative opportunities that lead to greater excellence of students and the school community. Let’s begin with anytime a new edict is issued to school leaders, because this happens frequently.. Recently, I encountered an educator who needed to attend to an important matter that warranted her not attending her duty.
It doesn’t matter what this faculty member had to attend to. It was a moral need, and I dismiss literal contract language (shhh) and concrete thinking that leads to bureaucratic paralysis. Too many leaders allow the playing by the rules excuse to immobilize their discretion, and that’s where we lose. Having supported this teacher, who was new to my school through a transfer, she visited me later that week. “Do you have a minute?” she asked. I was busy but stopped to listen. I am thankful I did. I have heard this before, but it never gets old. “If you ever need me for anything, just ask. I don’t care about the contract or what anyone else thinks. I’ll be there for you, just ask!”
As school leaders, think about your unique context. How can you reward teachers with time? Providing them with more of what is limited is valued. If you apply this approach, time and loyalty, which you cannot buy, will return tenfold.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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