Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Whether it's because of your hard work, act(s) of generosity, dedication, etc, it's nice to know that someone appreciates you. This school year I started teaching at yet another new district. When you've taught at as many schools as I have, you take notes on how things are done.
My current district goes above and beyond to make its staff feel valued and appreciated. We had new teacher training for 3 days, a few weeks ago. During the training days, we were provided lunch, snacks, drinks and door prizes. We also got paid for it and received CEUs for our time. Not every district is willing to do that for new teachers.
And my new principal is AH-MAZ-ING! Before the school year began, she and her mom hosted a beautiful lunch for the new staff as well as key people at the school so we could get to know each other and she could tell us things that the veteran staff already know. During our PD days she made sure breakfast, lunch and snacks were provided for us. One thing that I have never witnessed a principal do but totally LOVE is how she treats ALL staff as equals. The administrators, custodians, SRO, assistants, office staff, and teachers are all together for the professional dev days. She also makes it clear that she expects teachers to clean up messes just as much as she expects custodians to correct students as necessary. Another thing I love that she does is to remind each of us that we are handpicked by her. She makes herself available and is quick to help her staff as needed. As a principal, she makes it a point to make each and every student feel special. She (and a lot of helpers) decorates the school with a new theme every year to make it a special place. The most important thing she does is she addresses each child by name. Like every child. Not just the ones who are always in trouble. That means a lot as a teacher and as a parent.
The community that surrounds the school loves on their teachers. They've provided lunch for us. The PTO heads up a lot to provide for the teachers. The first day of school teachers were provided with a customized coffee drink and cinnamon roll.
These little things, that may seem insignificant, mean the world to me. To know I am appreciated as a teacher and a staff member of a growing district/school makes me want to give 110% all the time. I know that what I do does not go unnoticed and that is something I appreciate more than I could ever express!
