The state should consider the welfare and morale of Teachers
Teaching is a tough profession with a sometimes steep learning curve. It can be rewarding, infuriating, thrilling, and difficult all at once.
Teachers who are devoted and enthusiastic can create a rewarding learning environment for their pupils and unlock their full performance potential. They enjoy their jobs because they make an impact.
Teachers are the true experts in education, not the pundits you see on television waxing lyrical about various policy issues.
They are the curriculum’s planners, designers, implementers, and evaluators. Without a question, the teacher is the most important individual in the field of education. The influence of teachers on learners is incalculable.
Sadly, though, instructors are not acknowledged enough. According to a 2017 survey by the Learning Policy Institute in the United States, ninety percent of available teaching positions are due to people leaving the profession.
While retirements play a role, the survey found that two-thirds of teachers leave for other reasons, with the majority claiming work unhappiness.
Therefore, how precisely can education stakeholders support instructors and recruit new ones? Successful schools have faculty members that are respected, fulfilled, content, and pleased to teach there.
Teachers desire to be glad to be employed by their school or government, to like their occupations, and to be supported in their efforts to perform important, gratifying work.
Given this, a crucial criterion for evaluating the efficiency of school administrators is their role to creating a positive working place for teachers.
Teachers urge their school administration to recognize the primacy of classroom instruction. They desire that the administration’s primary objective be to support teachers and the education program.
In contrast, teaching and teachers should not be viewed as subservient to the needs and convenience of administration.
Teachers want administrators to recognize the work they provide outside the classroom. Teachers who devote significant time to coaching and funding teams and clubs want their efforts to be recognized and valued.
While teachers may not necessarily expect to be compensated extra for this work, they do want their efforts to be taken into account when they require special treatment, such as time off for personal or emergency concerns.
Those school systems that wish to retain their top personnel should implement effective strategies and procedures to help their new teachers, beginning with a friendly and efficient hiring process, continuing through the induction place, and concluding with mentoring during the first year.
Otherwise, there is a great likelihood that these excellent educators will leave the profession. The most effective strategy to help educators is to listen to them. Teachers understand better than anybody else how schools function, what students require, and what they require to perform their best work.
However, they are one of two groups from which no one solicits input: children and instructors. They will disagree, and you will receive opposing suggestions. But at least they feel acknowledged, consulted, listened to, and respected when administrators construct a school culture around the experiences of the building’s most knowledgeable individuals.
Academic success
One of the best places to begin is by ensuring that every school has a principal who understands their role as school leader, to support teachers and teacher growth as the key lever for student success, and to promote a district-wide culture of learning that balances pursuit of academic success with nurturing healthy school climate, including initiatives that attend to teacher and student well-being, rather than a singular focus on test score improvement.
And foster teacher leadership by pressuring principals to embed teachers in the decision-making and leadership of mission-critical activities at every school.
Principals should foster a favorable working environment for instructors. Teachers flourish in schools with a healthy climate.
Teachers want and need all of the characteristics that create a strong school atmosphere, such as involvement, motivation, kind words, and connectedness, so that they do not feel alone. And school administrators should be strong proponents of this.
The government should also take the lead in promoting the growth of teachers. One of the most effective methods to accomplish this is to provide inexperienced educators with multiple opportunities to observe skilled, high-performing veteran colleagues.
This is most effectively accomplished in small groups guided by an experienced administrator, followed by a debriefing session. When told they need to improve, the majority of educators feel insulted.
Why teacher turnover is significant
According to research, an effective educator is the most essential element influencing student accomplishment. The impact of highly successful instructors is highest at schools with a high proportion of kids from low-income backgrounds or children of color.
Finding persons who can act as curriculum designers, carers, and problem-solvers, among other roles, is even more vital for student success than hiring qualified and effective teachers.
Teaching has never been a vocation for the faint of heart, but the current state of public education has greater hurdles than ever before. Increasing numbers of teachers are disillusioned with the responsibilities and duties of being a classroom teacher.
Labor conditions
The rigors of high-stakes testing, lack of administrative support, inadequate salary, and bad working conditions are causing teachers to be increasingly dissatisfied, according to survey data. More teachers are reevaluating their dedication to education and leaving the field permanently due to job stress.
The cost of teacher turnover extends to the government, students, and employees. The high cost of turnover has a negative effect on student progress, upsets the environment for the remaining personnel, and affects profitability.
The frequent turnover of teaching faculty each year causes communities to lose faith in the teaching profession.
Teacher remuneration and benefits
Compensation is one of the most critical components of an effective retention scheme. The teacher pay gap is a factor when instructors decide to leave the profession, albeit remuneration is rarely the primary cause.
When compared to workers with comparable levels of education, abilities, and experience, teachers are regularly paid less.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KusNET) signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on July 13, 2021.
Accordingly, the Employment and Labour Relations Court registered the CBAs on August 27, 2021, as required by Section 60 of the Labour Relations Act. However, increased taxation and the rising cost of living will continue to fuel the trend of compensation-related teacher turnover.
The government must make concerted efforts to improve teacher salary, in addition to identifying and addressing other compensation-related issues that effect teacher attrition.
While salary is highly important, instructors should also be offered additional benefits and incentives.
In a survey conducted by the Graide Network (a U.S.-based online platform that connects teachers with qualified teaching assistants to grade and provide detailed feedback on student assignments), recognition, appreciation, and encouragement were cited as essential factors for teachers to feel supported in their work.
Teachers want to feel respected as professionals and have a voice in their organization’s decision-making process.
Positive and improvement-focused feedback from school officials is the most important factor for teachers.
A robust overall incentives program (including non-monetary benefits) boosts recruiting and retention efforts and can be the deciding factor in whether or not a teacher remains in the profession.
The government must spend energy, time, and resources into teacher support and retention programs in order to leave a legacy of excellent teachers and high student accomplishment.
Given the numerous demands of operating an educational system, teacher development and training may appear secondary to the numerous programs that are at the forefront of student accomplishment and success.
Investing in teachers is ultimately an investment in pupils. This is what creates a successful educational system.
The state should consider the welfare and morale of Teachers
