Listen to "Principal SEL: What's it look like? ft. Dr. Mark T. Greenberg" on Spreaker.One of the best predictors of teachers leaving their school and the profession altogether is the quality of their principal. A high quality principal has the ability to develop strong relationships with teachers, to be a good listener, and to set goals for the school to be a healthy, caring, and supportive environment. Unfortunately, most principals don’t have training in this area, while the focus of their training remains on test scores, accountability, and instructional leadership – rather than on how to be the social emotional leader of their school.
Listen to "Are education systems designed to care for teachers? ft. Dr. Mark T. Greenberg" on Spreaker.While there are strategies that can help teachers become more resilient and better manage job stress – like yoga programs, nutrition lessons, and initiatives that encourage physical activity – these strategies often don’t target the root causes of stress. If teachers are experiencing very high rates of stress that’s impacting student learning and causing them to leave the profession, then we need to shift our focus to organizational approaches – changing whole school cultures, redesigning jobs to reduce workload, and engaging teachers in a participatory environment. Our education systems aren’t designed to care for teachers.
