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Teacher turnover is a growing problem. For many schools, trying to retain teachers is like attempting to fill a leaky bucket. No matter how much water you add, too much flows out to keep the bucket full. In this two-part Coach Replay interview, host Cory Camp and Sibme virtual coach John Willis get to the core of the teacher retention crisis and delve into strategies you can apply to keep your educator bucket full.
Download the Episode SummaryFor nearly 30 years, John served in Georgia’s Gwinnett County Public Schools, first as a teacher, then as a district coach and coordinator. His deep experience in the field suggests teachers don’t leave because of stress caused by difficult students. Instead, the difference maker is the level of support provided by administrators to ensure teachers have a healthy work environment. John’s insights are echoed by a 2016 survey conducted by the Learning Policy Institute citing a lack of administrative support, professional development opportunities and in put in the decision-making process, among other reasons, as catalysts for the educator exodus.
In Part One, John discusses the need for administrators to promote psychological safety among teachers. This means that teachers should feel like they are part of a community at their school and that they are safe to learn, safe to meaningfully contribute to a school’s overarching goals and safe to innovate and improve their practice.
In Part Two, John offers the following strategies—discussed in-depth in the episode—that administrators can utilize to create an environment conducive to psychological safety:
The above strategies create a workplace that allows teachers to learn, professionally develop and—eventually—test and adapt best practices to increase student learning and achievement. John’s tactics are aligned with the self-reflection process—discussed by Pete Hall in another Coach Replay episode—in which teachers learn to continuously reflect on their work and modify lesson plans as needed.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix that will address teacher retention for all schools. However, by applying John’s approaches and by using the right professional learning and collaboration platform, administrators can begin to plug the holes of the teaching field’s leaky bucket.
The Sibme Coach Replay Show is a weekly show featuring top-notch instructional coaches and leaders who join our hosts, Cory Camp and Kim Ramadan, to discuss instructional coaching topics and strategies that will enhance and transform your instructional coaching. Episodes air LIVE every Friday on the Sibme's social media channels at 1 P.M. EST and on-demand here or on your favorite podcast platform!
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