8 Ways to Support School Staff This Fall
In our school district, school begins again tomorrow. It feels like we just exhaled from last year and somehow, we’re diving in again. At registration for our kids, I was surprised at the amount of new faces among the staff.
I’d read about the alarming number of educators leaving the profession. A recent survey by the National Education Association shared that 55% of its members were considering leaving the profession. 55%. More than half. The people with whom our children spend more of their waking hours than with me when school is in session. It’s a heavy number.
The litany of challenges are long (see above and click here to read the whole report). But why write about them on a Christian formation blog?
I can think of three reasons:
I believe we have a scriptural mandate and cultural responsibility to care about those who are carrying burdens and especially those in the city in which we live (see Galatians 6:2, Jeremiah 29:7, Romans 12:15)
As we seek Jesus’ way, we care about just systems that more accurately embody the kingdom of God. Issues in education disproportionately affect teachers, students, and communities of color, meaning that if we care about future generations of image bearers, we have to know about and care about what affects the most vulnerable and historically discriminated against groups
How we treat our teachers/staff is a way to shine a light in our community (see Matthew 5:16). In my experience, supporting school staff has lead to positive views of the faith communities helping out, spiritual conversations, and opportunities to pray with folks who may or may not have a church family surrounding them.
I know not all of you reading this have school age kiddos. Or know much about the schools in our areas. Or you educate at home. Or are in another helping profession. Maybe you’ve wanted to help but haven’t known what to do.
I’ve compiled 10 ways you can support teachers/staff and thereby care about hundreds of kids in our community:
Pray, pray, pray for our schools, our staff, our students and our community. A couple years ago, I was invited to shadow a Moms in Prayer group for another local elementary school. It was amazing. The organization provides resources with scripture and prompts to cover our schools with hope for protection, peace, and God’s presence. No matter if you are a mom or grandfather or young adult who cares about local kids, this website has pages of prayers you can print and use alone or with a group.
2. Write a note of encouragement. When we surveyed our school staff as to what they needed in terms of teacher appreciation (my role on our school’s PTO), many, many individuals reported that they desired encouragement or thanks. One of the lovely things that our friends at Trinity Presbyterian did for our school staff is have members write cards for staff mailboxes on behalf of a grateful community. Find a card, send an email, write a note and leave it on the windshield at a staff parking lot. Words are fuel for tired souls.
3. Be aware of outside of school challenges that affect staff. When our school’s administrative assistant lost her husband to cancer, a group of parents put together a grief basket for her that was a beautiful show of love she appreciated on her leave. Sometimes, we’ll buy a coffee gift card and ask the front desk staff which teacher or staff member has had the hardest week and then put it in his/her mailbox. We’ve sent an e-gift card to Dominoes pizza to a teacher who had several family challenges one month and didn’t need to think about making dinner.
4. Along that vein: adopt a teacher, a school, a grade-level. I’ve heard this over and over from teachers last year, “I just wish someone would adopt us.” This is where retirees or those who don’t have young children can shine. When we were at Harrisonburg Mennonite, we had classes of older adults who would sponsor or provide a lunch for a grade level each month. Changes to a huge system can be hard to process so sometimes narrowing our focus to loving hard on one group can be helpful—and a good project for a group or family.
5. Always and forever food. Whether you partner with a PTO, gather a few families to offer a meal, rally individuals to provide a type of treat, food both blesses those working with children, allows children to see that being a part of a community means caring for one another, and allows for participation and giving of blessing instead of only receiving one from those who provide service. We’ve done easy themed treats (everyone bring something yellow), potluck meals (soup and salad or breakfast) and a hot cocoa bar in winter. If everyone pitches in, it’s an easy way to show solidarity.
6. Think small, frequent, simple and low-cost when it comes to showing love. Sending treats in our kids backpacks or folders has ripple effects throughout the day as staff feel encouraged and touched by whimsy. It used to be an apple for the teacher. Now it can be a tea bag, a flower picked from the garden, an extra granola bar with a thank you note, a pack of cute paper clips you found at a thrift store. I’ve talked to so many staff last year who said little acts of kindness made them want to stay in the game.
7. Look for overlooked helpers. Those who don’t get the notes and the praise and the time with a team of co-workers. Last year, our family brought coffees and hand warmers to the support staff who worked the freezing morning drop off line. A few years ago, our church provided a meal for the cafeteria workers who remarked how nice it was to sit down and eat together. Several parents went in on a massage gift card for our school nurse for whom the last three years have been a whirlwind. The school counselors have so much secondary trauma from the stories they hold—a latte doesn’t fix it all, but it does say we know you are carrying burdens and we are praying for you.
8. Become an advocate for teachers and schools. Also from the NEA report above were different proposals to address educator burnout. Notice none of these involve donuts or cutting out lamination or throwing a teacher appreciation week. We’d joke last year as we handed out bagels that we wished it were paid leave instead.
Loving our staff and schools and community kids through acts of solidarity and compassion are HUGE in terms of morale and building relationships. However, we can’t stop there or we are just putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. We need to work to rally for systems that would mean teachers (or nurses or other helping professions) wouldn’t need an appreciation week because they’d have more of what they need regularly.
We need to pray AND we need to care about primary elections.
We need to slip notes in mailboxes AND we need to write our legislators about issues important to us.
The NEA and Virginia Education Association have websites that outline legislation and action steps trying to improve education. The National Conference of State Legislatures has a bill tracking page that allows you to read and learn about education legislation currently in process on a variety of issues.
Is it boring stuff? Yes, if I’m honest. Is it necessary to pray with our voices and also with our typing fingers and walking feet, yes, I believe so.
We have an opportunity this year to celebrate, encourage, advocate for and come alongside those who are forming our children and the children of our community. We have the opportunity to work so that dedicated staff stay where they are needed most. May we let our lights shine so that the web of our community might be strengthened and look more like a place where Jesus is king.
