Relationships Really Do Matter!
As a Title I principal, one of my biggest challenges was to hire and retain teachers because the population in my school was challenging for a number of reasons. Word on the street is that it's much easier to teach at the more affluent schools. How did I tackle this?
When I first started in my school, teachers were curious about who I was and what kind of leader I would be. Because of this, most of the staff members before my arrival stayed at the school. I only had three teachers to hire that summer! The following year I lost a couple of teachers to neighboring counties that paid more, and one teacher's communte was horrendous. As my tenure continued, I started to keep track of my attrition rate and the reasons behind teachers' departures. The number one reason was distance. My school was located in far western part of the county that was difficult to get to due to excessive traffic.
How did I retain my core teaching staff over 10 years? Relationships and connections! I spent a lot of time simply talking to my teachers about their personal lives, experiences at my school, and more. I also ensured that they were well-trained to work with a challening population. And,, I ensured that staff members made connections with one another. One teacher even told me that her school collegues were her second family. The positive culture, family atmosphere, and kind approach to leadership created a consistent cadre of teachers most of whom are still there today!
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