February 2014 | Volume 71 | Number 5

Building School Morale

An Open Letter on Teacher Morale

Dina Strasser

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"What do you do–and what do you need–to stay sane?" This is what an educator asked a group of teachers and administrators in the Rochester City School District, one of the poor-performing school districts that the governor of that state had referred to as needing a "death penalty." The educators repeatedly noted five items that build and sustain school morale: (1) Give teachers what they ask for; (2) communicate often and effectively; (3) treat teachers like adults; (4) navigate the system to get things done; and (5) remember that morale is a side-effect and not a function of practices designed to maintain or create it. The author suggests that if some of the items on the educators' wish list make readers angry–"angry because our educational system is broken so badly … that it results in such a list"–then they should do something about it.