By Ellis Davidson
Happy teachers make happy students, and happy students learn faster!
I learned this as an educator over 21 years. You will have days where not everyone is happy, especially if you teach teens. However, I have found that for students, happy memories of school correlate with better academic performance. We remember classrooms where we felt comfortable to speak up, and we remember the teacher’s high level of engagement. Such classrooms feed intrinsic motivation.
To perform well a teacher has to be comfortable. Job security is paramount. Even financially strapped school systems improve when teachers feel secure and valued.
Often that feeling of security appears to dissipate for some expat teachers. Many are dedicated professionals who have uprooted their families and their lives, to be a part of a monumental education reform. These expats are moved by the story of the great Sheikh Zayed, his vision, and his commitment to a globally aware student.
All over the world, teachers intrinsically love their jobs. Any study on motivation will show the most motivated and energetic people are those who are comfortable, and able to be creative. Because they are happy they work harder and better. Paradoxically, it doesn’t take that much to make teachers happy, and when teachers are happy, their energy transfers to students, who are able to learn faster in an environment of contentment.
When teachers arrive here they are excited. They bring their expertise and training. With a suitcase of clothes and a second full of instructional resources, they embark on an adventure. They are told they are valued; they are needed, respected, and important. Most are aware of the awesome responsibility and opportunity to exact meaningful change in a progressive and impressive country.
Like many cultures around the world teachers here are schooled on the top-down model here. They also quickly learn that they are discouraged to give their input. This drains their motivation, and impacts their performance. English-Medium Teacher veterans, and Arabic-Medium Teachers suggest; ‘Don’t ask why,’ ‘don’t get noticed,’ ‘do your job, but not too well,’ ‘there is no reward for taking risks’. Many teachers have learned this the hard way: through perfunctory evaluations, quick transfers, and sudden terminations. Often one hears that his or her voice does not matter because a supervisor has already decided. If there is a rare opportunity to make one’s case, he or she hears “you can’t change things,” “that’s the way it is,” or “the boss rules”.
Teachers are encouraged not to speak out about unexplained changes, not make comments about how things run, and to accept everything without stakeholder input. This is counter-intuitive to the training teachers receive. The very qualities that make them qualified become a liability.
News of these insecurities spread across social media, propelling the rumour mill into overdrive. Nervous teachers start to withhold their ideas. They second-guess their own efforts, and their jobs.
But all this has to change if education is to improve. Indeed it is historical opportunity, a moral imperative. It won’t cost money; it takes only better communication. We need to listen to each other, ask and discuss. We want our students to raise their hands and ask “why” and “what if”. We should model this courage as leaders. We can’t stifle creativity. We want to help students become independent thinkers. And it all begins with giving the teacher a voice…
Remember, happy teachers make happy students, and happy students learn faster!
