I recently read an article entitled “Revolving Door Of Teachers Costs Schools Billions Every Year” which discussed many of the reasons why there is such a high turnover rate among teachers. I recognized many of these reasons as being the same ones that result in staff leaving in other human service positions as well.
The article states that, “One of the main factors is the issue of voice, and having say, and being able to have input into the key decisions in the building that affect a teacher’s job.” This point resonated with me more than any of the others in the article. So often in my own career in human services I and my co-workers would become frustrated by rules, procedures, and client interventions that made no sense to us, and that we had no input in creating. I see this as being a major contributing factor in many of my coworkers’ decisions to leave.
In The Mandt System, we talk about how we create and support effective teams. One of the ways we do this is by seeking and valuing the insights of everyone involved. As the article says, “The idea is to bring everyone on board — even bring students on board and figure out what policies do you want, how they’re going to be enforced, and what would be the sanctions.” By doing this we help everyone feel supported and can be much more effective in getting cooperation and buy-in from those involved. This process also treats people with dignity and respect and helps them to feel valued in their jobs. I wonder how many of my coworkers may have stayed around longer if they had experienced more of this in their work environments.
If you are interested, you can read the entire article here. http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/03/30/395322012/the-hidden-costs-of-teacher-turnover?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150331
Doug ZehrVogt, Mandt Faculty
