World Teachers’ Day 2012 will be special for over 8000 teachers across Australia. Thanks to the dedication and commitment of leaders in Happy Schools, over 8000 teachers across Australia will receive a handwritten note of thanks to mark World Teachers’ Day.
The response to our offer of FREE postcards for schools who subscribe to receive Happy School articles has been awesome. Over 8000 postcards have been sent to school leaders to mark World Teachers’ Day in Australia. The school leaders have committed to writing a personal message of thanks to each of their teachers and sending them through ‘snail mail’. Whilst sending the postcards through the post is a cost, the impact will be worth it! We rarely get much in the post these days – except window faces envelopes containing bills.
I’m really looking forward to hearing of teachers receiving the postcard at their home and realising how much their work is appreciated. Most staff in schools don’t get enough feedback. A personal message of appreciation is really important and very powerful. Making this effort on World Teachers’ Day is a tremendous start.
Daniel Pink’s research on motivation highlights the significance of intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation. However the intrinsic motivation comes from how we think about and talk to ourselves. A word of appreciation from others can be very powerful in encouraging us to realise how important our work is.
Teacher morale has been suffering of late as staff have been inundated with change. Many teachers are suffering change fatigue. Increased accountability and a push for transparency has led to many teachers feeling stressed and undervalued. The status of teachers has also been affected.
Through this initiative we are keen to make a difference. Even if it is just a ripple, it needs to start somewhere.
If you are a Happy School subscriber and you haven’t got your postcards yet, email us urgently. Schools that are not yet a subscriber can purchase postcards for $1 each plus p & h (or even better become a subscriber today and you can get them for FREE). Make World Teachers’ Day 2012 memorable.