Appreciation

Recently, in a conversation with my department head, I was told, "Thank you so much for the work you do.  The only reason that Latin did not die at this school this year is because of you.  And because of you, it will continue.  We all appreciate everything you've done!"

I was flabbergasted.  That was the probably the 4th time in my teaching career that I have received a heartfelt, sincere thank-you from someone who was not a student or a parent.

For once, I truly felt appreciated.  

So what does it mean to be appreciated anyway? 

I don't believe it means spending that one week out of the year to serve teachers coffee and donuts, though the price break on teacher supplies is nice (Thanks OfficeMax/Staples!)  Believe me, I like the donuts and coffee too.  But that doesn't really make me feel valued as a school employee. 

So what does?  Not having to beg for the supplies I need.  Not having to justify everything (within reason) I want to do with my students.  Not being infantilized.  Not being treated with an attitude of, "Well, you're just a teacher...."  Being listened to when I talk, when I ask questions, when I try to start a dialogue. 

My students find this too.  We always talk about appreciation and thankfulness at the beginning of the year.  Often, when I solicit feedback from my students, they tell me that I am the only teacher (or one of the few teachers) who appreciates them as a fellow human being, and not a 2 year old.  (I argue that 2 year olds are human beings too, but you get the idea.)   Why is this?  When I ask, I get responses such as, "Because you listen to us," "because you don't scream at us when we make a mistake," "because you treat us like we're smart, rather than treating us like we're stupid."

And it makes me sad.  What would happen if we built a true community on appreciation and open dialogue and discussion?  How could we do this?  Would we teachers lose our "authority"?  Did we even have it in the first place?

And what would happen for the teachers?  What would it mean for conversations with the administration and between teachers?

What does being appreciated mean for you? How do we create a culture of sincere appreciation for what we all do?