Community Support

The start of school has been different for me this year.  I started a new position as a professional learning director that enables me to be in several different schools across the state.  Previously my experience at the beginning of the year has been limited to either attending district & building meetings or in more recent years facilitating the tech needs of district meetings and scrambling to make sure the systems and network continue to function properly as the beginning of the year demands approach.
In those roles I was able to see how much that particular community supports the educators in that district.  I have always been impressed with the level of support and generosity poured out on the faculty and staff.
My new position has given me the opportunity to see just how much the communities across this state support their local districts.  We hear how educators are not respected or supported, how they are not treated as professionals or paid what they deserve.  We hear how schools are failing to meet the needs of students.  While all that may be true in some places and felt by some individuals, I want you to know that the vast majority of people do feel as though their school is successful and they do support their local school.
I don't have a vast amount of research to back up my claim.
What I do have is first hand observations of how people are demonstrating their support for local educators (and by educators I mean everyone employed at or in a school district because all are a vital component of educating the students in that district).
Here are some examples of the support I have witnessed in the last few weeks and some ideas you can incorporate on your own.

1. A table/booth at the Welcome Back gathering or new teacher induction meetings.  I know some of you are thinking this is just for advertising purposes.  There is some truth to that statement, but being there with information about what you offer helps the faculty/staff become more at ease in their environment.  Not only that, when they do need those services there has already been a personal contact made and when the educator walks into that business they are likely to see a face they recognize and immediately feel at ease.  
2. Providing "SWAG" to faculty and staff when they report at the beginning of the year.  This is often in the form of key-chains, notepads, pencils, erasers and bags.  Usually these are emblazoned with the logo of the business, but most of these items are things that can be used in the classroom or in some cases teachers will put them in a "Student Store" for students to trade for credit/tickets they have earned.  This can save teachers money that they would have had to spend on treasure chest/store items they would have needed to purchase.  
3. Food has been present at several of the meetings I have traveled to.  In most cases this is provided by the Public School Foundation or local businesses.  This has been handled in a variety of ways, but ultimately if you care enough to provide food, it opens up an entirely different realm of hospitality and community that goes beyond many of the other forms of support.  Here are some of the food options I have observed:
1. Donuts-quick, easy and relatively inexpensive.  Call your local donut shop, order dozens of the calorie rich delights and if you throw in some juice or coffee you will have a friend for life (maybe not for life, but at least until the sugar leaves their system).  If you spring for the fancy, ultra-decorated donuts from the area donut specialty shop you earn bonus points.  
2. Kolaches in the minds of some, are not much different than donuts. But these are truly in their own category because they often combine meat and bread into one handy container.  Some may be of the fruit variety and be more in the world of a dessert, but either way you have gone above and beyond with this treat.  
3. Breakfast buffets are another way to demonstrate your support and can appeal to more people.  This shows that you have put a little more thought into it and want to be conscientious of those that might not be able to eat the bread, gluten and carbs the previous examples provide.  This often contains fruit, breads, casseroles, meats and for the truly refined palate, biscuits and sausage gravy.  
4. Pizza, hamburgers and hot-dogs are next on the list and of these pizza may be the easiest but could also be the most expensive because you are paying someone else to prepare it for you.  They other two options allow you to cook it on site and in addition to providing the food you can actually serve it to the school employees.  I have witnessed the cookout option carried out very successfully and with a great impact on the people being served. 
4.  Cash/Gift Cards are an unexpected gift to school personnel at the beginning of the year.  This is more than likely something that wouldn't be for all staff, but probably random drawings.  The great thing about this is that at a time when teachers are spending all their extra time at the school getting ready they might not have to worry about preparing a meal because of the gift card/cash they received.  
5. Ready to Cook Meals are another great option and this would be more for individual community members to do.  I mention this one because as a teacher we have had parents do this for us and it was such a blessing.  In fact, we started doing it for teachers as well.  The easy way to do this is to double what you are preparing for your meal and take the second portion (really easy if it is a casserole type item) to the teacher.  They can either warm it or freeze it for later.  To take this one step further, prepare some over the course of the summer and have them in the freezer already, then you can take one to the teacher or even some of the office staff.  

I hope these ideas are something you can benefit from and feel free to share with those you think could use this information. 

Thank you for reading The Cluttered Desk.  You can find me on Twitter @jasonbengs.  Please feel free to comment on the post and share your ideas with me.  You can also leave a response on The Cluttered Desk Flipgrid page if you would like to leave a comment on this or any other post or podcast episode by going to https://flipgrid.com/03fa4e01 If you found any value in this post, please share it with others.