Sometimes the smallest ideas can help buoy your staff and remind them of their purpose and your schoolâs mission. Thatâs why we love this fun idea thatâs been trending in our Principal Life Facebook group. Thank your teachers for âsticking with itâ with some inspiring, motivational stickers.
While stickers wonât solve the BIG challenges teachers are facing right now (more on this below), teachers look at their water bottles and laptops multiple times a day, and stickers can help remind them of their strength and purpose in tough times.Â
First, buy your water bottle stickers!
Here are just a few of the sticker packs suggested in our Principal Life Facebook Group. (Note: WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from these links, but we only recommend items our team loves!)
- 150 Motivational Stickers
- 50 Motivational Stickers for Employees, Teachers, and Students
- 50 Waterproof, Vinyl Stickers
- 100 Inspirational Quote Stickers
Tie the stickers to a larger theme
Sarah Greb-Plummer
Use stickers in conjunction with weekly themed days at school. One principal, Haley James, hosts weekly Motivation Mondays. On one of the Mondays, she rolled out the batch of stickers and teachers had fun sorting through the ones they liked.
Another idea is to have staff wear their favorite school-appropriate motivational shirt (in person or virtually) and provide the stickers the same day.
Include a punny message
Annette Varcoe
A few creative principals came up with these cute signs and encouraged teachers to take whichever stickers resonated with them. Use Canva to create a quick design, print it out, and place it in a paper holder. Hand sanitizer is a great idea!
Krenna Allender
Pair with another gift
The holidays are just around the corner, and you can give your teachers a canvas for the stickers. Tumblers are usually a hit with teachers, so why not get a bulk order of blank ones in school colors, lay out the stickers, and suggest teachers decorate their tumblers with stickers? You could also commission custom monogrammed vinyl stickers, or combine your schoolâs mascot and logo for a low price per sticker. You can even do it yourself if you have access to a Cricut, Silhouette, or other vinyl cutter.
Connect with remote teachers
This is a great activity to spread out among your leadership team. For teachers who are working hard from home, a motivational sticker may go a long way to encourage them. Pick a couple of stickers and pair them with an encouraging, hand-written note to show your gratitude for them. Drop the stickers and notes in the mail, and have staff share what they did with their stickers at your next virtual staff meeting. Make sure your mailing list is up to date before sending them out.
Engage your teachers on social media
Some teachers have classroom Instagram and Facebook pages, making for a great opportunity for virtual school spirit. Create a school-specific hashtag on your schoolâs Instagram page, and have staff share what they did with their stickers using the hashtag.
Heads up!
Allison Tonne
If you order the stickers in a lot online, be sure to sift through them to remove any stickers that donât align with your schoolâs values. Some may have grammar errors, which could be removed, or used to teach the value of a strong education!
Be mindful that stickers for teachers are not a band-aid.
If morale is really low, there may be some more work to do before a gesture like stickers will be fully appreciated. Donât fall into the trap of toxic positivity if your teachers are really struggling. There are other ways to get morale to the level where teachers can accept encouragement in the form of a sticker. For ideas on how to improve staff morale, join our Principal Life Facebook Group.
Pandemic or not, staying on top of morale is one way to keep your staff healthy. No matter how you do it, using stickers to show how much you believe in teachers is an inexpensive and fun way to keep morale high. What small gestures have you made to keep your staff encouraged?
Have you ever shared stickers for teachers? Share in the comments below.
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Plus, 8 ways principals are supporting their school communities now.
