PLF Reflections

EduMatch® connects educators worldwide with similar passions and interests who wish to grow and expand their learning.

Sustainable Teaching

By Mandy Froehlich, COO EduMatch and Author, Consultant

Many times the idea of sustainability feels securely attached to environmental causes and studying our interaction with the natural world around us. However, even in the context of environmental sustainability, the UN has defined sustainable as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” If we take a look at our teaching lives, this definition would make sense as well. Future generations can be considered students of course, but they can also be considered future generations of teachers as we all have felt the decrease in the number of teachers we have available currently as well as the number of teachers entering the profession. If we take that idea of sustainability and define sustainable teaching, it might sound like:

“Sustainable teaching is the practice of designing and implementing educational strategies and methods that not only fulfill the learning needs of current students but also ensure the continuous development, well-being, and professional growth of educators. This approach involves creating a supportive, inclusive, and evolving educational environment that encourages lifelong learning, fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation, and addresses the challenges of teacher retention and development.”

Here are a few indicators for a sustainable teaching ecosystem:

Steps Toward Sustainability

Depending on the district, there could be many changes that need to be made to create a more sustainable teaching ecosystem. De-implementations, or vetting current implementations for effectiveness, efficiency, and workload and either highly modifying or deleting them, for example, is one common answer to the issue with teacher workload that impacts their work-life balance and their emotional and mental health. Another common issue is with the professional learning opportunities that are provided to teachers. I have heard about really innovative ways that some districts, like Miami-Dade, are providing teachers with stipends for attending professional learning that they are able to choose. More districts could be asking how they could make professional learning pathways more meaningful for teachers, which in turn, would increase engagement, increase job satisfaction, and contribute to a collaborative culture. Districts can start by truly reflecting on the state of their teachers’ experience and accepting where there might be shortfalls. Like any healing experience, to create a place where teaching is sustainable, changes will need to be made at even the most basic, fundamental levels and teachers will need to be a part of those crucial conversations for the right change to happen.

In Case You Missed It

Many of you know we have several high profile partnerships with companies. We have just added another to our growing partnership lineup - Adobe! We are now an official Adobe Training Partner for Education. What does that mean? Well, first, we are honored to be recognized by an edtech titan such as Adobe because of our high-quality professional learning and significant reach. Second, it means that if you have Adobe training that you would like done, similar to our Google Partnership, you are able to request our services! It’s as simple as that!

Oh, you’re so excited you want to request them RIGHT NOW? We don’t blame you. Don’t wait. Contact us at [email protected] or set up a call using the button below.