A group of people sitting around a table with laptops and papers.

Collaborate to Compete: Staff Development Workshop

“Exceptional can’t sit in the same room as Ordinary.” ~ Michael Arterberry

Teacher team building is at the heart of any successful school. Critical to engaging students in learning to their best abilities are highly effective faculty, staff, and leadership teams. To strive for excellence, teachers and administrators must first learn how to work together towards common goals before encouraging, inspiring, and educating. Improving teacher morale, faculty cohesiveness, and school climate have the greatest impact on student learning. A lack of personal understanding, and understanding of others, can lead to problems such as tension, disappointment, hurt feelings, unmet expectations, and poor communication. The end result is poor student performance.

Research indicates that when school districts incorporate team-building strategies into their schools, it creates a sense of belonging, encourages tolerance and team spirit, improves communications skills, and creates an atmosphere of community.

Youth Voices Center provides its Excellence for All: Collaborate to Compete program to help teachers and staff develop and apply the knowledge and skills necessary to help students learn. Through its one-day workshop, Youth Voices Center encourages faculty, staff, and administrators to share on a personal level, enabling them to build and strengthen relationships and better understand students and coworkers.

Youth Voices Center Staff Development Workshop benefits include:

Getting to know each other better; Bonding and improved morale
Building team spirit and camaraderie
Improving group communication; Creating a climate of cooperation and collaborative problem-solving
Team development by building community with a common purpose
Encouraging tolerance and understanding; Creating awareness of individual differences, personality strengths, and weaknesses
Developing trust, care, compassion, kindness, and empathy
Creating a sense of belonging and connectivity
Encouraging Creativity!
Improving motivation and self-esteem
Higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment

Click here to read a testimonial from Christina Roberts, Principal of Albany Leadership, Charter High School for Girls.