"Freedom to develop and tweak curriculum, genuine gratitude from parents... and collegiality of highly educated faculty" are among the factors millennial teachers and staff appreciate in independent schools, according to William Stribling, a 35-year-old teacher at The Hill School, a K-8 day school in Middleburg, Virginia. He singles out four priorities for his generation:
- Mentoring: "[I]t would be helpful to have an experienced member of the school guide us through the formative years of our careers." When he started at Hill, Stribling appreciated daily check-ins with his mentor.
- Learning from peers and colleagues: Millennials are a collaborative generation, Stribling says. He suggests that schools create teams or committees that "blend the talents and experience of baby boomer employees with the ambitions and talents of millennials."
- Improvement and impact: Immersed in a culture of nonstop peer comparison, millennials seek having a voice in important matters. In schools, these can include grading policies, curriculum changes and meeting agendas, facilitated through leadership positions granted sooner rather than later in their careers.
- Financial security: As a generation, millennials are both highly educated and highly in debt from student loans. Stribling suggests that schools adjust starting salaries accordingly and consider providing loan forgiveness after a certain tenure of service.
NAIS Independent Ideas (02/06/17)
