Improving Teacher Morale: Good Lessons from Bad Days

School leaders talk about morale a lot. It usually comes up when things feel heavy. Someone says, “Our teachers’ morale is low,” and heads nod around the table. But when we use that word, what are we really talking about?

Morale is often treated as a feeling we’re supposed to fix. The response is usually (sometimes unfortunately) symbolic, like a gesture meant to lift spirits for a moment: an appreciation luncheon, a jeans day pass, or a dozen Friday funfetti cupcakes in the copier room. Those things do possess some value. Small wins belong in schools. “Fun” is not a four letter word. But the lift they create rarely lasts beyond the moment. Once the cupcakes are gone, the same workload, tension, and uncertainty likely remain.

So concerns about “morale” must run deeper than simple perceptions of how people are feeling. For years, I’ve asked educators the same pair of questions: What makes a good day at work? What makes a bad one?

The answers are pretty consistent.

On good days, teachers talk about what first drew them to education. Student breakthroughs. Lessons that worked. Maybe a teammate’s encouragement. Laughter in the hallway. Those days remind them of why they chose this career.

On bad days, the stories shift. Confusing communication. Endless tasks. Meetings that eat up their prep time. Weird tension between adults. And truth be told, the bad days don’t come from students as often as you’d think. They come from the conditions that surround the work.

That’s where morale actually lives. It’s how well a school functions for the people who make it run.

Nothing improves morale more than a well-run school.

RAND reported in 2023 that nearly seven in ten teachers point to workload and time pressure as their main stressors. It’s a reminder that morale grows out of the daily conditions of the job. When the work feels doable, teachers can bring more of themselves to it. Across hundreds of schools, the patterns are the same. Joy and collegiality define good days. Conflict and confusion define bad ones. 

Here’s a maxim I’ve come to hold as deeply true: Nothing improves morale more than a well-run school.

If we want to improve morale, we have to stop looking for the quick boosts and start improving the mechanics of the workplace. Build routines that give adults time to think. Simplify communication. Protect collaboration. And when the energy returns, those copyroom cupcakes might even taste a little bit sweeter. 

Morale isn’t built in a single day, but every day offers a clue. Before the week ends, ask one person what made their day better — or harder.