8 Ideas for promoting yourself and your profession
Good school public relations is not just publicity, and it's certainly not show biz. It's a total program built on the cooperation of all school employees. One of the essential ingredients is "personal PR" -- doing the things that are important to promote yourself as a professional, such as:
- Proudly display your qualifications to teach (certificate, diploma, awards, honors, and commendations).
- Tell your students about yourself and make them aware of your life "outside school."
- Surround yourself with a few personal items that reflect you as an individual -- family photos, desk ornaments, plants, books.
- Bring your family and friends to after-school and community activities.
- Do business in the community in which you teach and patronize businesses owned or run by your students' families.
- Write thank-you notes to students, parents, and colleagues. Use notepaper or stationery that identifies you as a teacher.
- Use the bulletin board or display case in the front of the building to spotlight individual staff members throughout the year.
- Purchase business cards for use in contacting businesses, new colleagues, and parents.