How to Increase Teacher Diversity in Schools

If you have a culturally diverse student population, then it’s even more important that you have a diverse teaching staff. That’s because the kids will look for representation, too. But the best teachers don’t fall at your feet in batches. You’ll need to look for them.

Here are a few tips on how you can manage to increase teacher diversity in a school.

Know Why It Matters

Having teachers of a diverse cultural background who have the credentials and qualifications as well as experience and expertise to teach students is a huge help. Kids often view their teachers are their second parents. Having teachers of a diverse culture helps the kids figure out their own place in the world, too. That gives them representation in the ranks of the teaching staff which is something that they can relate to in the school community. By knowing the importance of teacher diversity, you’ll be much clearer about your hiring goals. Also, as an excellent international school in Tokyo, you want to make sure you offer your students that level of diversity in your faculty.

Use Social Media

There are plenty of recruitment techniques these days. But how do you find teachers who fit the bill? Don’t discount social media. It is where a lot of people spend their days. Build a channel and start attracting them to your pages. Create content that can make it easier for potential candidates to find you and your school or education programs that much easier. Done right, your social media pages can help increase awareness about your school and do more than attract qualified teachers to your staff. It can also help you develop contacts and build connections with other educators in the industry.

Check Out Certification Programs

Some minority teachers need to work, so they get their degrees through alternative certification programs. That could yield you names of teachers with solid talent and teaching experience. Give it a shot. Your students deserve the best and that means hiring instructors who will invest in their growth and development, who are dedicated to their jobs. By checking out these options, you might find teachers who might turn out to be assets to your school community.

Offer Incentives

You might also have a lot of passionate and dedicated members of your community. Are they paraprofessionals? What is stopping you from encouraging them to take up a career in teaching? Encourage them to get the credentials and training necessary so they could teach in your classrooms. Offer incentives. There are also many teacher-preparation programs. Find out more about them and how you can help the right people pursue this career path.

Ask How They Feel About Kids

When you hire teachers, don’t just consider their credentials, though. Qualifications matter. But they aren’t the only important factors when you’re looking to hire educators for your school. Consider how they are with regards to children. Do they like kids? It’s hard to be a teacher if you haven’t got even the littlest fondest for kids. Are they the kind to invest time and energy in building positive relationships with their students? Find out.

Know the Signs

Some people remember what their teachers said to them. That’s why it’s crucial to hire teachers who know how to use every moment as a teaching opportunity for the kids; who work hard to compliment and create positive interactions with the children. Eventually, even if the kids do forget what their teachers once said, they’ll always remember the joy or anxiety that a teacher made them feel. That’s why it’s also prudent to check for any signs that the teacher isn’t interested in connecting with the kids and are only there, day in and day out, to clock in and do a job. If teaching is only a job for them, if it’s not something they’re passionate about, it might be better to re-direct your hiring energies elsewhere.

Examine Your Teaching Materials

If you don’t seem to be attracting as many talented teachers who fit the bill, then look over the teaching materials that you ask the teachers to use and recommend to their students. Check the historical narratives, for instance. Are they missing voices from the Black American or Black Japanese members of your community? With a world that’s globally inclusive and diverse, more and more Japanese children are born with mixed raced profiles. That’s also why there’s a greater need for teacher diversity in schools. Knowing that there’s also someone like them gives kids a sense of belongingness. In a culture that prizes homogenous appearances, diversity at schools is now more important than ever as it helps the students acquire a voice, too, along with their mixed-race identity.

These are just some of the ways that schools could improve teacher diversity in their classrooms. If you’re looking to do the same, then put these tips to good use. Create an environment at school that welcomes cultural diversity not in just in your students but faculty as well.