Page 24 - Volume 6 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership

22 Andrea Chevalier, EdD pointed out all the significant things that their children did. Generation X parents, however, did not give their children as much attention and admiration. So, for this generation, they need encouraging words that affirm them and remind them that they are important to the life of the school and their leader. Because Millennials grew up hearing praise all the time, they need words of encouragement that are not generalized and must recognize their hard work by affirming that they are contributing to the school. Finding community and working together as a team were other similar interpersonal themes. Similar to the need for encouraging words, the reasons for wanting to be in community and working with others in a team are different as well. Baby Boomers grew up in a time where they had to learn to collaborate and share everything. Because of this, they value a school culture that encourages team spirit and works together to accomplish the mission of the school. Generation X teachers tend to look for nontraditional sources of “family” since many of them were latch-key kids or from divorced families. These teachers described that they felt supported when they found community in personal relationships with fellow teachers and parents, not necessarily by being able to collaborate on things such as lesson plans. The Millennial generation grew up during a time when collaborative learning and solving problems had a lot of educational value. Thus, Millennial teachers reported that they feel supported when they are allowed to collaborate on things such as lesson plans and solving conflict. Conclusions In order to transform the ways school leaders support their teachers, they must realize that support is not a one-size solution. Teachers from different generations feel supported in different ways. Moreover, it is critical that Christian school leaders understand that their teachers do not just want a professional leader, they want a spiritual leader as well. Supporting teachers is an important part of the Christian school leader’s job as it leads to better teacher retention rates, which in turn leads to improvement in the academic achievement of the students at their schools. References Abrams, J., & Frank, V. (2014). The multigenerational work place: Communicate, collaborate, and create community (1st edition). Corwin. Association of Christian Schools International. (n.d.). 1,900 years of Christian schools and their impact on society. https://www.acsi.org/resources/cse/cse-maga zine/1900-years-of-christian-schools- and-their- impact-on-society-44 Barna Group and Association of Christian Schools Interna- tional. (2017). Multiple choice: How parents sort education options in a changing market. ACSI & Barna Group. https://www.acsi.org/docs/de fault-source/website-publishing/research/acsi_bar na_school_choice_report_2017.pdf?sfvrsn=d 3c0c0e6 _2 Butin, D. (Ed.). (2010). The education dissertation: A guide for practitioner scholars. Corwin. Fremont, W. (n.d.). Holding fast: Christian education across the centuries. https://www.bjupress.com/resources/ articles/t2t/ christian-education-across-centuries. php Hansen, J., & Leuty, M. (2012). Work values across genera- tions. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(1), 34–52. Hauserman, C. P., & Stick, S. L. (2013). The leadership teachers want from principals: Transformational. Canadian Journal of Education, 36(3), 184–203. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/canajeducre- vucan.36.3.184 Stipek, D. (2012). Context matters: Effects of student charac- teristics and perceived administrative and parental support on teacher self-efficacy. The Elementary School Journal, 112(4), 590–606. https://doi.org/10.1086/664489 Swaner, L., & Ferguson, J. (2020, September 22). Mind- shift: Catalyzing change in Christian education. ACSI Blog. https://blog.acsi.org/mindshift-moving- from-fear- to-hope Zemke, R., Raines, C., & Filipczak, B. (2013). Generations at work: Managing the clash of veterans, boomers, xers, and nexters in your workplace. AMACOM.

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