Have you ever dealt with a bad principal? Kiddom is free! This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Here are 7 steps to take when your principal investigator starts working against you. This is absolutely a reality, I know. I was probably at my lowest point in teaching, wondering if I should continue in this profession. Restate what your principal has said. Stop the eye rolling, the muttering under your breath, the waiting until the last minute to do things s/he requested. Create an account. Find out in this virtual event. PDF Dealing with Difficult Teachers If you want to change a toxic school culture, let that change begin with you. Avoidance can foster an environment where toxic conduct thrives and spreads. But what Im really telling you to do is close your door and teach. If theres a principal who doesnt do that, yet knows that teachers should be doing it, it doesnt feel like were honoring the same thing. Top 6 Tips for Navigating a Problem Principal - ThoughtCo Server Issue: Please try again later. Principals, Do You Know What Your Teachers Really Think of You? Its often relying on their commitment to adopt new practices for teachers to feel like its worthwhile. Step 2: Stop the activity. And principals, especially those new to the job, often need help dealing with those adults hiding in plain sight, working against principals proposals and best-laid plans, the veteran educators say. I would not say what the meeting is about but just that you would like to discuss some issues that are occurring at your school. Support our work by subscribing in your favorite podcast appeverything is free! One of the best things Ive seen a principal do is to say, This is what were being told we need to do, but first, lets identify what were already doing that matches this initiative, Bradley said. But many of our veteran teachers advised that for your more run-of-the-mill bad principal, the best course of action is to stay out of the way. Let the past be the past and YOU shift the dynamic, regardless of how she or he responds. There . I love that you were able to put the pieces together and realize that you have so much more control and influence than you give yourself credit for (and thats true for almost all of us!) We dont realize how the tiny change in policy were suggesting, which seems like it would benefit everyone, would actually have a domino effect in a lot of other areas and create new problems. You can start the turnaround process today. Wow! While emphasizing that community input is valued, remind your staff that non-employees will not direct day-to-day school operations. Virginia has renamed more schools that were originally named after Confederate figures than most states. But, they certainly are powerful on an elementary school campus. She has worked in education media for more than twenty years, writing and publishing thousands of articles about the things she loves the mostgreat teachers and their creative students. ET. In other words, they . I think the problem is, thats not often how reforms are implemented within schools, he said. Once you have enough information, I would approach your district superintendents office to set up a scheduled meeting. Please share in the comments. 4 Sources. I can only tell you to first make sure you are appreciating the concept of separate realities, and seeing things from your principals position. Maybe it would if we could do it in small doses, but complaining is like a disease which worsens over time and spreads virally to almost everyone who comes in contact with it. But you dont need to keep repeating your stories of frustration to everyone who will listen. The school board is appointed by our city board of aldermen (one slot is elected). Lewis, Beth. Go make a difference in another school, or make a difference in education outside the system. A New Jersey principal built connections over multiple generations of families. We had an awful principal and he would lie like crazy when we made complaints, says Alice H. Finally we caught him on tape. Dealing With a Difficult Principal, Lesson Plans - The Mailbox So, do what you know is best and prove your ideas work. There is nothing you can do about the principal. Our weekly audio podcast is one of the top K-12 broadcasts in the world, featuring our writers collective and tons of practical, energizing ideas. "Even the most irate parents often want someone to listen to them more than they want someone to solve their problems," Whitaker said. As a teacher you may find it very difficult to work with your principal. Ive found that rarely is there one solution to any challenge. Education Week asked Bosso and three other veteran teachers for their advice. As long as you are a sane and goodhearted professional, it will rarely be you who brings up the first complaint about a given individual. I really cant thank you enough!!!!! 101 John F Kennedy Pkwy | Short Hills | NJ | 07078 | (973) 921-5500, Protected: Classroom Talk-to-Text Project. If youre waiting for your principal to quit or for the perfect job to fall in your lap, youre wasting your life. Why is that? This book will empower you to develop a resilient, flexible, positive mindset. If you feel that he is unapproachable and if the situation is really that bad, I would document past incidents that you have experienced and gather together a few others who are just as frustrated and have them document their experiences too. Your sense of a looming problem may eventually prove to be incorrect, but in the meantime, it can't hurt to protect yourself. And the principal shouldnt issue mandates from his or her office, teachers say. Your job is just too important for you to allow your focus and energy to be drained by complaining and replaying conflicts in your mind and anticipating problems. If teachers are going to be asked to do new things and take risks and be innovative, there has to be a level of trust, and that trust can only be developed in a culture where relationships are nurtured, said Bosso, who was the 2012 Connecticut Teacher of the Year. We would like to think that principals are all altruistic people who treat everyone fairly and have our best interests at heart, but in the end they are human just like us. How to Handle Bad Student Behavior | Future Educators Other than that examples of your issues with him might help. Next, see if you can get ONEother colleague on board to do whats best for kidsand provide even more evidence that the strategies you want to use do work with your school population. Do you stick it out, particularly if you enjoy other aspects of your school? If you are not satisfied with this course of action, perhaps you should report the principals actions to someone further up the chain of command, but make sure you have done your part by having a heart-to-heart with your principal. Here are some strategies that you can use to deal with a difficult principal. Its hopeless!. Knowledge of these warning signs will help you to become aware, if there is a problem, and to take action. Weve had situations where there was a problem, but it was because a principal had a negative interaction with a person and theyve never gotten over it, Eller said. If teachers are not on board, some might close their doors and stick to business as usual, he said, which could sink a new initiative. That's probably a pretty foreign feeling on his or her end, too. Puts more energy into justifying and rationalizing their unproductive behavior than it would take to change the habits. Advice on how to deal with a terrible principal - Reddit The opinions expressed in Education Futures: Emerging Trends in K-12 are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications. All rights reserved. Once those things are done, youand only youcan make that decision about whether its time to go. Keep a log of all conversations, the subject matters, dates, times, and duration of his classroom visits. Change your mindset to transform your teaching! You cannot possibly see the world as your principal does, because you havent had all the same life experiences as she or he has. Like any workplace, schools can be plagued by adult slackers or agitators who, whether intentionally or not, can sabotage morale and campus culture. Solution: Work with the staff members involved to help them understand what you want to change. ET. Did you exclude certain students from the discussion? Get advice, ideas, and support from other parent group leaders just like youjoin our Coverage of leadership, summer learning, social and emotional learning, arts learning, and afterschool is supported in part by a grant from The Wallace Foundation, at www.wallacefoundation.org. Possible Remedy: Address the problematic behavior directly, leaving little room for misinterpretation. You can work yourself into a frenzy together, and as each new tale of injustice and frustration and ridiculousness is added to the collective story, the helplessness and anger you feel builds with no healthy outlet for expression. 15 Would You Rather Questions for Teachers, Brilliant Activities to Celebrate the Great Solar Eclipse. Truly. Classroom ideas, free printables, and great teacher ideas right here. They want me to either be horrified with them and give them permission to leave, or theyre hopeful that I can offer some magic bullet solution that they havent considered which will make everything better. A principal can be an invaluable ally in your pursuit to educate students or can be a nuisance and make your life a living hell. How To Deal When Your Principal Is a Jerk - We Are Teachers Now its not my intention for this to be a principal-bashing post, and Im certain that anyone with a principals blogcould write an articleabout how to deal with teachers who just dont get it. We all know theres plenty of incompetence in every profession. . You may also choose to eventually mentally relinquish the stress over this situation and continue to focus your positive energies on the most important people in the school: your young students who need you! Get Administration Involved. He didnt reciprocate. Heres how to cope. Discover how to prioritize educational technology resources and effectively manage technology in schools. Answer (1 of 3): What you are usually looking for in a bad deal is to get as much as you can out of it. I try to teach effectively. Instead, you can work to understand and appreciate one anothers separate realities, those unique viewpoints, and realize that other peoples choices do make sense within the context of their separate reality. Summer Is the Time to Reverse That, School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where. This content is provided by our sponsor. Instead of looking the other way or addressing the entire staff, principals should go directly to the employee or employees and address the issue early, and, if need be, often. Johnson and Diane Watkins have seen them all in schoolsand not just roaming the halls or slouching in the back of class. After spending a weekend going through your blog, I was able to start seeing things that were withing my control, things that I could actually change. . Here are the 3.5 simple signs of a bully boss. ThoughtCo. Don't get upset when the principal acts like a douche-nozzle. Avoiding bad teaching evaluations: Tricks of the trade If you really want to do something, youll find a way. It changed the whole tone of the school, he said. Rather, just as relationship implies, it's an ongoing dialogue. Whenever I have a bad principal I keep communication to a minimum and focus on my class and team (the other teachers I work close with). How to do fewer things, better when your school has a staff sho We combine personal + professional development in an online, self-paced format, With Angela Watson & Dr. Rebecca Branstetter, The Teacher Toolkit for Conquering Anxiety & Overwhelm, The Cornerstone Pro-Active Behavior Management Course, With Jennifer Gonzalez of Cult of Pedagogy, Focusing on mindset and productivity, each book will help you make teaching more effective, efficient, and enjoyable. Why Principals Don't Praise - Smart Classroom Management No matter how oblivious or out of touch your principal seems, she or he has insight into the big picture of running the school that you cannot possibly have. Sostart with the assumption that your administrators havereasonsfor deciding things the way they do. So how can principals foster meaningful buy-in among their schools staff? Complaining does NOTHING but kill your energy and enthusiasm. Shifting your perspective is the first, most important, and most powerful stepand youve done that. But ducking difficult conversations is often the default move, Whitaker said. Don't be put off if you are asked to attend a meeting where he is called in to give his side. If the principal does not return your phone calls or if you are dissatisfied with the response of the principal, then you should contact the superintendent. When The Principal Investigator In Your Lab Doesn't Like You Working with Difficult Staff - ASCD If you wait and let the problem fester, it becomes a really major kind of conversation. Building relationships with students is what were supposed to be doing, she said. Don't ignore teachers' suggestions and input. Bad Deal synonyms - 147 Words and Phrases for Bad Deal - Power Thesaurus Whether your principal is a micromanager or seemingly absentee, written proof of what you do on the job will help your case. Backstabbers. Its important to have a good sense of that: The same thing doesnt fit every place., Everything isnt broken, said Monica Washington, an instructional coach at BetterLesson, an online lesson-sharing site, who taught for 19 years in Tennessee and Texas. If you understand what might be causing their resistance, then youre better able to fill that void between your vision for the school and the direction theyre currently headed.. An initiative is sometimes perceived as being critical of what teachers have done and what has worked for them, said David Bosso, a 23-year social studies teacher at Berlin High School in Berlin, Conn. Fairly or unfairly, it calls into question what they know and who they areit gets right into their own perception of professional identity.. I cant do either one of those things, really. Virginia's largest school system, Fairfax County Public Schools, removed the name of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from one of its high schools in favor of the late Civil Rights icon Rep. John Lewis in 2020. Get the latest education news delivered to your inbox daily. Matthew Lynch is an educational consultant and former teacher who now researches policy and education reform. The biggest mistake a principal can make when dealing with problem employees? "[Principals] need to be open to what the teachers can share, Baxter said. If they are making decisions in the best interest of students as they should, they will be working as a team with their teachers, he said. Schools might want their students to perform at high levels, but there are more pressing and basic needs that must be addressed first. Punctuality is the soul of business; chronic lateness can cost businesses in time and money wasted. Ive already done everything I can dothen quite frankly, its probably time to go work somewhere else. If necessary, have one-on-one meetings to clear the air with people actively working against the effort. Do things that make his or her job easier, and things that make him or her look good. Stop the activity by signaling for your students' attention. Someone who is discouraged does not need to hear more stories of discouragement. Theyve outlasted previous principals who tried to institute change or deal with their performance issuesand they may try to wait you out too. Dont assume that its terrible everywhere else so you might as well stay where youre at. If she reverts to "the girly thing to do" of course he'll never give her the same respect he would give her male counterpart!! Principal Investigators: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly