Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: Working Successfully with Unappreciative or Irritating Adults
As teachers, our focus is children and learning.  All that we do and say each day should make school a better place for our students.   An environment with irritating, difficult colleagues can negatively impact our ability to give our best to teaching.   When we approach teaching as a team, supporting and encouraging each other on a daily basis, the impact on the overall climate of the school is positive. Most importantly, the impact on student learning is positive. 

As a staff, we will never agree on everything and I hope we don't! I expect you to share your viewpoints and ideas with me. With open communication and trust, disagreement and conflict can be healthy.  It is the negative, disrespectful, argumentative approach that creates a toxic climate.

Chapter 3 tackles some of the tough issues surrounding the tone and climate of a school. We will spend a great deal of time reviewing this chapter as part of our staff development focus this year. In the meantime, I hope you will approach the year with a positive outlook. Think about how you can support a colleague with positive words instead of complaints. Consider a challenging parent's perspective and offer solutions. Use the author's reframing strategy and adjust your perspective about a colleague or issue. Mendler reminds us that "receiving and giving positive feedback is the most powerful tool in creating a school climate conducive to high achievement and happiness."  

Thought for the Day

Found this quote on Pinterest and wanted to pass it along.
 

• How we talk to our children will become their inner voice in adulthood.