#6: Creating a Culture of Trust (Choice)

Dear readers, it’s story time. This will be my tenth year of teaching. My very first teaching experience was wonderful. I was a long-term sub for a 5th grade teacher in a small Catholic school. The principal was my own 6th grade teacher, someone that I had long-admired. She knew how to encourage a love of education in her teachers. I looked forward to her stopping in my classroom, and providing advice (and lots of positive comments!) And honestly, I was too young and green to know what I didn’t know. I was sad to leave when the regular teacher came back. 

My next experience was at a charter school. I taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Social Studies, and 6th grade Reading and Math. I loved my content and my co-workers. The kids were terrific. The building and resources were beautiful. However, this job almost made me leave teaching altogether! This school was new, and believed so deeply in being the best school that they could. They invested in professional development, and had several leadership positions in place to help their teachers grow. What could be wrong? 

Readers, this was a toxic workplace. Instead of gently guiding their teachers, the focus on professional development was intense. We had multiple meetings a week that frequently had us leaving much later than usual. We were continually observed, but instead of an environment of gentle growth and guidance, we feared the observations and the subsequent conferences where we were told everything we needed to do better. Teachers were pitted against each other in an environment of competition instead of teamwork. It was bad. I looked for a new job every year, finally interviewing for a job outside of the classroom. 

Readers, I got lucky. I went on one last teaching interview in August, and got a job teaching 6th grade at a traditional public school. I loved my new job! I had great kids, helpful co-workers, and a very supportive administrator/literacy leader. 5 years later, I’m in the same district teaching 7th and 8th grade Social Studies and loving my job. Thank goodness that I didn’t allow my one toxic experience to drive me out of education! I really feel that the key difference in my teaching experience was the leadership. As a literacy leader, I want to make sure that I am someone people can turn to for help; they aren’t afraid to be vulnerable around me. I don’t want to be someone they fear and avoid. 

Here are some ways to create a safe, positive environment and culture in your school so that we can keep our young teachers, instead of scaring them away. 

• Physical Environment: try to create a space that’s warm and welcoming. It’s sometimes tough to do this with a limited school budget, but even creating a conversational area where you sit next to the teacher instead of on the other side of the desk can help.
• Be available: let staff know that you are there to help! Create an open-door policy where staff feels welcome to stop by or email with questions. I know that we’re busy, so even creating “office hours” where we encourage drop-ins is helpful. 
• Be visible: visit classrooms and chat in the hallways. Make sure that your staff sees you more than just on observation day.
• Respect their time: be aware of contract hours. Start and end meetings on time. Waiting for stragglers is disrespectful to the people who made the effort to be on time.
• Respect their knowledge: ask teachers to share their experience and ideas. Let them give suggestions.
• Be vulnerable: share your own weaknesses and growth areas so that staff feels comfortable sharing their weaknesses. 
• Get to know the staff: make connections outside of education. We are all human, and being a teacher is just one part of our life. Share with each other what we do outside of school.

Observation Time! 

Observation is a great tool for growth, but it can be scary. Here are some things to keep in mind.

• Visit often: formal observations shouldn’t be the only time that students and staff see you in a classroom. Pop in and help out during work time. Listen in on a lesson. Chat in the hallways. This makes you regular, friendly presence and not a scary stranger.
• Include positives: acknowledge the good things that they are doing! Make sure you let them know you see their hard work. This also lets you focus on growth. How can they go from being good to better?
• Be objective, not judgemental: Describe what you see and ask questions instead of judging or assuming the worst.
• Listen: let your staff share their thoughts. Acknowledge their experience and expertise. Have a conversation about what they observed, and let them lead the conversation on what could go better.
• Encourage teamwork: let staff know that it’s not a competition. Teachers are not being compared to each other. Rather, the focus is on helping everyone grow at their own pace. 
• Provide gentle guidance: provide help through resources and strategies. Use evidence and data to show areas where they are doing well, and areas where they can improve. 
• Use humor: laughing together is great bonding!

Thanks for sticking with me to the end! As leaders, we are in a position of authority over many of our co-workers; we are an important part of setting up the school climate. Good leaders make their staff feel comfortable and valued. We provide support in a positive manner. We don’t want to be intimidating or scary, otherwise no one will feel comfortable coming for help. This topic is near and dear to my heart. Teaching is a tough, draining job. We need to do everything that we can to make our school feel like a positive place of support for students and staff. 

References

Lyons, C. A., & Pinnell, G. S. (2001). Systems for change in literacy education: A guide to professional development. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.