The original post which precipitated this response can be found at this link: https://create.twu.ca/robtegelberg/2018/11/12/post-7-1-conflict-and-cooperation/

Your post, Rob, was delightful yet difficult for me to read: delightful due to the revelation that a positive and supportive workplace exists in education; difficult because it widens the gap between the reality of my current work environment and the way it could be.  It is fascinating to know that a Christian school can bring so many faiths together (Tegelberg, 2018, line10) and create a supportive environment for staff and students alike!  “This is evident when listening to staff conversations, or interactions between staff and students” (Tegelberg, 2018, line 14). Bridge Builder 2 in Closing the Execution Gap promotes the idea of assuming value in people while we expect top performance from them in the areas of their strengths.  By focusing on what staff—and perhaps even students—do well, everyone’s self-esteem is bolstered to where they are all willing to put in more effort (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 72).

I was intrigued with your statement, “They use professional development as a tool to grow the various skills of the staff members to create a more diverse and well rounded team” (Tegelberg, 2018, para. 3).  Do you think there is an optimal amount of diversity before there is noticeable divergence from the MVV of your school (Galbraith, 2014, p. 238)? Public school teachers are always participating in professional development (pro-d) with five designated pro-d days each school year. We also have locally offered workshops after school to promote programs and resources that are District-approved.  Every second month we have a two-hour session with our own staff called After-School Collaboration which should be to create unified skill development on staff chosen by us. My school usually goes in a direction determined by our principal. Although it is important for everyone to learn new functional skills and processes (Galbraith, 2014, p.145), the relationships we need to build to work more cohesively would be a better focus for our staff at this point.

Addressing Some of the Discussion Questions

1. Beginning conflict resolution with prayer is not your every day practice in public schools even when there are many Christian teachers. We do have conversations and support each other through prayer and check-ins. Many of my administrators over the years have been Christians which is evident in how they interact with staff, how they plan for the growth and development of the school, and how they deal with recalcitrant students.

 (Udodiong, 2018)

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek His face always” – 1 Chronicles 16:11

The last time I prayed together with staff at a school was about 6 years ago. Most of the intermediate staff (9 teachers) were Christians so we tried to meet every 2^nd week after school to talk and pray together. The principal saw us meeting one day and asked us why we were meeting.  She must have been insecure because the next time the teachers were at intermediate collaboration, she was antagonistic, negative, and yelled at them for not being supportive and encouraging with the rest of the staff.  In the Spring when jobs were posted for this school, she did not even interview me for the position I had held all year on a temporary contract, a prime example of relative power being applied to direct the outcomes (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 197).  It was after this experience that the District relocated me year-after-year to various high-needs schools. This way of teaching was in stark contrast to all my previous 20 years of teaching which made it difficult to keep a positive attitude in the changing circumstances.

At my current school, conflict resolution protocols would be helpful.  Divisions occur when people speak their minds at staff meetings as well as call out others openly under the guise of humour.  Treating each other respectfully seems challenging at this school and yet everyone can work together to achieve larger projects.  Hearing words of encouragement, support, or affirmations is rarer than it should be in a place where we are educating children to be caring, productive, solution-oriented members of society.  “The primary goal of Social Studies education is to give students the knowledge, skills, and competencies to be active, informed citizens who are able to think critically, understand and explain the perspectives of others, make judgments, and communicate ideas effectively” (BC, 2018, para. 1).

2. Dealing with negative school culture, gossip, and grumbling is challenging when the root is unknown. Since there are several staff members at my current school who have worked in this one location for over 10 years and I am just in my 4^th year, the actual development of some of the isolated styles of teaching are a mystery. However, in my short time there, the climate is continuing to deteriorate without a seeming awareness or effort to stem the decline.  “One of the most important elements of leadership strategy pertains to the desired culture in an organization, and that translates in an SLT to examining the influence processes within the team itself” (Hughes et al., 2014, p. 209).  Rapid growth and a significant increase in severe behaviour students in every classroom is adding to the stress and feelings of defeat. I am not confident I am making changes in my work place, but I do try to stop in on one or more colleagues each day to see how they are doing.  It changes my mindset and fosters a small sense of relationship built through trust (Bass & Riggio, 2006, p. 53).  Since my classroom is a in a portable this year, I must make an extra effort to connect with staff inside the school since they will not be swinging past my class to have chats.  Supporting, encouraging, and assisting my colleagues is part of my planned legacy at this point in my career; I don’t get to see the day-to-day functioning of the rest of the school, but I am also not caught up in all the drama.

References

Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2^nd ed.). New York, NY: Psychology Press.

BC Curriculum, (2018).  Core competencies: Introduction to social studies.  Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/core/introduction

Galbraith, J. R. (2014). Designing organizations: Strategy, structure, and process at the business unit and enterprise levels (3^rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hughes, R., Beatty, K. & Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization’s enduring success (2^nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap: How great leaders and their companies get results. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Tegelberg, R. (2018). Conflict and Cooperation. [Blog Post] Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/robtegelberg/2018/11/12/post-7-1-conflict-and-cooperation/

Udodiong, I. (February 25, 2018) Prayer: 5 bible verses that prove that praying is truly the key. Retrieved from https://www.pulse.ng/communities/religion/5-bible-verses-that-prove-that-prayer-is-truly-the-key-id8035248.html