Confessions of a Quiet Quitter part 2

Last week, I asked you to imagine how you would respond to an anonymous letter from a teacher listing her grievances and stating that she would be “quiet quitting” until she could find another job elsewhere. If you missed that post, you can find it here.

The truth is, the concerns that letter raised are common in many schools and districts.

Educators already put in way more hours than most other professions, and they are not compensated as highly as professionals in other fields. They should not have to feel devalued in their workplace when their leaders treat them less than professionally.

In today’s post, we’ll look at the first three concerns mentioned in the “Quiet Quitting” letter and how to address each issue.

Leaders fail to acknowledge teachers’ ideas and concerns.

Always listen to and validate your staff. Teachers can’t see what you see because you sit where you sit. However, you should never discount what teachers bring to you. They have a unique perspective that you simply don’t have access to.

Teachers work with children every day, and many of their ideas would make the classroom experience more fun and engaging.

From the leader’s point of view, however, there may not be enough time or resources to fully realize the teacher’s vision. Also, there are always many other considerations for any proposal that teachers may not be aware of.

Some leaders just assume that when an idea is rejected, the teacher should just move on. The best leaders understand that rejection hurts, and some people take "no" personally.

Be sure to offer an explanation for why you must reject an idea. If you are unable to share private information with a teacher, say so.

“There are other reasons why I’m not able to approve this request, but I can’t share them with you at this time. I need to respect the privacy of some other individuals” is appropriate to say in these circumstances.

When a teacher brings you a concern, make sure to address it in some way. Ideally, it will be a problem that the teacher can solve on his or her own, and you can suggest that the teacher take the steps needed to solve it. However, there will be some issues that require intervention at your level.

If you address a teacher’s concerns privately, be sure to follow up with the teacher to let him or her know how you handled the situation.

Whether you called home about a student, had a private conversation with another teacher, or adjusted a protocol, the teacher needs to know that the concern was addressed.

Leaders are out of touch with what goes on in the classroom.

In the anonymous letter, the teacher mentioned two concerns about classroom visits: that the leader didn’t visit when the teacher asked, and that the leader visited while the students were completing independent work.

Teachers know that classroom visits from an administrator are part of the job description. However, even veteran teachers feel a twinge of nerves when the principal walks in. Keep that in mind when visiting classrooms.

When a teacher asks you to visit his or her classroom, there’s a reason for it.

The teacher is especially proud of the effort that he or she has put into a lesson or activity, or else the teacher wants to showcase the students’ learning. Make every effort to be there–set yourself a reminder, clear your schedule, and be in that room.

If you can’t visit after the teacher requests it, apologize to that teacher. Ask if there’s another time when he or she would like you to come in.

Also, check lesson plans before making an unannounced classroom visit. It is frustrating for good teachers to have an administrator walk in when the students are testing.

You won’t be in that classroom very many times throughout the school year, so make your visits count. Unless you are trying to observe something specific during independent work, move on to another classroom.

I personally like short, five-minute unannounced classroom visits. When done well, it helps to create a culture of collaboration between administration and teachers.

Make sure to always offer more positive feedback than critical feedback. Two out of every three visits should result in ONLY positive feedback. Don’t give a compliment sandwich, just give the compliment.

Leaders fail to address student discipline issues.

This is a big one.

I remember my first years as a classroom teacher working under administrators who were rumored to just throw away discipline referrals. Some teachers said those administrators would give athletes special treatment. The worst part was that students would not change their behavior after being referred to the office.

Administrators and teachers should work together to correct student behavior problems, and policies should be consistent as possible across classrooms. That way, the administrator will always know that the teacher has gone through several steps before the student is referred to the office.

Explain your expectations for student discipline at the beginning of the school year, and provide policies in writing. Then do your best to be consistent with those policies throughout the year. You may need to revisit those expectations periodically throughout the year, especially if the expectations are not being met consistently.

Understand that when a teacher does write up a discipline referral, that teacher is at his or her wit’s end. Always investigate the situation and administer punishment fairly, but also work towards restoring the relationships between teachers and students in the classroom.

Involve a parent or coach early to help correct the behavior. Don’t let involving others be a last resort.

If the behavior stems from something the teacher is doing, address that with the teacher. If the teacher needs guidance on classroom management or maintaining a respectful tone with students, give that guidance.

However, remember that the teacher is the adult in the classroom, and do not let the student get away with misbehavior even if the teacher is partially at fault.

One more point on student discipline–NEVER let a student be disrespectful to an adult. Train your teachers to shut down disrespect, as well. We are preparing students for adult life in the workforce, and they need to learn early on that disrespect will not be tolerated at school or anywhere.

The concerns brought up in the anonymous letter are valid, and the best leaders take steps to stop them before they start. Next week, we’ll look at three more concerns brought up in the anonymous “Quiet Quitting” letter.

What about you? How have you been able to incorporate teacher input, effective classroom visits, and effective student discipline into your leadership?

Let me know in the comments below!