HOW TO HANDLE A STUBBORN TEACHER
HOW TO HANDLE A STUBBORN TEACHER
Get an expert guide to dealing with stubborn teachers as a principal or administrator. Having worked with many schools, recruiting teachers, and offering administrative services to many educational institutions, we have developed this valuable article to help you manage stubborn teacher problems.
How then can a school administrator address this challenge?
Here are some tips you may wish to implement in your school:
- Be the example.
Experts in psychology tell us that people naturally imitate the attitudinal patterns of those they consider as leaders. As an administrator, your behavior and approach to events whether positive or negative will reflect on the teachers and students. If you ever have one or more stubborn teachers among your staff, you may want to consider being the example you want them to follow.
For instance, if there’s a standing rule that in the face of provocation, teachers must ensure that they never use harsh words when on the students. It is expected that an administrator or principal must also play by that rule when dealing with the teachers also. It’s not logical to enforce a rule that you break too. A research shows that majority of employees would turn up late for work if their superiors come late to work.
- Have a straightforward conversation in positive tones.
Oftentimes, you don’t need to shy away from addressing the situation by calling for a meeting with the teacher. You should avoid arguments during the conversation. Instead, you may want to ask about the reason for their behavior or if they have any problem with the school.
A principal shared his experience where he revealed that some of his teachers acted paid little attention to rules due to mishandled challenges they faced in their personal lives. According to him, there was less he could do but he did not hold back from giving words of encouragement. Many principals admit that this approach helped improve teacher behavior. Also, you may want to introduce such teachers to certain training programs that can help improve their workplace etiquette or professional delivery.
Read also HOW TO DEAL WITH STUBBORN STUDENT AS A TEACHER
- Be objective during conflict resolution.
Very few people become compliant after a series of continuous criticism. In a case of conflict, perhaps with a colleague or a parent, be objective in your approach. Learn to listen fairly to every party concerned. This confers a feeling of importance on the stubborn teacher and may encourage a positive change in attitude. However, if the teacher is found guilty, commensurate disciplinary measures should be employed to prevent future re-occurrence or deter other teachers from taking similar actions.
Also, ensure that these teachers are not refrained from expressing their opinions during meetings. This is because, as an administrator, you may be tempted to disregard their opinions as a result of bias traceable to their stubborn actions. They may just be the ones with the idea the school needs for progress at that time.
Final Thoughts
In our years of experience working with school principals and administrators, we recognized that one challenge usually faced by schools is having to deal with some difficult teachers. Though these teachers could be said to be stubborn, laying them off may be rather too harsh a decision as their professional competence may not be easily replaceable.
A school should encourage a positive atmosphere for teachers and students. An environment where obedience to rules and regulations are adhered to by all parties. However, there are times when the defaulters are not students but teachers. Also, there are cases where you have to deal with consistently negative energy among a section of your staff. These are common experiences among principals and administrators. However, the tips above may just be all your school needs to deal with that stubborn teacher.
About Molly Distinct Consult
Molly Distinct Consult is Nigeria’s foremost teacher recruitment firm, recruiting professional teachers and meeting the needs of premium schools that need professional teachers but who have difficulty finding competent ones. The firm also offers consultation on school administration. At the moment, Molly Distinct Consult is registering teachers to its database. Register here and receive employment offers that suit your expertise.