My Walnut Trees

A popular article Find Your Marigold by Jennifer Gonzalez, outlines how important it is for new teachers to find and surround themselves with good people, which she calls marigolds. Unfortunately, in the teaching profession there are few marigolds, and a preponderance of walnut trees.  These are members of staff who survive by putting others down or causing division.  Being around them makes you feel insecure, discouraged, overwhelmed, or embarrassed.  I am not a new teacher, far from it, but I let the walnut trees get to me. Here are my walnut trees.

The would be principal

A seasoned veteran with many years experience under their belt. Nothing phases them because they can handle anything or anyone that comes their way. They talk with confidence at staff meetings, often bringing up matters that need to be changed. Holding forth on lengthy descriptions of how much time they are putting into making slide shows and spreadsheets that will benefit their students; not asking for help, just letting everyone know. Holding themselves to a high standard, and are quick to judge others who do not appear to have the same work ethic. However, all this effort trying to prove their worth leaves little time for empathy or collaboration. Any contact with them is one-way, and often meant to belittle. Their behavior may be confused with that of an administrator, rather than a teacher.


The missionary

Another teacher with years of experience which we know because they often talk about it: “At my old school I…” “I have had great success with this in the past…” “I won an award for…” All is said in a gracious and uplifting manner, avoiding any negativity. “It is because I care so much that I am suggesting…” Since their own experience is so full of smiley faces and hearts, they are happy to share their good fortune in the form of helpful advice and considerate remarks in emails addressed to the whole school. Unfortunately these remarks are often meant to publicly shame and bring awareness to the community and administration of perceived wrongdoing. This is classic teacher stuff: making a colleague look bad makes them look better. Similar to why parents like watching ‘Supernanny on TV” because watching someone in a worse state makes you feel like a better parent. Their behavior may be confused with that of a missionary, although their message of good news is for themselves.


The rule follower

A no nonsense teacher who believes in following rules. Not only their students, but also their colleagues must become rule followers too. The world is black and white, we have bells for a reason, the work day ends at 4pm, and there is no wiggle room. Those who fall short are put quickly in the dog house. Since this teacher’s classroom runs like clockwork, there is never any need for discussion or exceptions. Interaction with them feels like following orders. The real reason behind this behavior is because it makes the job easier, cuts down on time, and eliminates haggling over key points. However, there is also no room for growth, change, or appreciation of diversity.


The politician

A young teacher still full of idealism and enthusiasm for the job. Upbeat and frequently heard praising her students and colleagues. Careful use of social media and networking has brought with it a reputation of being creative and fun. These have a huge following in the community. This also means prioritising, when planning, to showcase and celebrate. Any criticism of what might be perceived as a shallow curriculum, is taken public to encourage others to take umbrage online. Colleagues are forced to take sides, and some choose to opt out entirely. After time this behavior may be confused with that of a politician, building their base. The staff become divided into polarized parties.


The grandparent

A master teacher who has learned how to go unnoticed by flying under the radar. They keep to themselves and concentrate on their instruction. These are often specialists who have great knowledge of their subject and do not appreciate others telling them how to do their job. As a result they flourish on their own, often skip meetings and have their own interpretation of the rules. To avoid criticism or confrontation, random positive notes or compliments are dropped in the group chat… they are not only meaningless, but often hypocritical lies. They shower their students with compliments, gifts and smiles to keep everyone happy. Everyone gets an ‘A’ and in turn votes them as their favorite teacher. What goes unsaid, is the tolerance for below average performance, the lack of respect for colleagues and unwillingness to reach out and collaborate meaningfully. Their behavior may be confused with that of a grandparent who plays the part but secretly disagrees with the way other members of the family operate, and is unwilling to get involved in times of stress.

 

Dismantling an ES for the sake of change

 

Our island school system hired a new Superintendent who came with her own vision, and curriculum. This school model emphasized the 3 R's, using a basic curriculum and scripted interventions to bring all students up to a passing level in Math, Reading and Writing. With this model there is no need for ESL, Speech, Reading or SpEd teachers, since all students receive the necessary teaching within the classroom curriculum. There is only a need for PE, Art and Music for the sake of appeasing the parents and giving the classroom teachers a break. I have heard of this type of school, but in all my years of teaching (in 10 schools) I have never taught in one. And the obvious question here was, how would our new administration go about getting rid of surplus teachers and converting the rest to embrace the new curriculum.

After only two years, half of our staff are leaving, or have already left. There has been a very effective campaign to jettison teaching staff that are seen as unnecessary or non-compliant. Looking back now, it is quite easy to see how this was done:

• First, teachers were managed in isolation.  The very infrequent staff meetings came with a format not allowing discussion, comments or even questions. All those had to be brought up to the Principal later in a one-on-one session. No teachers knew what their colleagues were thinking.
• Anything the administrators didn't agree with was buried, often only mentioned three paragraphs down in the daily repetitive emails. 
• PLC's were formed for classroom teachers only, since they were the only ones who needed to adopt the new curriculum. Other staff never met, and had no platform on which to voice their worries or celebrate their accomplishments.
• All staff were asked which committee they would like to join, but only classroom teachers were actually placed on them. These committees gave updates at staff meetings where other staff could clearly see they were not involved in the school culture. The classroom staff and the 'specialists'  had no time to discuss student achievement or instigate collaboration. As a specialist myself, I often went days without seeing or speaking to another adult at school... completely alienated.
• Phase two began in the second year, when specialists such as myself were called into a private meeting with the administration to be told that we were not doing enough, our teaching schedules were too light. We were then asked to do more duties, substitute teaching, and take random classes for no other reason than to give classroom teachers as many as three preps a day. This sent the message that we were not really needed.  Fighting this only created more separation between the classroom teachers and the support staff. 
• Non compliance led to referrals to HR, and disciplinary meetings. Complaints to or about the administration went unheeded. Teachers feeling the stress of conforming to an educational model that didn't include or celebrate their strengths were advised to take some time off work. 

Depending on your world view, you may see this as a step in the right direction, or you might see it as change for the sake of change. Our school was not failing previous to this administration. Our test scores were very good, and most stakeholders were positive about the school's place in our small island community. It is unfortunate that, although there will always be change, we must live with a pendulum that swings from one extreme to another, where many will be left behind.