Haven’t we already covered this? Well, yeah, as it relates to students. Students are who you work for. Students are the reason you are even here. But there are other teachers in the same building, doing the same job, some of whom are wonderfully personable and helpful, and some of whom….well …frankly they are scary. My very first week of preplanning, I opened the door to  my new classroom to find all of the filing cabinets for the entire school sitting in my room. The school had undergone renovation that summer so I had to drag furniture for my classroom from all over the building. I pulled one filing cabinet to the side and put the others in the hallway so teachers could easily find the  filing cabinets they needed. An hour later, a VERY seasoned teacher came by my classroom and without introducing herself, informed me that the filing cabinet that I had claimed of the hundred or so in my classroom, was actually hers, and she would fight me for it. As a wide eyed newbie, I told her she could have it. There was no name on the cabinet so I mistakenly thought they were all created equal but apparently I was wrong. Five years later when I transferred to another school, I was still scared of that teacher. And thirty five  years later, I still remember that learning experience. 

Over my career, I have known hundreds of teachers. Some of them were spectacular, some of them were lazy, some of them were extremely professional, some of them were kind and compassionate, some of them were mean-spirited, some of them I could not trust,  some of them were competitive, some of them were emotional messes, but I had to work with all of them. That is a tall order.  You will have to work with some people you don’t like, some people who don’t appreciate the way you do things, some people who, if they were not your co-worker, would definitely not be your friend. I am a baker and my special gift is sharing some of the things I bake with colleagues when I have extra. Many of my colleagues  loved me for it. One that I recall specifically, would throw the cake into MY trash can to send a message to me that she didn’t want anything I had to offer. She occupied the classroom next door. She didn’t like me. She was not going to like me. If I was coming down the hall and she saw me, she would quickly step inside another classroom just to keep from having to pass me!?  Yes, I still had to work with her. I didn’t particularly enjoy it when we were on the same committee but I learned that I could do it. Go ahead and plan how you intend to deal with a person that scares you or intimidates you or just does not appreciate you at all. They will be there.

It is time for some self evaluation. What kind of teacher will you be? Will you share your resources with others or guard your ideas as if teaching is a competition? Will you be the teacher who volunteers to host pre-service teachers to help teach them what you already know? Will you be the one who resents the teacher on your grade level because she had a better Valentine’s activity than you did? Will you spend time in the teacher workroom on tasks not related to your classroom? How will you handle the teacher on your grade level who seems to be happiest whenever she’s complaining? How will you interact with the teacher you don’t particularly like?

I have known some really spectacular teachers whom kids and parents adore. Everyone wanted to be in her class. She sounds perfectly successful, right? Actually, her only downfall is that she doesn’t work well with other teachers. She assumes that since she is so successful, everyone else must want her blueprint, so she naturally bosses her grade level. But if something is not her idea, she does not typically embrace it. What principal wouldn’t want to have a fabulously successful teacher on her staff? One who values teamwork. Mrs. Fabulously Successful would be perfect for a one room schoolhouse, which are currently out of vogue. I don’t know a single leader who doesn’t value teamwork. Teaching is a team sport. If you are Mrs. Fabulously Successful you are a great asset to the team if you share and help others who are developing their practice. We are all segregated into rooms with different groups of children but there is an expectation that we will be able to contribute to a grade level, a school, and a district by collaborating with other professionals. It is easy for you to gravitate toward a teacher with whom you have a lot in common. It is work to connect with a teacher with a prickly attitude or a bossy demeanor, even if she is an excellent teacher.  In addition to the ability to work well with your grade level and across teams, the principal needs you to be able to work with all personalities; those you appreciate, as well as those you don’t. Some grade levels pride themselves on bonding so much that they will plan dinners out together or parties, or even road trips. Don’t let the difficult teacher prevent you from attending. Be part of the group. Work well together. You don’t have to be a girlfriend. You have to be a colleague.

Sometimes you will be asked to do something you don’t particularly want to do. Don’t analyze it. Just do it if it is the right thing to do. I remember an experience when I had a baby at home who was sick. The babysitter called to tell me he needed to go to the pediatrician. It was the end of the day so classes were dismissed but I needed someone to cover my carpool duty. I anxiously asked a coworker if she could cover my duty for me and her response was, “I would, but I have finished my duty rotations for the year and there is no time that you could pay me back. Go ask Mrs…….” I don’t remember much after that but twenty years later, I remember needing a colleague to help me and being smacked in the face with the value of my crisis as it related to her convenience. Teachers routinely swap duty posts when they have something unexpected to come up but it never occurred to me not to help out a colleague who needed me if she could not repay me in kind. I can guarantee you will not reach teacher retirement without having a handful of crises that could be solved by a colleague. Seize every opportunity to pay kindness and professionalism ahead. 

Whether you are the teacher who has always dreamed of growing up to be just like your favorite fourth grade teacher or you intend to be the teacher you never had, make no mistake, your job is critically important to our future. Classrooms, children and cultural issues are more challenging now than ever before in history. This job is not for wimps. The challenges are great and the rewards are often delayed.  You are not going to get rich being a teacher, but your investment in children will pay tremendous dividends in the future. From where I stand, I can think of a lot of things I could have been, but none are as fulfilling as learning alongside children. The days are long but the years are short. 

Yes, relationships are everything. Relationships with parents, co-teachers, students, lunchroom staff, custodians, the school nurse…. Everyone ! I encourage you to pay if forward every chance you get. I guarantee you that you will not regret it.

A few months ago our sweet neighbor shared part of the Sunday message at  her church. It was on relationships. The preacher shared his thoughts about how garages and carports were affecting many neighborhood relationships, because when you drive up into your garage, and close the door, oftentimes you are in for the day.

That does not happen in my neighborhood because we don’t have garages and carports. We know the comings and goings of each other and  watch out for each other. We share greetings, stories or just a friendly wave to each other daily. As I have thought about that, I realized how much I have taken for granted living here for the past 44 years and how important my relationships are with my neighbors.

Look for ways to make those connections in your building. You’ll be glad you did.💗

Pamela Webster, M. Ed., SPED