Getting Along

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Home : 2003 : September : 29

Getting Along
By Susan

I had a very challenging first year. I felt like, after that year, I would be supportive of other first year teachers NO MATTER WHAT. However, both my second and third years, there were new teachers who got on my nerves.
I felt really horrible for not liking them, but here's why I did:
(1) One of them volunteered for EVERYTHING. Despite having three energetic kids of her own, whenever any awful job was posed, she volunteered to do it. That kind of made her look like a kiss-up.
(2) The other one brags and brags about all the stuff she does in her classroom. I'm wondering how I'm younger, single,

and a third-year teacher, and I can get exhausted just teaching the basic Open Court curriculum, while this lady gets in all this extra stuff.

This is just echoing what the last post said, but I thought I'd add my two cents. Frankly, I think the best way to fit in is to talk about something else besides school in the lunchroom. I love when we can talk about our weekends or our families. Then there isn't the jealousy, bragging, or differences of opinion that come with discussing school. Also, if you are discussing school, I find it helps to just echo the mood of the other teachers. If everyone's positive and talking about inspirational class moments, either add a story of your own, or just keep quiet. (Sometimes I am having a bad day while another person is having a good one, or vice versa. In those cases I just don't say anything while they're sharing their feelings.) If they're complaining, add a story about a similar trouble you're having. Do not give them advice. Experienced teachers hate it when they feel like a new teachers thinks she knows all the answers. Often you don't know all the answers, because you haven't been around as long and had all the experiences they have had.

Also, maybe you just have a really adversarial group of co-workers. Some schools, for whatever reason, have a very negative, back-stabbing environment. Sometimes it seems like a lot of pressure from the administration can cause this, especially when you have a principal like mine who picks favorites. Also, this obsession with competitive standardized test scores doesn't help foster a feeling of collegiality at some of our more hard core schools, either.