Who’s on Your Team?

Fast Forward! The meeting.

The teacher came in hot! Wishing to let out steam about the workings of the principal. How dare he (the principal) get involved in the teacher’s affairs. How dare the principal speak to the student? It was almost as if the teacher had a problem with the principal wanting accountability at the school and demanding a culture of care for the learning community. This meeting was between the teacher, the school’s president, and the principal. He was already inflamed because a co-worker filed a police report on him and he was fishing to identify that person. The principal entertained the conversation; even allowed for himself to be berated. The teacher was allowed to feel like he gained an upper hand.

In a normal workplace, this teacher would have been terminated for numerous infractions. What the teacher did not know is that the principal and the president had an understanding that the president asked allowance for “pastoral considerations” for this team member. He obviously has a history that clouds his judgment and informs his relational skills (digging into the employee’s background and work history). The principal has made numerous appeals about the cost/value of such an employee remaining on the team. One thing was clear – the employee was going nowhere (he stated emphatically) as he and the president had a longstanding relationship (the principal and his father’s family are coming from a looooooong way). It means. therefore, that the principal is the outsider and needs to understand how things work around this school.

Is there any hope for this team?

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Written 03/17/2025