Is anyone else sickened by the camaraderie between school staff?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school’s teachers used to visibly not get along under the old administration. It was obvious and uncomfortable and made everything move more slowly for the kids.

With a new principal, the teachers seem to have reset their relationships. DD comes home telling about which teachers get their nails done together or play board games together on weekends. You can tell that teachers are collaborating more, transitions are less chaotic, and specials are more energetic. There are fun assemblies and spirit weeks and surprise days and the kids seem to be learning more.

In my mind, an ideal school has teachers who are all on the same page.

Notice the emphasis on administration in your story.

A bad administration tears teachers apart. I’ve worked for a dreadful administration that played favorites and targeted others. They seemed to revel in the drama they created. I did the only thing I could do: I left that school.

We don’t pay enough attention to an administration’s impact. We need to evaluate admins far more thoroughly than we do.

[Anonymous]

No. Teaching is a very difficult and pretty terrible job. Good for the teachers for getting through it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school’s teachers used to visibly not get along under the old administration. It was obvious and uncomfortable and made everything move more slowly for the kids.

With a new principal, the teachers seem to have reset their relationships. DD comes home telling about which teachers get their nails done together or play board games together on weekends. You can tell that teachers are collaborating more, transitions are less chaotic, and specials are more energetic. There are fun assemblies and spirit weeks and surprise days and the kids seem to be learning more.

In my mind, an ideal school has teachers who are all on the same page.

While I love that this is happening, isn’t it a little weird that they’re talking about it with the students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Teaching is a very difficult and pretty terrible job. Good for the teachers for getting through it.

I would have quit years ago if it weren’t for my colleagues. They get what I’m going through and they know the right thing to stay. They keep me from fully burning out.

My DD is in college to become a teacher. (I tried to dissuade her.) One of the positives I can give her, though, is that she’ll have a deeply supportive community of others who “get it.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school’s teachers used to visibly not get along under the old administration. It was obvious and uncomfortable and made everything move more slowly for the kids.

With a new principal, the teachers seem to have reset their relationships. DD comes home telling about which teachers get their nails done together or play board games together on weekends. You can tell that teachers are collaborating more, transitions are less chaotic, and specials are more energetic. There are fun assemblies and spirit weeks and surprise days and the kids seem to be learning more.

In my mind, an ideal school has teachers who are all on the same page.

While I love that this is happening, isn’t it a little weird that they’re talking about it with the students?

Why? Teachers are not robots. They can talk about their friends and their appropriate after-school activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school’s teachers used to visibly not get along under the old administration. It was obvious and uncomfortable and made everything move more slowly for the kids.

With a new principal, the teachers seem to have reset their relationships. DD comes home telling about which teachers get their nails done together or play board games together on weekends. You can tell that teachers are collaborating more, transitions are less chaotic, and specials are more energetic. There are fun assemblies and spirit weeks and surprise days and the kids seem to be learning more.

In my mind, an ideal school has teachers who are all on the same page.

While I love that this is happening, isn’t it a little weird that they’re talking about it with the students?

I used to love when teachers shared tidbits of personal info. Made me want to do better.

[Anonymous]

What kind of a sourbag is "sickened" by work colleagues being congenial with one another?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of a sourbag is "sickened" by work colleagues being congenial with one another?

Someone who thinks parents should be automatically believed in everything they say even if the teachers side of the story hasn’t been told yet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Camaraderie among coworkers is the only reason I am still a teacher. Like Jimmy Buffett says, “If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.”

This.

[Anonymous]

I like schools with a professional atmosphere.

I don't really know how to answer Op's question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school’s teachers used to visibly not get along under the old administration. It was obvious and uncomfortable and made everything move more slowly for the kids.

With a new principal, the teachers seem to have reset their relationships. DD comes home telling about which teachers get their nails done together or play board games together on weekends. You can tell that teachers are collaborating more, transitions are less chaotic, and specials are more energetic. There are fun assemblies and spirit weeks and surprise days and the kids seem to be learning more.

In my mind, an ideal school has teachers who are all on the same page.

While I love that this is happening, isn’t it a little weird that they’re talking about it with the students?

I think when done appropriately It supports behavior standards. If you know that your teachers talk to each other, you are less likely to misbehave if you have a positive relationship with even one of them. I see this in my school, where teachers are quite close “did Ms. Smith tell you I did a good job?” Etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school’s teachers used to visibly not get along under the old administration. It was obvious and uncomfortable and made everything move more slowly for the kids.

With a new principal, the teachers seem to have reset their relationships. DD comes home telling about which teachers get their nails done together or play board games together on weekends. You can tell that teachers are collaborating more, transitions are less chaotic, and specials are more energetic. There are fun assemblies and spirit weeks and surprise days and the kids seem to be learning more.

In my mind, an ideal school has teachers who are all on the same page.

While I love that this is happening, isn’t it a little weird that they’re talking about it with the students?

I’m the PP you’re replying to and I thought it was weird when it came up so I asked DD more questions. It’s very innocent. DD and her friends complimented one teacher’s nails while she was monitoring lunch and helping kids open things. Teacher said thanks, Mrs. So-and-so and I get them done together every other week. DD is dazzled by both teachers so of course she was bubbling over with excitement that day to tell me that they are “friends in real life and they do things together!”.

Board games: there is an after school game club and two teachers run it together. In their pitch to parents at back-to-school night they mentioned that they run game nights together with a bunch other teachers and staff and wanted to do the same for the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school’s teachers used to visibly not get along under the old administration. It was obvious and uncomfortable and made everything move more slowly for the kids.

With a new principal, the teachers seem to have reset their relationships. DD comes home telling about which teachers get their nails done together or play board games together on weekends. You can tell that teachers are collaborating more, transitions are less chaotic, and specials are more energetic. There are fun assemblies and spirit weeks and surprise days and the kids seem to be learning more.

In my mind, an ideal school has teachers who are all on the same page.

While I love that this is happening, isn’t it a little weird that they’re talking about it with the students?

I’m the PP you’re replying to and I thought it was weird when it came up so I asked DD more questions. It’s very innocent. DD and her friends complimented one teacher’s nails while she was monitoring lunch and helping kids open things. Teacher said thanks, Mrs. So-and-so and I get them done together every other week. DD is dazzled by both teachers so of course she was bubbling over with excitement that day to tell me that they are “friends in real life and they do things together!”.

Board games: there is an after school game club and two teachers run it together. In their pitch to parents at back-to-school night they mentioned that they run game nights together with a bunch other teachers and staff and wanted to do the same for the kids.

Things like this build a sense of community, and is important for students and teachers alike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like schools with a professional atmosphere.

I don't really know how to answer Op's question

Teachers can’t be friendly with one another, or somehow they lose their professionalism?

I worked in a corporate environment before switching to teaching. I saw more cattiness and unprofessional behavior there than I currently see as a teacher in a school.

[Anonymous]

If they want to keep their jobs they cannot speak outside of that the admin says.