Behavior That Makes Us Crazy –Personnel Lessons For Educators That We Learned The Hard Way
Kelley BakerSteve [email protected]@hslegalfirm.comHarding & Shultz (402) 434-3000
H & S School Law
Document Review Review and compare school
policies, handbooks, contracts, and policies on file with NDE
Evaluation system Review it with teachers at the
beginning of the year Tell teachers what you want
Be Direct and Clear Honesty is a sign of respect Speak the truth with love Be direct with criticism
• Don’t sandwich criticism between layers of praise
• Avoid mixed messages
Be Direct and Clear Set standards -- teachers can’t meet
standards without knowing them Write in the first person Avoid the “cliffhanger” evaluation Be consistent The “C” word - Confrontation
Don’t Inflate Evaluations No teacher is perfect A gratuitously glowing evaluation
does not help a teacher improve A “C” is not an “A” You will pay for evaluation inflation
• It makes it difficult to non-renew or terminate a teacher
• It lowers you in the board’s esteem
Cute Gets You into TroubleDON’T:
• Be sneaky • RIF teachers who should be fired• Say one thing to one person and
another thing to another person
It Doesn’t Make Them Go Away
Don’t ignore:• The bad, creepy, or mean teacher
who is too troublesome to remediate• The teacher whose problems keep
recurring and exhaust you• A bad teacher by hiding her in Title
Counseling Someone Out Distracts your focus Prompts you to avoid developing
necessary evidence Creates evidence of discrimination Leaves an impression of unfairness Getting away with it can be is as
bad as getting caught
Karate Do, Karate Don’t If you do your job:
• A good result is more likely • You make the NSEA’s job easier• You impress the board positively
If you maybe do your job:• You encourage hearings• You impress the board negatively
Deadlines Meet your own deadlines For evaluations:
• Observe all probationary teachers once each semester
• Complete the entire evaluation process during the same semester
• Make the teacher sign the evaluation at the conference
Deadlines Set deadlines for teachers
• Make them reasonable • Enforce them• Do not extend them – “you missed
the deadline, get this done”
Get Your Legal Advice From Your District’s Lawyer
NOT:• The NSEA• The Department of Education• Nebraska Advocacy Services• Parents • Your conference administrators
Don’t Rely on Past Practice
SpEd law Negotiations Open Meetings Act Personnel Discrimination
(especially age)
Miracles Take TimeIt’s easier to work miracles when: You consult with your school
attorney on all personnel matters• Early• Often
Remember, it’s never too late to begin, but earlier is better than later
Be persistent – don’t give in
Don’t Play Doctor You are an educator, not a
physician Stick to your area of expertise Focus on job performance Consider an accommodation for a
teacher with a disability A teacher whom you “perceive” as
disabled is protected by the ADA
You’re Not as Tough as You Think
Educators often feel that their memos and evaluations are harsh when: They are not The teacher and teacher’s attorney
don’t agree The board doesn’t find them to be
harsh or sufficiently clear
Behavior That Makes Us Crazy –Personnel Lessons For Educators That We Learned The Hard Way
Kelley BakerSteve [email protected]@hslegalfirm.comHarding & Shultz (402) 434-3000
H & S School Law