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The School Leader and the underperforming teacher
Informal and Formal Procedures
Almost immediately and before The Principal has had an opportunity to say anything, Mr Maguire blurts out:
“This is the last place I want to be right now…. in here, in school or in class…… I’m thinking of calling it a day altogether-things are just gone from bad to worse for me…… I think that’s the thing to do…things just are not happening for me.
The Meeting
Score the Principal’s response from 1-5, from the list of six
Principals Response 1
‘On the basis of what you have just said ,Id say you show a very definite lack of self confidence at the moment’.
Principals Response 2
‘Tell me a little about why you are not enjoying your work and what you mean by things are not happening for you.’
Principals Response 3
“You are wrong if you think that ‘calling it a day’ is the answer”
Principals Response 4
‘I’ve heard worse accounts of teachers in difficulty…and they turned out all right in the end. You seemed to be doing fine up to last year’.
Principals Response 5
‘Why don’t you make a list of what it is about work that is problematic and that is causing you to be unhappy and we will meet tomorrow and go through this again.’
Principals Response 6
“…are you telling me that you are unhappy in yourself at the moment.. and that school has not been easy……and that you would like to tease it out”
Responses 1-6
Directive
Evaluative
Supportive
Interpretative
Reflective
Probing
Impact of Principals initial Response
Probing
Reflective
Interpretative
Evaluating
Challenging Confronting
Supportive
Directive
Mr Maguire?
Defence
Acceptance
Aggression
Fatalism
Passivity
Perceptual Positions
First Position Second Position
Third Position
Being ‘present’!
Being ‘present’!
EMPATHYUnderstanding the experiences, behaviours and feelings of others as THEY experience them
Strategies:• identify and reflect on feelings• paraphrase
“You feel……because…..”
At best it is a way of ‘being with’ othersTo be effective:
• take time to think• use short responses• use client’s language• be tentative
Means putting aside own prejudices and points of view
Avoid:• sympathy• Interpretation• Advice
Flow
Source: Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper & Row
Anxiety
Boredom
(High)
(Low)
(High)(Low)
Cha
lleng
es
Skills
Apathy
Flow
Some negative features late career
• Increasing sense of mortality
• Impending retirement
• Experiences of repetitive change - wearing
• Energy levels
• Health
• Technological generational inversion
• Growing disenchantment
• Declining confidence
Emotional
Cognitive
0 0Support
Two big questions for the Principal
Is there underperformance?
How do I know?
Career StagesP
erf
orm
ance
Time
60+
Mr Maguire?
Different emotional/cognitive landscapes?
….and despite your best
as coach/mentor/colleague …………..you may find it necessary in Mr Maguire’s case to move on now
to…. the more formal stage.