Five Ways to Connect with Faculty Eye-rollers, Curmudgeons, and Energy Vampires

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of talking to an amazing administrator who does so much to create a positive culture within his district.  We had a great chat about the reality of teacher stress and the need for wellness, but then the conversation turned to those teachers who might be resistant to wellness, stress management and/or SEL practices.  Offhandedly, I said that they are my favorite teachers to work with, but I didn’t explain much further until I got home and was able to reflect some more.

Those teachers are my favorite for the same reason that the difficult students are my favorite - they need the message even more than everyone else.  I love talking to educators who are on my wavelength and want to find positive, proactive solutions, but I'm determined to reach as many of the ones who don't get it as possible - even if it is just to plant the seed by asking the right question or appealing to their emotions.

So, to answer his big question question, here are five ways to connect with the faculty and staff eye-rollers, curmudgeons, and energy vampires (for any type of training, but especially the "fluffy" feelings variety). 

Basically, there will be minimal phone use, grumbling, and tomato throwing if the presenter can make makes the material:

1. Meaningful - "Because you have to" is never really a good enough reason for any of us to buy into training or workshops, but it seems that has been a trend for a lot of the things that have been mandated recently and it definitely adds to teacher stress.  I've also found that starting with data or saying "Research shows..." garners an adverse reaction from a lot of professionals who take it personally that "research" is deemed to be more significant than their everyday experiences and their own expertise.  So, I like to begin by creating a meaningful context that establishes two things - a need for the information and practices and an offer for something actionable that each teacher can try in their own life and in their classes.

2. Relevant - This one is obviously closely tied to making it meaningful, but even the most engaging and captivating presentations aren't really valuable unless the teachers can see what it has to do with them and how it can be applied in their life and their classes. 

3. Personal - I avoided this one for a few years, but there is something powerful about sharing personal connections and encouraging the faculty and staff to do the same thing.  This is where buy-in comes from and how a local and organic program can be a lot more sustainable than a canned program created by some distant corporation.  The personal element can be created with the right questions, the right connections, and a few good stories or videos.

4. Integrated - Right now, the last thing a teacher wants to hear is that they have to do something extra since the are already struggling to get all of the things that are expected of them accomplished.  That is why it is really important to introduce new ideas and practices in a way that integrates or even streamlines with what they are already doing.  As far as my programs, I can easily make the case that self-care, wellness, and emotional well being will make everything else a lot easier, so this one isn't very difficult for me.

5. Straightforward - Last but not least, the crankiest teachers are often the ones who want everyone to "cut to the chase" so I've found that providing clear objectives, an outline, and sticking to the plan work wonders to keep them at least complacent.  The need to avoid heavy reliance on research and data comes into play again in this case, so I always offer those resources as supplements.

Overall, I guess there are a lot of tricks required to work with the difficult teachers including calm, creativity, compassion and confidence, so I guess it gives me a great opportunity to practice what I preach.  There will always be one or two that don't try or don't get it, but almost 100% of the time, that has everything to do with what they are dealing with emotionally and nothing at all to do with the content or the presentation. 

The change process is messy, but with strong leaders and meaningful concepts, the vast majority of teachers welcome ways to better help themselves and the students.