Welcome back everyone (or those just returning) to the classroom or diving back into home school studies. I hope everyone had a fabulous break and made wonderful memories.
We have had many email requests for suggestions on “How to Deal with Negativity in the Classroom or Work Environment”. Given that the entire Unlock the Teacher LLC team prefers to dwell in the positive versus the negative (which is why we work so well together 🙂 ) I thought I would pull some positive energy from my team and share it with our readers.
First off, when we allow ourselves to get caught up in the negativity of the world around us, we can not fully achieve what is intended or live intentionally. This is also true in education…and I would go so far as to say it is even MORE important for us to NOT embrace the negative, because we are examples for all the future minds of tomorrow!
There are many philosophers who have tackled this subject in the past and present. Below is a brief synopsis of what I have found this week, that I have found helpful to get along with others or words that have helped shape my management style.
All Business provided the following rubric for great team building in a work environment:
- Communicate Goals Clearly
- Define Responsibilities
- Provide Equal Training
- Encourage Relationships
- Empower
- Provide Feedback
- Reward (I say provide PRAISE…it goes a long way!)
- Set Reasonable Deadlines
- Meet Regularly (Our team lives in various states. Given this, we try to Skype and have timely phone conferences.)
- Discourage “Back-Door” Reports *All Business reminds us, that inevitably, there will be at least one employee who will attempt to report to you after every meeting — giving a play-by-play slanted in his or her favor. Don’t encourage this behavior, and resist the temptation to use this employee as a fly on the wall. Backdoor tactics can severely undermine an otherwise positive office environment.
Education World is a great resource for this topic and I recommend this site for anyone looking for collaborative tools.
A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle. – Japanese proverb
It is amazing how much people get done if they do not worry about who gets the credit. – Swahili proverb
A team is more than a collection of people. It is a process of give and take. – Barbara Glacel & Emile Robert Jr.
None of us is as smart as all of us. – Ken Blanchard
No man is wise enough by himself. – Plautus
Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success. – Stephen Covey
The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team. – Lewis B. Ergen
One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team. Kareem Abdul-Jabbor
Teams share the burden and divide the grief. – Doug Smith
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. – Henry Ford
Light is the task where many share the toil. – Homer
T.E.A.M = Together everyone achieves more. – Anonymous
Ultimately, it is in our actions that define who we are. If we are one who promotes the good in all things, collaborates and maintains an open mind to others point of view…this can only help but begin a positive synergistic effect on any work relationship or environment.
I encourage all our readers to embrace the good!
I am very blessed to have an opportunity at Unlock the Teacher to work with a group of people who are dedicated to excellence in all things, and continue to strive to BE the difference for our children…our FUTURE!
Now that I am also wearing an Assistant Principal hat, I am equally blessed to work with a wonderful staff of 40+ who are positively centered and choose to embrace the good in each day.
Please share your great “team-building” tips so we can all benefit from the wisdom of many.
May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,
Denise
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