Positive working relationships between colleagues are at the heart of good teaching. But sometimes, in the heat and battle of a school environment, it can be difficult to remain on good terms with those with whom you work.
This is why we really need to make an effort to cultivate good relationships, and that can be easier than we might think.
Here are four things to try.
1. Apologise
Along with death and taxes, the other thing in life that is certain is that we will make mistakes at work. Whether it’s forgetting the intervention session we promised our line manager we’d do, or whether we were unwittingly snappy with a colleague, no one is above an error or blunder.
Whatever your mistake, own it, apologise and make amends.
If your class’ coursework failed moderation, apologise and offer to rectify it, instead of blaming the system.
If you’re rude to a colleague, see them at the end of the day and tell them you didn’t mean it - you’re just stressed at the moment.
Whatever it is, just apologise. A two-sentence email is often all it takes to maintain a good working relationship, while stubbornness can lead to grudges and a lack of trust, neither of which are conducive to positive working relationships.
2. Positive associations
You know that one teacher? The one who always has something negative to say about everything and anything? The one who (occasionally joined by other members of the “anti-brigade”) will make sure nothing good is ever said about teaching?
Don’t be that teacher!
But in order to have thriving relationships with colleagues, not rejoicing in negativity is insufficient. It is a good idea to actively create positivity. For example, bringing cake to a meeting or organising staff socials will portray a positive teacher who cares.
If either of these activities are out of your comfort zone, then simply smiling and having a good sense of humour will suffice.
Don’t forget, the law of reciprocity states that if you are positive with people, they are more likely to be positive with you. You never really know when you may need your colleagues’ support.
3. Praise, don’t undermine
If you hear about some good teaching that your colleague did in their lesson last week, mention it. Mention it to them, and make sure there are lots of people listening. While overdoing this may come across as flattery, when done appropriately, praising a colleague will likely boost their morale and make for a happy workplace.
At the same time, when a colleague vents about how Joe Bloggs’ constant disruption is ruining their lesson, don’t snub your nose and say, “Oh, well, he behaves just fine in mine.” Getting on your high horse is a good way to make yourself very unpopular. Besides, there was likely a time when you weren’t so good either!
4. Keep it in-house
No doubt, at some point, a colleague will do something to annoy you. If this happens, the fewer people you involve the better. Sending said colleague an email with three members of SLT copied in will likely ruin your working relationship for good.
Unless it is really necessary to involve others, try and resolve your conflict with only the parties concerned.
Also on this note, don’t ignore the chain of command: if you complain to a senior leader about something that is within the remit of your immediate middle leader, you can be assured that you will have some apologising to do. This is not what SLT mean when they assert that “we have an open-door policy”. Don’t go there!
Omar Akbar is a science teacher and author of The Unofficial Teacher’s Manual: what they don’t teach you in training. He tweets @UnofficialOA
