Building Positive and Professional Relationships with Colleagues
Your colleagues can be a great source of support to you throughout your teaching career, especially in your first few
years. Developing positive and professional relationships with your colleagues is critical to you surviving and thriving in your teaching career.
Starting at a new school where you do not know your colleagues can be a daunting time. In fact, research shows that many beginning teachers report feelings of‘overwhelming isolation’ (Thomas et al. 1998, p27). Transitioning from
University to School can be a time of adjustment for many beginning teachers, for as Jenkins, Smith and Maxwell (2009, p64) explain, ‘many are transferring from student to professional employee and teacher while experiencing unfamiliar roles requiring them to forge new relationships with their students, colleagues, and community’. In addition, as they go on to explain, the age gap between many beginning teachers and their more experienced colleagues can make communication between them somewhat difficult (Jenkins, Smith & Maxwell 2009).
The development of positive and professional relationships with your colleagues does not happen automatically,
and is not always easy; it takes time and effort. Yet there are steps you can take to get you on the road to building
positive and professional relationships with your colleagues, as detailed below:
1. As with any workplace, your colleagues will have a range of different personalities and working styles. It is important to value and respect your colleagues varying pedagogical approaches and philosophies. Remember, that there is as much diversity between teachers as there is between students.
2. Be willing and prepared to take on additional roles and responsibilities. For example, offer to take on the role of putting together the newsletter, or joining the sports committee. This will demonstrate to your colleagues that you are a team player and that you are an asset, not a liability.
3. Be flexible and adaptable. For example, if a colleague asks you to swap or cover a duty, do so where
possible.
4. Be courteous and mindful. For example, don’t do all of your photocopying for the week on Monday
morning at 8.30am.
5. Don’t come across as overconfident. Whilst you do want to come across as confident and capable, you don’t
want to come across as though you know everything.
6. Eat lunch with your colleagues in the staffroom, even though you may want to stay in your classroom to do some work (Thompson 2007). When you are in the staffroom, it is important to engage with your colleagues. Thus, we strongly suggest you avoid sitting in the staffroom texting friends on your mobile phone.
7. Share a little about yourself so that your colleagues get to know you (Thomson 2007). Make sure what you share is appropriate and showcases you in a professional manner. For example, do not tell them that you went out last night and danced the night away until 2am and that you are very tired.
It developing positive relationships with your colleagues, it is helpful to also consider their expectations of you. For just as students need to know what is expected of them in the classroom, you need to know what is expected of you
as a teacher and colleague. Thompson (2007, p50) provides a comprehensive overview of what you
colleagues expect of you, as detailed below:
- ‘to be courteous and cooperative
- to work towards shared goals
- to conduct yourself with professionalism
- to be willing to collaborate
- to be on time
- to value their experience
- to admit when you are not sure of something
- to keep trying to improve’.
Overall, as with any relationship, it takes time to build positive relationships with your colleagues. Remember to act professionally at all times, value and respect them, and work with them, and you will be well on your way to developing positive and supportive relationships with your colleagues.
References:
Jenkins, K, Smith, H & Maxwell, T 2009, ‘Challenging experiences faced by beginning casual teachers; here one day and gone the next!’, Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, vol.37, no.1, pp63-78.
Thomas, G, Windburg, S, Grossman, P, Myhre, O & Woolworth, S 1998, ‘In the Company of Colleagues: An Interim Report of the Development of a Community of Teacher Learners’, Teaching and Teacher Education, vol.14, no.1,
pp21-32.
Thompson, JG 2007, The First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-use Strategies, Tools & Activities for Meeting the Challenges of Each School Day, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
years. Developing positive and professional relationships with your colleagues is critical to you surviving and thriving in your teaching career.
Starting at a new school where you do not know your colleagues can be a daunting time. In fact, research shows that many beginning teachers report feelings of‘overwhelming isolation’ (Thomas et al. 1998, p27). Transitioning from
University to School can be a time of adjustment for many beginning teachers, for as Jenkins, Smith and Maxwell (2009, p64) explain, ‘many are transferring from student to professional employee and teacher while experiencing unfamiliar roles requiring them to forge new relationships with their students, colleagues, and community’. In addition, as they go on to explain, the age gap between many beginning teachers and their more experienced colleagues can make communication between them somewhat difficult (Jenkins, Smith & Maxwell 2009).
The development of positive and professional relationships with your colleagues does not happen automatically,
and is not always easy; it takes time and effort. Yet there are steps you can take to get you on the road to building
positive and professional relationships with your colleagues, as detailed below:
1. As with any workplace, your colleagues will have a range of different personalities and working styles. It is important to value and respect your colleagues varying pedagogical approaches and philosophies. Remember, that there is as much diversity between teachers as there is between students.
2. Be willing and prepared to take on additional roles and responsibilities. For example, offer to take on the role of putting together the newsletter, or joining the sports committee. This will demonstrate to your colleagues that you are a team player and that you are an asset, not a liability.
3. Be flexible and adaptable. For example, if a colleague asks you to swap or cover a duty, do so where
possible.
4. Be courteous and mindful. For example, don’t do all of your photocopying for the week on Monday
morning at 8.30am.
5. Don’t come across as overconfident. Whilst you do want to come across as confident and capable, you don’t
want to come across as though you know everything.
6. Eat lunch with your colleagues in the staffroom, even though you may want to stay in your classroom to do some work (Thompson 2007). When you are in the staffroom, it is important to engage with your colleagues. Thus, we strongly suggest you avoid sitting in the staffroom texting friends on your mobile phone.
7. Share a little about yourself so that your colleagues get to know you (Thomson 2007). Make sure what you share is appropriate and showcases you in a professional manner. For example, do not tell them that you went out last night and danced the night away until 2am and that you are very tired.
It developing positive relationships with your colleagues, it is helpful to also consider their expectations of you. For just as students need to know what is expected of them in the classroom, you need to know what is expected of you
as a teacher and colleague. Thompson (2007, p50) provides a comprehensive overview of what you
colleagues expect of you, as detailed below:
- ‘to be courteous and cooperative
- to work towards shared goals
- to conduct yourself with professionalism
- to be willing to collaborate
- to be on time
- to value their experience
- to admit when you are not sure of something
- to keep trying to improve’.
Overall, as with any relationship, it takes time to build positive relationships with your colleagues. Remember to act professionally at all times, value and respect them, and work with them, and you will be well on your way to developing positive and supportive relationships with your colleagues.
References:
Jenkins, K, Smith, H & Maxwell, T 2009, ‘Challenging experiences faced by beginning casual teachers; here one day and gone the next!’, Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, vol.37, no.1, pp63-78.
Thomas, G, Windburg, S, Grossman, P, Myhre, O & Woolworth, S 1998, ‘In the Company of Colleagues: An Interim Report of the Development of a Community of Teacher Learners’, Teaching and Teacher Education, vol.14, no.1,
pp21-32.
Thompson, JG 2007, The First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-use Strategies, Tools & Activities for Meeting the Challenges of Each School Day, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.