Advocacy Series, August 2012
When a Teacher is Bullied www.thescea.org Introd uction A recent article written by the NEA, asserts that workplace bullying is on the rise. The article states: “about a third of American workers have been impacted by bullying in the workplace, either as a target or as witness to abusive behavior against a co-worker. Unfortunately, it’s even more prevalent in the field of education. In a recent survey of medium-sized school districts, 25 percent of employees reported that they had been bullied.” Go to neatoday.org to read the entire article. Bullies berate, browbeat and intimidate others. The SCEA is disappointed that this behavior goes on in South Carolina’s public schools and that some districts turn a blind eye. The stories we hear are shocking and the pain is heartbreaking. The SCEA offers this publication as general information and guidance. We also offer a “Members Only” help page on our website at www.thescea.org/help. We hope that school employees who are bullied will find the courage to take action and contact us so we can provide support and assistance. Contact The SCEA by an e-mail to help@thescea.org or contact our Member Advocacy Center at 864-641-7272.
Bully Behavior When people hear the word “bully”, they usually think of children and playgrounds. However, bullying can take place inside of the school house with faculty and staff as victims. Here are common examples of bully behavior by school administration: ridicules you in front of others singles you out, embarrasses you frequent “write ups” placed in your file threatens to revoke your contract or certificate aggressive eye contact / body language yells at you, makes you cry GBE-CB or SAFE-T without valid reason hyper critical of your work, excessive observations misrepresents a student or parent complaint speaks rudely to you in the presence of students last-minute meetings and won’t tell you the purpose of the meeting won’t let you take notes in meetings
bad assignment for next year stacking a meeting with multiple Administrators no representation allowed in meetings discourages you from speaking in faculty meetings or asking questions not supporting you with parents and students never remembers verbal conversations accurately and won’t put anything in writing too many preps, not enough planning slow to handle discipline referrals slow to respond to requests slow to respond to e-mail “my way or the highway” style
In isolation, one or more of these behaviors may not rise to the level of bullying. Bullying is egregious and ongoing. 1
Advocacy Series, August 2012
How Teachers Are Affected Teachers move inside a complex and political network of students, parents, administrators, colleagues and the community. Scrutiny and accountability are never-ending. They face obstacles and challenges that can zap their energy and enthusiasm. What if the NEA concept of “Bully Free Starts With Me” started at the college level and colleges prepared teachers for the real world of teaching, by talking about “employee” challenges in the workplace? The reality is that colleges don’t include employment conflict in their teacher education programs. This means that some teachers enter the profession lacking the skills and knowledge they need to successfully navigate employment problems. Addressing workplace conflict requires a different mindset, demeanor, knowledge base and skill set than teaching children. School districts play an important role by placing administrators in schools who are ethical and professional, and who have good communication and conflict management skills. Unfortunately, some districts fall short of this obligation, do not monitor their administrators or fail to take appropriate action to address misbehavior. When a conflict arises between a principal and a teacher, many districts automatically side with the administrator, even if they know he or she was in the wrong.
A teacher who is unable to cope, may say or do the wrong thing. A teacher who is subjected to a bully principal on a day-to-day basis may lose the ability to function. This teacher will instinctively spend most of the time managing the mistreatment and watching her back, taking valuable time and energy from teaching students. How bullying affects teachers:
depression, self-doubt, guilt, shame, embarrassment, fatigue, headaches, loss of sleep, high blood pressure, stomach problems afraid to meet with Administration hopelessness that leads to isolation and an inability to fight back making comments to students or parents outbursts in the classroom difficulty focusing weak performance greater use of sick leave, turnover
A teacher who suffers from mistreatment often finds it difficult to ask for help or they let things deteriorate beyond repair before they reach out.
Fe a r a n d F i n d i n g Yo u r I n n e r S t r e n g t h What are you afraid of? Some teachers think that if they stand up for themselves, they may lose their job. Teachers who are competent and meeting expectations should not worry. Moreover, a principal does not have the ability to terminate a teacher or revoke a certificate, so don’t be misled. The School Board hires and fires - in accordance with the Teacher Employment and Dismissal Act - and the SC State Board of Education issues and revokes certificates. If a principal co-opts the district into taking either of those actions, we fight for our members. Our legal services department and attorneys are top notch! Get tough. If you do nothing, nothing will change. Grow a thicker skin. If you’re too fragile and crumble, you will not be able to help yourself. Take steps to control your emotion and anger. Seek medical help if you need it. Do your job to the best of your ability and make sure the only bad behavior belongs to the Bully, not you. Find out about your rights and what laws apply. Truth and facts are powerful weapons. Call The SCEA for help with this. Reach out to your friends, family, or clergy. Get counseling if you need it. Use caution and think carefully before discussing your concerns at school. Confront the Bully face to face. Calmly state your concern and request that the mistreatment stop. This approach works many times. Why? Because, principals who bully don’t see themselves as others do. They don’t like to be called a “Bully” or hear that they are mistreating employees. We can help you with this meeting. 2
Advocacy Series, August 2012
W h a t Yo u C a n D o I f Yo u A r e B u l l i e d “Bully Free Starts With Me” isn’t just about children. Adults can be bullies or victims of bullying. It’s painful, destructive and it can leave a life long emotional scar. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop when a school employee has been exposed to severe psychological trauma. This kind of trauma happens over time and affects the employee’s ability to teach. Members of The SCEA have options, but must find the strength and courage to ask for help and participate in a plan of action. Here are actions that members can take to address bullying: 1. The Big Picture & Contributing Factors Self-reflect. Why is this happening? What started it? Is there an old conflict that was never resolved? It may be worthwhile to try to mend fences or get closure. Are you doing something to put yourself on the radar? Parent complaints Absenteeism Attitude Inability to get along with others Is there a possibility you are being overly-sensitive? Are you doing your job? Are you meeting your principal and the district’s expectations? 2. Talk to your mentor, Instructional Coach or someone you trust. Follow your gut in choosing who to confide in. Make them promise they will they keep what you share confidential. 3. Call The SCEA. Member Advocacy Center at any time, but sooner is better than later. 864-641-7272 or send an e-mail to help@thescea.org. Your call and e-mail are confidential. We do not share your information. 4. Meet with your immediate supervisor - face to face. Make this a special meeting, just to discuss mistreatment, so that it is taken more seriously. Ask that the mistreatment stop. Be specific. It’s not enough to believe you are “right”. Look for facts to strengthen your argument. If you believe there is a personality conflict, talk about how the mistreatment affects you, is a distraction, and makes it more difficult to be at your best each day for the children. Take good notes. Send a follow up e-mail and re-state any agreement or understandings reached. 5. Stay Composed and Professional If you lose your cool, all eyes will be on you instead of the Bully. Maintain the high ground. Do not discuss your situation publicly or on social networking sites. Do not discuss your situation around the school or confront colleagues and try to involve them. Do not approach school board members. Some districts have a specific protocol you must follow. A decision to approach the Board must be made carefully. Let The SCEA guide you. 6. Make documenting a priority. Document every instance of mistreatment. Be detailed. Include the date, time, incident, witnesses (including students), tone of voice, facial expression and so forth. Keep your journal in your possession. Don’t leave it at school or stored on the school computer. 7. If nothing changes, consider a formal grievance. Filing a grievance is “professional” and teachers should not hesitate to take this action. Grievances normally must be filed within 10 days of the incident but teachers should check their district’s policy for the specific guidelines. 8. File a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or SCHAC www.eeoc.gov, if the situation meets the EEOC’s legal definition of harassment. 9. Do not resign or take action without thinking it through and calling The SCEA for advice. You cannot be forced to resign. Regardless of the circumstances, a resignation is voluntary and can rarely be revoked. 3
Advocacy Series, August 2012
Let’s Not Forget the Students The school climate affects student achievement. Students need a physical environment that provides basic needs like a comfortable temperature, warm meals, supplies and so forth as well as an emotional environment where they feel respected and safe. As they progress through the grades, they become a product of their environment, observing and learning from what goes on around them. They learn what they live and then live what they learned. Mistreatment of teachers is especially damaging because such mistreatment is visible to students. What do students learn in a school where school employees are bullied? Is there a contradiction between the character traits school employees are to model for students and the manner in which administrators and teachers relate to one another? If students view administrators and teachers as role models, how will they apply what they observe and learn at school to the relationships they develop with their families, partners, future employers or employees? How will they respond to their own mistreatment, if they find themselves in an unhealthy relationship? School districts must not forget that students are watching. Teachers who are depressed, out sick frequently, distracted by conflict, walking on eggshells, worried about their evaluation, stressed about test scores and so forth cannot deliver their best teaching. Improved teacher morale facilitates improved student performance and students have a better chance of success when the school climate is healthy.
About Filing an Employee Grievance Teachers frequently ask about the consequences of filing a grievance. Fear and uncertainty often cause teachers to hesitate to file a grievance. School boards provide the grievance procedure as a professional way for employees to address serious conflicts. The procedure includes assurances that no retaliation will occur. A teacher has greater protection when using the grievance procedure to address concerns. Filing a grievance can result in the following: The grievance procedure provides a structured way to resolve disputes. The district office becomes aware of the conflict. Human Resources controls the grievance, meaning the principal cannot ignore it or sweep it under the rug. The process puts the principal under the magnifying glass at the district level. Filing a grievance sends a message that the teacher will no longer sit idly by while mistreatment takes place. A written record is created, which may prove meaningful in the future. The teacher has the ability to take the grievance through several levels, ending with the school board, although in some districts, the school board may not agree to hear the grievance.
What Should School Districts Do About Bullying?
Establish an expectation that all employees must be treated with respect. Hold employees accountable if they do not live up to this expectation. Develop a code of conduct to address bullying behavior. Provide training that includes discussion of conduct that is unacceptable. Promote the confidential use of Employee Assistance Programs for stress and anger management. Treat complaints about harassment seriously and conduct a proper investigation. Do not dismiss allegations of harassment merely because there is no evidence of an "EEO" issue. Train administrators how to motivate, discipline, and coach employees in a respectful manner. Protect employees who complain about harassment from retaliation. Honor transfer requests and allow employees to move. Nothing good comes from forcing an employee to stay in an environment that jeopardizes health and well being. It’s not in the best interest of the employee or students. Visit The SCEA at www.thescea.org/help ~ Visit The SCEA Member Advocacy Center at www.thescea.org/mac 4