Week 5 Discussion - Handling Conflict

Handling Conflict

Monday, February 3, 2020, 6:55 PM

When I think back on situations with conflicts, one event stands out in my mind. During

my second year at my current school, the teacher across the hall from wrote up one of

her students for profanity directed at a school official. The result of the write

up was a

suspension because of the way our system of discipline is tiered. As students commit

more of the same type of offense, the consequences worsen. The parents of the

student hit the roof furious because their daughter was suspended for what they

deem

ed the first offense. A meeting was called between the parents and the teachers

and because I also taught the student, I was asked to be there. The conflict came when

the mother of the student started acting disrespectfully toward the teacher involved and

the principal. She began using profanity and refused to listen to what the principal was

saying. As the conflict unfolded I, along with all of the other teachers, became

increasingly more uncomfortable. The situation escalated rapidly and my then

-

principal

was involved in a shouting match with the mother. Finally, he called the meeting to an

end and asked the parents and student to leave the room. To say it was not a positive

outcome would be an understatement. I was incredibly surprised that the parents di

d

not withdrawal the student from our school because of the way the principal addressed

them.

As a future administrator, I took a step back to evaluate the situation. What I saw was a

situation that should have been handled between the parents, administra

tion, and the

teacher who wrote the student up. Instead, an entire team of teachers was roped into

this situation and judged based on the actions of our leader. What I took away was how

important it is to keep your cool and maintain professionalism even wh

en it is difficult.

The principal showed all of his cards that day. While I do applaud his willingness to

stand up for his teachers, that was lost in the shouting match. I would have approached

this situation in a completely different manner by first addre

ssing what the parents

hoped to gain from meeting with the teacher and maintaining my position on the

consequence the student faced for her actions. I would maintain that once the

consequence was given to the student, the meeting would take place with me r

ather

than me and the teacher as I am the one who made the decision on what her

consequence would be. I would also stress to my teachers the importance of

communicating disciplinary violations home so that parents are not surprised when their

student is su

spended for a continued behavior they had no idea was happening.

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Handling Conflict

Monday, February 3, 2020, 6:55 PM

When I think back on situations with conflicts, one event stands out in my mind. During

my second year at my current school, the teacher across the hall from wrote up one of

her students for profanity directed at a school official. The result of the write up was a

suspension because of the way our system of discipline is tiered. As students commit

more of the same type of offense, the consequences worsen. The parents of the

student hit the roof furious because their daughter was suspended for what they

deemed the first offense. A meeting was called between the parents and the teachers

and because I also taught the student, I was asked to be there. The conflict came when

the mother of the student started acting disrespectfully toward the teacher involved and

the principal. She began using profanity and refused to listen to what the principal was

saying. As the conflict unfolded I, along with all of the other teachers, became

increasingly more uncomfortable. The situation escalated rapidly and my then-principal

was involved in a shouting match with the mother. Finally, he called the meeting to an

end and asked the parents and student to leave the room. To say it was not a positive

outcome would be an understatement. I was incredibly surprised that the parents did

not withdrawal the student from our school because of the way the principal addressed

them.

As a future administrator, I took a step back to evaluate the situation. What I saw was a

situation that should have been handled between the parents, administration, and the

teacher who wrote the student up. Instead, an entire team of teachers was roped into

this situation and judged based on the actions of our leader. What I took away was how

important it is to keep your cool and maintain professionalism even when it is difficult.

The principal showed all of his cards that day. While I do applaud his willingness to

stand up for his teachers, that was lost in the shouting match. I would have approached

this situation in a completely different manner by first addressing what the parents

hoped to gain from meeting with the teacher and maintaining my position on the

consequence the student faced for her actions. I would maintain that once the

consequence was given to the student, the meeting would take place with me rather

than me and the teacher as I am the one who made the decision on what her

consequence would be. I would also stress to my teachers the importance of

communicating disciplinary violations home so that parents are not surprised when their

student is suspended for a continued behavior they had no idea was happening.

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