Abstract
A teacher feels that the principal is micromanaging, without any clear reason why. An instructional coach believes that teachers resent being assigned to receive coaching. A principal struggles to give teachers honest feedback about how they can improve.
I’m an elementary school teacher and feel completely micromanaged by my principal, Joan. She wants me to blind copy her on all my emails to parents, even when they’re not controversial. She wants me to check in every morning to show her my plan for the day. It’s her way or the highway. She nitpicks what I do down to the last detail. She even asks me questions about whether and when I plan to make photocopies! I don’t know how she has time for this, and it feels excessive. Joan doesn’t do this to anyone else, and it’s making me dread showing up for work each day. Frankly, it’s humiliating. I’m not a new teacher or a young teacher. In fact, Joan is the one who is new. She’s only in her third year as a principal. No other principal has ever behaved in this manner toward me. At first, Joan left me alone, but last year she started butting in on all of my business. She wrote me a good evaluation at the end of last year, so I don’t get it at all. Help!
As your letter illustrates, micromanaging has a downside. It undermines employees and sows self-doubt. It also strips workers of motivation. That said, your question raises more questions than answers for me. I don’t have the full picture, and apparently neither do you. Perhaps Joan has some concerns about your work and communication with parents but didn’t convey that feedback clearly in your written evaluation. Is it possible that you missed something? Or that as a new principal she felt nervous about criticizing you and now is overcompensating? It’s impossible to know without asking her. So, start there. You could say, “It’s concerning to me that you feel it’s necessary to preview all of my lesson plans and emails to parents. I’m confused because it’s inconsistent with your formal evaluation of my work. I’ve also noticed you don’t check in this often with other teachers. Could you help me understand?” You also could ask her questions such as, ”How can we best work together?”
There’s a remote chance this has very little to do with your work. Some people micromanage as a way of alleviating their own anxiety or insecurity. Perhaps Joan got a phone call from one parent who felt you were too abrupt, or fielded a complaint about one of your lessons, or feels pressure to raise the test scores of a few students in your class. As you talk to her, step into her shoes and try to understand where she’s coming from. If you can identify her biggest concerns, it will be easier to strike a mutually acceptable compromise. For instance, if she’s worried about one parent’s reactivity, perhaps she’d agree to only prescreen the emails you send to that particular individual. If she simply feels you need more oversight, she might agree to weekly as opposed to daily check-ins.
If Joan claims she has no concerns at all about your work, then her micromanaging is unreasonable. It shouldn’t be her way or the highway. Different students (and parents) respond to different approaches. Her nitpicking behavior might even violate the terms of your contract. If you’re unsure, check with your union or human resources department. But keep in mind that while some people default to that behavior because of their own neurotic tendencies, that doesn’t seem to be the case here. If this were simply a personality issue, then Joan would be acting this way toward your colleagues, too.
In addition to talking to Joan, do anything you can to minimize her need to micromanage. Make sure you’re productive, reliable, positive, and communicating clearly. Does Joan monitor when you make copies, for instance, because you wait until the last minute and show up late for class? Does she check your emails because they’re riddled with misspellings or grammatical errors? Make sure you’re incorporating the daily feedback you’re getting, too. Every time she has to repeat herself, you reinforce her micromanaging behavior. Restate what she tells you so she knows you’re taking it all in, and so you can be sure you understood correctly. Hopefully, your principal will start to feel comfortable pulling back. If and when she does, let her know you appreciate that she’s showing more trust in you.
Teachers resent the instructional coach
I’m an instructional coach. I work with teachers mostly one-on-one to help them increase student engagement and achievement. The fact is that there are not enough of us, so we typically work with teachers who are struggling in some way. They may need to get student scores up or they may be resisting implementation of a new curriculum, but it can be any type of problem, really. I don’t decide whom to work with — I’m told who needs coaching. In any case, I’m an experienced teacher. I have a decade of solid student outcomes behind me, and I got the coaching job because I earned it. But lately I’ve found myself working with teachers who are a good deal older than I am. Maybe they have 20 or 25 years of experience to my 12 years. Two in particular have flat-out resented me. They don’t want or think they need the help. Our demographics have changed a lot over the years, and we have more English learners. One of the two teachers isn’t rolling well with those changes and won’t adjust his approach to meet these kids’ needs. The other one doesn’t want to learn how to teach the new curriculum. I honestly don’t think she even glanced at it until I put it under her nose. Neither of them thinks I can teach them anything, and they both keep mentioning my age. I’m about 15 years younger than they are, and their contempt and resistance are getting to me. I want to make this as positive an experience as possible for all of us. Do you have any tips for me?
Ideally, all teachers should see themselves as ongoing learners and view coaching as a chance to learn more about themselves and to reflect on their teaching. And ideally, there would be enough coaching resources for everyone. If that were the case, my guess is that many teachers would seek out extra help. Under the circumstances, it’s easy to understand why getting “assigned” a coach feels more like a consequence than professional development. That’s too bad.
I’d acknowledge their lack of agency and be clear that you know they don’t want to be there. You can even matter-of-factly acknowledge the age difference, but don’t get defensive about it. And know that when they say, ”I’m fine and don’t need your help,” what they’re really saying is, “I don’t know you and I don’t trust you.” It doesn’t have anything to do with you personally. So start from square one and work on building the relationship. That part of your job is no different than what you did as a classroom teacher.
Treat them with respect, honor their extensive experience, and validate that change is hard. Tell them you hope to work together to make it a positive experience for all parties. You also can point out that you expect to learn from them, too. In general, focus on their strengths and the assets they bring to the table. And just as you did as a teacher, spend time in advance planning for these meetings. What are your intentions? What do you want them to take away from the coaching session? How will you know you were successful? What do you think might engage them? After each session, reflect on whether you made a connection. Are you trending in the right direction or moving backward? Are their defenses still up, or are they willing to identify any growth edges? Is there anything you’d do differently the next time? Ask the teachers for regular feedback, as well, and then incorporate their suggestions. You’ll model vulnerability and demonstrate a willingness to adapt.
Principal struggles to give honest feedback
I’m a relatively new principal, and fear is getting in my way when it comes to giving thorough, honest feedback. I’m still establishing my reputation, and I made a lot of mistakes during my first two years on the job. I think I came in like a bull in a china shop. As a result, I lost several staff members, some of whom were beloved by the community. Now I’m reluctant to give anything other than positive feedback to my teachers, especially the ones who are good overall but have some room for improvement. In some cases, it’s simple stuff like wanting them to smile more or mix up their book choices to reflect the diversity in our student body or show up to meetings on time. In other cases, I want them to do a better job collaborating with other members of their department, or to improve their communication with parents. I know they won’t take my evaluation seriously if it feels fluffy and overly positive, but I’m legitimately afraid of the optics (and the impact on my program) if I lose another round of good teachers. I’m now in my third year, however, and I know I won’t be respected as a leader if I can’t be direct. How can I walk the line here without causing further damage?
I understand your fears but want to challenge some of your thinking, especially your assumption that you will drive teachers away if you’re honest and direct. You give yourself an awful lot of power if you think they’ll break down or flee because of a few comments in one evaluation. Teacher retention is complicated. They’re far more likely to leave because of what you’re doing (or not doing) the rest of the time. That said, you need to strike the right chord when you give your feedback. Their takeaway shouldn’t be that you’re trying to show them who’s in charge, or that you’re trying to take them down a notch. In addition, no one should ever feel ambushed or shocked by feedback. So make sure you’re doing your due diligence. Have you observed the teacher in class several times? Have you shared any of the suggestions before?
Reflect on the root cause of your fears, too. Since you’re relatively new in the position, you might be experiencing Impostor Syndrome. It’s normal to worry that you’re in no position to evaluate anyone, but that feeling will pass as long as you challenge any internal defeatist voices. If you don’t, it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Or maybe you’re afraid teachers will be defensive or confront you and say, ”I’m a good teacher, why are you giving me grief?” You can’t address your fears until you identify them.
It takes time to settle into any new job, especially one where you’re expected to steer the ship. You might cope with the challenge better if you flip it around. If you were in the teachers’ shoes, which presumably you once were, what would you want? I bet you’d want your administrator to give you opportunities to improve, not silently judge your shortcomings. I agree that it’s bad if your competent teachers leave for other schools, but it’s equally bad for the integrity of your program if you tolerate mediocre teaching or don’t help teachers learn and grow. Not giving feedback is bound to reflect poorly on you. Besides, teachers are going to leave. If they’re underperformers, their new principals will wonder why you didn’t work with them to boost their skills. I just heard about one superintendent who dealt creatively with several principals in his district who kept passing along teachers to other schools. His solution was to transfer all of those teachers back to their principal of origin — the one who didn’t give them any honest feedback.
Since you’ve had a fair amount of turnover, seize the opportunity to initiate honest dialogue with all of your new employees from the start. That will help you summon the courage to take the same approach with more experienced teachers who have strong ties to your community. As you’re giving feedback, however, remember that honesty doesn’t mean handing someone a laundry list of gripes. You can pick and choose and decide to let some stuff go. You also can involve teachers in the process by having a conversation with them in advance to make sure you’re on the same page, or by asking them to detail their perceived growth areas. Always give them a chance to discuss any comments they think are unfair, and, of course, be equally thorough when reflecting on their strengths.
Footnotes
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