Choosing The Right School For You? | Part 2

Feb 24, 2024

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Kas

Continued from Part 1.

A healthy work culture is critical in any industry. Teaching is no different as the job requires you to rely on a wide range of colleagues in various roles each and every day. These include, other teachers, members of middle management, directors and of course the various staff in leadership positions. With so many personalities all working closely together, it is important to find a school where the work culture fits in with your values and your way of life. As each school has a different culture depending on staff and leadership, not everywhere will be the ideal fit for you, it is important that you identify what is important to you in a workplace and if those align with you current site.

Heres some ways to identify and understand work culture.

Healthy Work Culture

This is a simple one, let me be direct:

  • Gossip free workplace
  • Generally positive attitudes from staff (‘Venting’ is normal and important!)
  • Friendly co-workers
  • A culture of a healthy work-life balance
  • Supportive leaders
  • Clear and professional boundaries
  • Staff who you can go to for guidance and to raise concerns

A ‘Healthy Work Culture’ is one where employees trust one another and the leadership, cooperate to meet common goals, and feel that the company values them. (Work Culture 2023)In a ‘Toxic Work Culture’, employees don’t respect each other or leadership; in fact, they feel like they’re in a dead-end job, and often end up leaving (Work Culture 2023). Leadership often plays a part in creating a toxic workplace by engaging in negative behaviors, such as: 

  • Failing to communicate
  • Dismissing concerns and ideas
  • Making themselves unavailable when an employee has a question
  • Ignoring achievements
  • Micromanaging
  • Singling out employees in a negative way
  • Making some team members feel excluded 

To find out more on work culture please check out this amazing resources from Worklifeoffice.com

The Most Important…. The Leadership Team

If there’s one thing I have realised in my teaching career thus far, is the importance of an outstanding leadership team. I have seen both ends of the spectrum and first-hand know the impact it can have on staff, students and the community at large. I have been at schools that at times things seemed chaotic, unorganised, gloomy and had a low staff morale. I have also seen these same schools change in a short period of time to a completely different place that has high staff morale, a culture of optimism, trust and a sense of purpose just with a change of one or two members of a leadership team.

A good leader can make the same challenges that you once faced and thought to be daunting, stressful and overbearing into something that you feel confident you can overcome and most importantly feel supported during the whole process. A good leader has a strange way of making you want to do more just for the mere fact that you know this person would do the same for you. I have been fortunate to have some great leaders, ones who have shown me genuine care and helped me develop my career for no other reason that they want to see me be successful. These leaders are out there.

I’m sure there is peer-reviewed evidence out there and countless books on what is a good leader. It would be easy for me to quote these. I rather share my own experience and lived understanding of what I have encountered from high-quality leaders during my teaching journey.

A good leader is supportive of the people they lead, capable within their role and confident about the vision they are leading their team toward. They create the culture and capabilities that allow people to participate and thrive. (Deakin University 2024)

Qualities of great leadership:

  • Approachable (Most important)
  • Discuss and implement staff well-being practices
  • Transparent
  • Open to feedback and mutual discussion
  • Trust their employees and give them autonomy
  • Has a healthy professional separation in their relationship with staff members and other members of the leadership team
  • Trust you and supports you when they need too (has your back!)

If you want to know more about what makes a good leader, click here!

It Takes Time!

Adjusting to a new school is no easy task—believe me, I’m going through it myself. Getting used to new staff, students, and systems takes longer than we often expect—usually 1-2 years, especially if you’re at a large or relatively new school. Big schools have many moving parts, high turnover in staff, and ever-changing policies, rules, and student cohorts, much like new schools.

As tough as it may be, sometimes you just need to give yourself time. The first year is likely to be a rollercoaster of emotions and mindset shifts. Take your time building relationships with staff and students, understanding how the school runs, and finding your place in your new role. It can be especially tricky if you’ve taught at a previous site for several years, built solid relationships, and gotten comfortable.

If the school has a friendly, welcoming staff, healthy working conditions, and supportive leadership, it might be worth sticking with. Change is hard, but sometimes you just need to trust you’re making the right decision.

If you know the school isn’t right for you, leaving will be easier. But if you’re unsure or struggling, it could mean you haven’t given it enough time. We often think everything will fall into place when we start at a new school, but it doesn’t always happen that way.

Reach out to your leadership team and peers for guidance, and give it time. In a year or two, if you still feel the same way, you might want to explore other options. But if you feel more comfortable and at home, you’ll know it’s the right place for you.

Regardless of what the outcome is, you will have gained a lot of experience and learned a lot about yourself in the process, and identified what sort of teacher you are and what sort of school you want to teach in. That alone is a win.

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