Education matters

Everyone has an opinion in a school … staff members, parents and children … and it is usually based around their own personal experiences. 

For example, if a problem isn’t dealt with well enough for a parent they will form a bad opinion about the school or teacher involved.

 If a teacher has high standards of behavioural expectations, students will call her tough and if a teacher is disgruntled by a particular meeting, or something that means they may have to do a little extra work for the overall good of the school, then they will feel that the head teacher and management are unfair.

Most of these issues are trifling, unimportant things that generally blow over and are soon forgotten, but occasionally in schools sections of staff or parents try to purposely create a sense of discomfort in a bid to create a negative reaction.

If you do find yourself in a situation like this, don’t react to it by lashing out, but respond diligently instead. The two are very different actions, yielding very different results.

The thing about people who sneer and talk in dark corners is that there is often a hidden reason behind it that stems from personal insecurities. This is often the reason why bullies start bullying.

What I find saddest about this type of person is that they have often become so caught up in their opinions they have forgotten themselves and end up becoming defined by their dissatisfaction, distaste or general negative attitude. 

Unlovable and often unloved, their favourite, indeed only topic of conversation is often themselves and how, if they were in charge, then they would do things so much differently. But they’re not in charge and they never will be because that would take effort.

What these people will put effort into, however, is hunting for other staff members or parents to make them feel like them because that’s what bullies do as it justifies their existence, so often you will find packs of them sneering and talking in corners justifying themselves to each other but not actually doing anything much.

I love meeting people like this as it gives me an enormous sense of satisfaction to respond by giving them the opportunity to put their thoughts into action. 

Just the sheer recognition of their negative attitudes surprises them and ultimately jolts them into realising that everybody knows what they are doing, but nobody actually cares.

Just like lifting a rock and watching the creepy crawlies squirm in the light and run for cover, exposing people like this by giving them opportunities to be an active part of a team is enough for everyone to see them in their real light … cowardly and small.

Most teachers and heads who have been in the job as long as I have will have come across people like these in the playground or the staffroom, but because schools are vibrant, busy, creative and positive places to work, they usually just get ignored. 

I urge you however to stop ignoring these types of behaviour and to challenge them head-on because not only will that set a precedent for the good of the school … it’s also rather a lot of fun!