As an NQT I vowed that I'd steer well clear of the inevitable staffroom politics that blights most schools.
My school is no different. We have those who work hard and comply with management instructions and we have those who do their own thing and couldn't care less. As much as I try to focus on doing my own job effectively I am distracted by senior colleagues who are quite happy to drift along in the slow lane, putting in the bare minimum of effort. Their blase attitude is doing our children a disservice.
You'll probably know the sort of people I mean - those who give their lessons completely off the cuff because the previous night they were in that much of a hurry to escape they couldn't be bothered to prepare anything.
I'm also noticing how rude some of my colleagues can be. I would never dream of turning up late to a meeting or playing with my phone, laptop or pile of marking when I got there but that is endemic behaviour in some people who should really know better.
I would never dream of yawning in the face of or talking back to a member of the SMT, but a culture has developed where some people see that as acceptable.
I would never dream of berrating or talking down the Head or Deputy (both of whom I have the utmost time and respect for) to my colleagues, but internal (and Hard Federation) power struggles make subversive conversations an everyday event.
To me these examples show poor manners and a serious lack of professionalism, yet as the new teacher I'm not really in a position to do anything other than sit frustratedly in the background.
What needs to happen is the subversive and workshy few are gripped firmly by the bollocks and hauled back into line or shown the door.
My school is no different. We have those who work hard and comply with management instructions and we have those who do their own thing and couldn't care less. As much as I try to focus on doing my own job effectively I am distracted by senior colleagues who are quite happy to drift along in the slow lane, putting in the bare minimum of effort. Their blase attitude is doing our children a disservice.
You'll probably know the sort of people I mean - those who give their lessons completely off the cuff because the previous night they were in that much of a hurry to escape they couldn't be bothered to prepare anything.
I'm also noticing how rude some of my colleagues can be. I would never dream of turning up late to a meeting or playing with my phone, laptop or pile of marking when I got there but that is endemic behaviour in some people who should really know better.
I would never dream of yawning in the face of or talking back to a member of the SMT, but a culture has developed where some people see that as acceptable.
I would never dream of berrating or talking down the Head or Deputy (both of whom I have the utmost time and respect for) to my colleagues, but internal (and Hard Federation) power struggles make subversive conversations an everyday event.
To me these examples show poor manners and a serious lack of professionalism, yet as the new teacher I'm not really in a position to do anything other than sit frustratedly in the background.
What needs to happen is the subversive and workshy few are gripped firmly by the bollocks and hauled back into line or shown the door.