Contributory Stressing Factor: The Staffroom
We all know about the raft of external factors that heap stress upon the shoulders of teachers and in time I shall discuss these. Unfortunately there is little that individual teachers and school leaders can do to remove these stressors, OFSTED are going nowhere, DfE will keep piling pressures on schools and exam boards will continue to change specs, and so I'll leave this for now. Let's start a lot closer to home, a place that most of you would think is a source of solace rather than anxiety but for some this creates mortifying anxiety, the staffroom.
The staffroom is a crucial part of teacher life. In a job where adult company is limited it provides an oasis of grown-up conversation, social interaction, catharsis, counselling and support. Its where you can generally say what you want with lie-minded people. It is vital in the emotional well-being of staff and yet many teachers feel excluded from staffroom life. For some the staffroom becomes a source of anxiety, an additional stressor and a no-go zone.
I can remember starting out in teaching in a large inner-city comp with over 100 teachers. I was in my 20s, some of the staff had been teaching in that school far longer than I had been on the planet. I was warned that Mr So-and-so had his own chair (whatever you do don't sit in it) and that the Maths teachers occupied one corner and that this was a no-go zone, and so on. Hardly welcoming! Now I was a little threatened but being a little older than many novice teachers I did have a go and eventually settled in, but in my early days in the school, during the days when I most needed support I felt excluded. Ask yourself, has this happened to you, have you seen this happen to others, does this happen in your school? Do all members of staff use the staffroom? Do some spend their breaks and lunchtimes in their classrooms? Do they claim they are too busy?
I appreciate that teachers are adults and that we often think they should be able to deal with new social situations, but look at it from their point of view. You may be old enough to their parents, you have been doing the job years and appear to do your job effortlessly, you get good results and you have the children eating out of your hand. How would that appear to the anxious novice? It is also worth noting that this doesn't just apply to younger, less experienced teachers. Experienced teachers may also find the staffroom intimidating and a source of further anxiety.
I know that some staff feel actively excluded from staffrooms feeling that cliques exist which exclude all newcomers. A key feature of my writing is that I believe that all perceptions are real and that if a colleague believes this then to them it is 100% real. The staffroom then becomes a further source of anxiety rather than a safe-haven. A place where banter becomes bullying and confidence is shattered.
Teachers are leaving the profession in droves. We have to all be in this together and a simple place to start addressing issues is through the mutual support that staffrooms offer.
Checklist:
We all know about the raft of external factors that heap stress upon the shoulders of teachers and in time I shall discuss these. Unfortunately there is little that individual teachers and school leaders can do to remove these stressors, OFSTED are going nowhere, DfE will keep piling pressures on schools and exam boards will continue to change specs, and so I'll leave this for now. Let's start a lot closer to home, a place that most of you would think is a source of solace rather than anxiety but for some this creates mortifying anxiety, the staffroom.
The staffroom is a crucial part of teacher life. In a job where adult company is limited it provides an oasis of grown-up conversation, social interaction, catharsis, counselling and support. Its where you can generally say what you want with lie-minded people. It is vital in the emotional well-being of staff and yet many teachers feel excluded from staffroom life. For some the staffroom becomes a source of anxiety, an additional stressor and a no-go zone.
I can remember starting out in teaching in a large inner-city comp with over 100 teachers. I was in my 20s, some of the staff had been teaching in that school far longer than I had been on the planet. I was warned that Mr So-and-so had his own chair (whatever you do don't sit in it) and that the Maths teachers occupied one corner and that this was a no-go zone, and so on. Hardly welcoming! Now I was a little threatened but being a little older than many novice teachers I did have a go and eventually settled in, but in my early days in the school, during the days when I most needed support I felt excluded. Ask yourself, has this happened to you, have you seen this happen to others, does this happen in your school? Do all members of staff use the staffroom? Do some spend their breaks and lunchtimes in their classrooms? Do they claim they are too busy?
I appreciate that teachers are adults and that we often think they should be able to deal with new social situations, but look at it from their point of view. You may be old enough to their parents, you have been doing the job years and appear to do your job effortlessly, you get good results and you have the children eating out of your hand. How would that appear to the anxious novice? It is also worth noting that this doesn't just apply to younger, less experienced teachers. Experienced teachers may also find the staffroom intimidating and a source of further anxiety.
I know that some staff feel actively excluded from staffrooms feeling that cliques exist which exclude all newcomers. A key feature of my writing is that I believe that all perceptions are real and that if a colleague believes this then to them it is 100% real. The staffroom then becomes a further source of anxiety rather than a safe-haven. A place where banter becomes bullying and confidence is shattered.
Teachers are leaving the profession in droves. We have to all be in this together and a simple place to start addressing issues is through the mutual support that staffrooms offer.
Checklist:
- Do all staff use the staffroom?
- Are you conscious of cliques in your staffroom?
- Can you identify any colleague who appears to have "excluded" themselves from the staffroom?
- Do you actively welcome new colleagues?
- Do you have an induction process that also includes the social element?
- Do school leaders recognise that the staffroom provides key support for colleagues?
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