Disclaimer: This article is meant for fun. We are not actually criticising anyone or their work ethic, but let’s be honest, we all know these types of teachers. Keep reading for our advice on how to handle it.
Think about the last staff meeting you attended. It’s time to pass around the volunteer sign-up because it’s going to be a busy month. That’s always the intention, but by the end of the month there are usually a lot of hard feelings and regret over glitter, balloons, and most of all missed class time (because everyone needs to sit around and listen to first graders read their research reports on goats for 45 minutes. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?)
As the volunteer sign-up sheet rounds the corner, what are you thinking? Maybe it will drop onto the floor and never be seen again. Or maybe all the good jobs will be gone and you’ll be stuck counting light bulbs for Earth Day. Maybe no one will have signed up for anything and now you’ll be stuck having to do it all. There are many types of people that you have to teach with each day. Let’s look at the different types of teachers more closely.
Maybe you know these teachers. Or maybe you are one of these teachers. Everyone has a little of each of them inside.
Signs Up For NOTHING But Has an Opinion About EVERYTHING
This person will tell everyone how to do their job but doesn’t actually help out with any job around the school. They tend to be negative and a bit of a party pooper. These are the people who get stuck in traditions that are irrelevant but want to hang on to them because it was something they were in charge of a few decades earlier.
They are likely to complain or criticize every step of your planning and will probably not want their students participating, especially if the students will need to do something to prepare before the event.
You might hear the phrase, “You’re doing it wrong, but I have nothing constructive to add,” from these people.
How to Deal With This Type of Teacher
Avoid the drama (unless they have chocolate because there’s always a reason to forgive). Don’t get into it with this person. Let them be. Smile and walk away (especially if you now have the chocolate). Avoid joining committees with these types of people. Nothing good will come from it. You’ll end up doing all the work and it will lead to resentment. Instead, be proactive and sign up for things they would never try.
The Martyr
This person signs up for everything, refuses help from everyone, and then complains about it every step of the way. They often need to “make work” to feel important but don’t seem particularly happy about any of it. It’s not clear whether the martyr does this for attention, self-worth, or has nothing better to do with their time.
The martyr teacher can be heard saying, “I’m super stressed out so just leave me alone. I have to coach the track team, set up the first aid meeting, run the track day, mark all the finals for my WHOLE grade, write report cards, plan for my special needs students, redecorate my classroom, buy the flowers for the year-end staff good-byes, host a tea party for the exchange students, write the novel my fifth graders are going to read next year, rewrite the math curriculum, plant a tree, save the world…. and no one will help me.”
Most of these teachers are in their first five years of teaching. Unfortunately, the system is set up to drop the most work on the teachers who should be focusing the most on their teaching instead of all the other stuff. Martyrs tend to burn out in a fiery display because they are overachievers and perfectionists. They often have difficulty asking for help because they perceive it as a weakness.
How to Deal With This Type of Teacher
Offer limited help and support. If you have the rapport, remind them that it’s a team effort. Sometimes being part of the team means allowing people to help. If that doesn’t work, offer chocolate.
If you are one of these teachers, you might benefit from reading our post Less is More: Teacher Wellness Strategies That Work.
Means Well, But Lacks Organisation
It probably comes as no surprise that ninjas like organisation, so these people drive the ninjas a little batty. They have grandiose plans and want to save the world, but lack the planning and time management skills to pull it off without stress and chaos. Granted, their events turn out wonderfully, but hidden just below the surface of greatness there was a moment in a staff bathroom no one wants to talk about.
This is an actual quote from someone in this category, “So I lost track of time and now I need help decorating 650 bags of cookies with calligraphy so we can drop them off at the shelter by noon. Do you mind?”
Yes, I mind. These people often have classrooms that look like a tornado ran through it, but for some reason they seem to know where everything is. Thy are late for meetings, forget about meetings and are always in a rush (despite never quite finishing anything).
These people ask for help, but they tend to leave the asking until the very last minute.
How to Deal With This Type of Teacher
Be proactive and offer to help with a specific task at the beginning of the project and then walk away. Our favourite ninja quote relating to these people is “Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency.” ~author unknown
You don’t have to save this teacher every single time. If you are a friend, tell them your boundaries and then stick to them. It is okay to say no to these teachers when you are no longer available to help.
The Martha Stewart of Teaching
These people look like they are helping, but it’s usually a mask of fancy duct tape, digital apps, matching decor, and perfectly arranged desks. They love to make work and make us Type A ninjas look like disorganised farm animals. They have a perfect classroom where it appears learning is happening, but dig a little deeper, and looks like shady insider trading (in the form of bribing children and co-workers with chocolate.)
One of these teachers might be overheard saying, “My classroom has matching everything. This weekend I spent seventeen hours perfectly matching labels onto all my students’ work in Cantonese and hieroglyphics, but I was so busy I forgot to teach math all week.”
Don’t assume that because a teacher’s classroom could be featured in a classroom sales catalogue that their teaching ability matches. Great teachers can have classrooms that aren’t perfect.
How to Deal With This Type of Teacher
Only work on committees with these people if you ARE these people otherwise you will all drive each other crazy. They usually get stuck on the details that don’t help with the overall function. Those details will increase the workload and just frustrate everyone involved. P.S. They usually prefer good wine to chocolate.
These people tend to get caught up in the planning but lack what it takes to get the job done as simply and efficiently as possible.
The Other One
There is always a teacher who feels like an outlier. This person is usually really good at their job, but other people without boundaries have quashed their spirit. These teachers have been very active in committees in the past and they always get the job done. In fact, they do such a good job that teachers and sometimes the administration tends to take them for granted. This means these teachers are often hurt by or resent their coworkers.
You are unlikely to hear these teachers complain, but the longer the boundaries are pushed, the more they will withdraw.
If you are this type of teacher, you might benefit from reading our post When to Quit Your Teaching Job and Why It’s Okay.
How to Deal With This Type of Teacher
Chances are you all of these types of teachers. In fact, you probably work your way through each characteristic of these types of teachers from hour to hour depending on the day, your caffeine level, or the job you’re being asked to do. The moral of the story is to try to be a good teammate. Try to give your coworkers the benefit of the doubt because we all became teachers to make a difference in the world. And if that doesn’t work, scream about them in your car on the way home to get it out of your system.
Which Type of Teacher Are You?
If you don’t fit into one of these types of teachers, one of two things is true: either you are the perfect coworker who loves to help out others and does it in an organised and considerate manner or you actually ARE one of the above types of people and no one has told you yet.
We have always kept a journal of our teaching adventures. It is very helpful on the rough days to look back and reflect on the good days. You can find a copy of our very simple Teacher Gratitude Journal in the Resource Libary. We can also send you a copy directly when you join our mailing list.
Teaching is both a lonely profession and a job where you are expected to collaborate all the time. It would be so much easier if we could just shut the door and teach the children. Since that isn’t an option, it’s important to get to know the people you work with so you can find your allies. If you don’t have any allies, it’s possible you’re not at the right school. There is a place for everyone.
What strategies do you have for dealing with these types of teachers? Tell us in the comments below.
