However, if the school is not ready to foster the development and support of teachers while listening to their needs, the cycle of trying to find the perfect candidate will continue.Īfter speaking to educators around the country, I’ve found that they often feel no one is listening to them. I’ve been there, and that’s not an easy task.
The top contributors to teacher stress are the leadership, culture, and climate of their schools.Īnd over the summer principals all across the country are sitting in interviews, trying to find the best candidates for their needs and their students’ needs. That’s tied with nurses as the highest rate among all occupational groups in the U.S. A recent report from Penn State University and the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation claims that 46 percent of teachers report high daily stress during the school year. It’s no secret that teacher retention is a major issue in schools across the country, and that stress is a cause. Over summer vacation, the memories of the school year begin to fade for many teachers with their acts of self-care, but for others this is a time of transition and good-byes-many teachers are making the decisions to leave not only their schools but the career of teaching as well. It’s been a beautiful chapter.” This is a quote from Holly Newton, a former first-grade teacher in Sanford, Florida, but it could have come from a great many teachers. To all my teacher colleagues, friends, mentors, and students: Thanks for the memories. Pat Riley of the Miami Heat was able to address Ray’s core interests and then walk Ray up the Riley ladder.Ĭliff is the co-founder of SidewalkAd, a smartphone advertising solution for local businesses.“And that’s a wrap! Year 6 is in the books, and this concludes my time as a classroom teacher. It’s only after you’ve walked the other person down his or her ladder that you can advocate your point of view, and attempt to walk the person up your ladder. In doing so, you need to walk that person down his or her ladder while addressing his or her core interests. When you’re in a difficult conversation, first seek to understand the other person’s reasoning that has led to his or her conclusion. And if they are both seeking to be understood, the conversation goes no where. Two people are high on their respective ladders when they start a discussion with strong convictions. A person is higher on the ladder when he or she has come to a conclusion. A person is lower on the ladder when he or she is reasoning and have not yet come to a conclusion.
It’s helpful for each person to recognize and understand the other person’s thoughts.ĭebbie explains that two people in a difficult conversation are often already at the top of their respective “ ladders of influence.” The ladder is a metaphor representing a person’s thought process. In conversation, most of us converse to “be heard.” Instead we should, in the words of Stephen Covey, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” When two people are in a difficult conversation, each person typically has thoughts that are not verbalized. Ray Ray, Ainge, Doc and Rondo would have benefited from a session with Debbie.
The next day, I learned Ray Allen decided to leave the Boston Celtics. The techniques can be applied in difficult conversations with just about anyone including a roommate, co-worker, or family member. The techniques she mentioned are designed to help overcome the agreement gap between two people. On Friday, Debbie Goldstein explained the art of handling a difficult conversation.