Dealing with Difficult Teachers, 2nd Edition

by Todd Whitaker

Book Overview

This book provides tips and strategies to help school leaders improve, neutralize, or eliminate resistant and negative teachers. Learn how to handle staff members who gossip in the teacher's lounge,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1930556454
• ISBN13: 9781930556454
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Guide For Every Principal

Every principal and employer will deal with difficult employees at some point. Todd Whitaker's book is an easy read with great suggestions on handling many situations. With many of the examples, experienced principals will find themselves associating various teacher names. It not only instructs how to deal with difficult teachers but it also develops an image of how the principal should behave, respond and professionally handle situations. I purchased the book for a friend who will be a first year principal.

Good tool to use to aid in understanding personal differences

Everyone is different. We all know that. This book takes it to another level. It defines the commonalities and the differences amongst educators. A great resource that was recommended by my college prof. Use it to better understand yourself and your relationship with others. How do you deal with those mediocre teachers? How should you treat your superstar teachers? Answers to these two simple questions and so much more are compiled into this wonderful book. Everyone is different. Even you. Now, how do you learn to accept and treat others with respect? Read the book.

Non-confrontational and guilt-free strategies

In Dealing With Difficult Teachers, education administrator Todd Whitaker draws upon his many years of professional experience and expertise to provide school superintendents and building principles with non-confrontational and guilt-free strategies for handling teachers with performance and personality issues. This compendium on practical and effective advice addresses teachers who gossip in the teacher's lounge; who consistently dismiss any new idea; who send excessive numbers of students to the principal's office for disciplinary reasons; who undermine administrative efforts toward school improvement; as well as those who negatively influence other teaching and student services staff members school. Dealing With Difficult Teachers is an essential addition to educational administration reference collections and "must" reading for anyone charged with supervisory responsibilities for classroom instructors and teaching staff morale.

Metaphorically, A pearl Book

This book very beneficial not only for principals but also for teachers who want to change their negative behavior and improve their quality of teaching. For principals, it is very proper to take advantage of the author's fruitful experiences and apply what works in their schools considering difficult teachers. Moreover, for all types of teachers, it is a great opportunity to enhance themselves and improve their behavior to be labeled as superstar teachers. In fact, it would not be fair if I preferred some ideas and suggestions to others because the book is metaphorically a pearl. Whitaker's book addresses valuable suggestions that can be used as powerful tools to improve schools, teachers, and students. First and foremost, if my ultimate goal, as a principal, was to do what is best for students and the school, I would have to ask myself these questions (Pp. 13-14): What is my true purpose in implementing this rule or policy? Will it actually accomplish this purpose? How will my positive and productive staff feel about this policy? If I am able to be as detached, realistic, and credible as possible when I answer these questions, I would never feel guilty. In addition, the book provides other great suggestions, which can be applied to any school system, for dealing with difficult staff members as follows: Strategies to help counteract resistant and difficult teachers; improve teachers' cooperation; avoid arguing and struggling with difficult teachers; be respectful to other teachers; create productive and effective changes in the school; give difficult teachers some responsibilities to improve their behavior; involve effective teachers in decision-making; and reduce negative-leaders' influences by weakening their followers. Finally, I would reiterate the author, as he states on (p. X), "this book is designed for the most frustrating, resistant, and negative staff in the school." However, to achieve what we, the school's administration, are planning, we MUST work collectively as hard as we possibly can.

Informative for Principals AND Teachers!

Todd Whitaker has an understanding of the school system and its personnel, and is able to convey this understanding in terms that are easy to read. This book offers great suggestions for dealing with personnel that set back the goals of the school system. The points made by Whitaker are not only useful to practicing principals, but are just as important to peers of "difficult teachers".