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| Photo credit: modernloss.com |
Ask Lucy is back for round two, which is so exciting for me as a writer and hopefully for you as a reader too! I love talking about my passion and how to make education better for long term success. That's the ultimate goal - long term sustainability of excellent instruction from qualified and knowledgeable teachers.
So, yesterday, I asked Facebook to give me some feedback for Ask Lucy and it couldn't have been a better question.
If you experience negativity in the workplace, how do you keep it from affecting your own attitude? Negativity seeps in like a silent killer, and sometimes you catch it before you realize it.
This is such a relevant topic for my personal life that I am jumping at the chance for some self-reflection and some positive ways to make a difference.
Before I can give some quality advice, let's have some self-reflection, Lucy:
The reason I started this blog was because I was unhappy. I was unhappy with my job, with myself, with my relationships - I was just a really unhappy person. I sought new jobs, because I was thinking that a new job would heal my spirit and attitude, and I was wrong - despite having numerous job offers, I didn't feel compelled to accept any of them. I quickly realized the problem lied with me. It lied with my attitude, my feelings, and the negative thoughts that I allowed to flow through my head and my mouth. I was that person in the hallway with a nasty look on their face, I was that person who huffed and puffed through the day and meetings - the problem was me!
That moment, as awful as it was, was necessary for me as a person and a professional - necessary for me to realize how important it is to have a good attitude for myself and my school. My school went through a huge change this year with staff transition (we had 18 new hires this year) and a lot of negative thought fueled that exodus. The exodus was fueled by whispers in the hallway, angry e-mails, ineffective PLCs - negativity changed my school.
So, when this question came across my suggestion status, I was moved - moved to a place of reflection and painful self examination. I had to ask myself 'What are you going to do different next year?' I have two new teachers on my team, they look to me to ease their fears and answer their questions, and I can't be falling apart. I had to think about what support am I going to give myself and what support am I going to offer to them when the going gets tough...
Remember your passion.
What does your passion have to do with negativity? It has everything to do with it. On the days when you can't grade another paper, sit in another meeting, or call another parent - your passion will make you remember why you're here and why you fight so hard. This is your sustaining drive - your gasoline for the year, and the deterrent to stay away from people who wallow in the muck. Your passion cannot be sacrificed for a co-worker who had a bad day or a disappointing meeting with your administrator. Guard your passion and your inspiration.
Stay true to yourself.
You were and are a person before you are a teacher (believe it or not) and you have a duty to yourself to remain yourself, even in your work place! You have morals and beliefs, and you shouldn't compromise them. If you're the new kid on the block and someone tries to tell you about how horrible your class list is or how the principal micromanages, but you have to stand up for yourself and remind yourself (and them) that that's not who you are as a person. It's not who I am, and it's not who I want to be - at least not at work.
Find a safe place to share your feelings (just make sure it's not at school.)
Find a safe place to vent and share your ups and downs, and keep it away from work, because of preying eyes and ears. While teaching may be perceived as a less "cut throat" profession, there are still people who will use your weaknesses against you. Even if your safe place is someone who isn't in education, it's okay - they can listen to you, and remind you how amazing you are without holding it against you. My simple advice: Don't vent at school. The end.
Kill them with kindness.
At the end of the day, your heart and your attitude has the ability to stop negativity dead in its tracks. Negative people are hurting, in some form or fashion they are hurting, and you can use your bright light to illuminate the school and your grade level. Point out successes and positives - make it personal. Negative thoughts and words come from somewhere, and by offering a positive bit of support, sometimes they can be soothed. Caution, however, against trying to fix everything - your job is to teach your babes and to be the best teammate for your grade level, and sometimes, that means you have to ignore negative from other grade levels.
At the end of this long-winded post, I hope you realize that you have a light and it can shine as bright or be as dim as you want, based on your actions - how are you going to illuminate the room? How are you going to illuminate your classroom, your faculty meeting? Are you driving the complain train or carry the positive parasol?
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