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posted by:
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Cheryl Pilatowski
on May 14, 2003
at 2:32PM
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subject:
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Exploring Teacher Resistance
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One of the biggest obstacles we as support teachers have had to face is
getting into the teacher’s classroom. The teachers are accustomed to
closing the door until time for lunch or dismissal. They are not
comfortable with the assistance we can provide and are unsure how to
handle the intrusion in their domain.
Perhaps one reason is they often feel we were there as evaluators. Our
district has a mentor/evaluation program and some feel we are there as
Big Brother or Big Sister, watching to see if they do everything
correctly. Some only want us to get materials or set up the
investigation for them rather than do the team-teaching, modeling, or
peer-coaching we were set up to do. Others state they are just fine
and we needn’t ask again.
The main emphasis of our program is professional development…to improve
teaching and learning! This requires on-going professional development
and one-on-one interaction with the teachers.
How can we ease the entry of the support teachers into the classroom?
How can we present support teachers as facilitators in the professional
growth of teachers rather than judgmental staff?
How do we get teachers to realize change is a natural process and we are
there to help facilitate their transition?
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