Blog Comment of the Week: Does Negativity Stem From the Principal or the Staff?

If you are interested in the complex issue of principals and their influence on staff attitudes, you will want to read all of the comments that came in over the last week on the topic. There were so many thought-provoking comments, but here is one of my favorites from reader Schooner1:

"In my experience there is a negative group that gripes in the Teacher's Lounge, and a positive group who plans better teaching. Avoid the former and participate in the latter. I also feel many Principals are to [blame]. Most that I've worked with got out of real teaching as fast as they could for the greater pay & prestige of administration. They don't know or support good teaching or risk taking. They are often anchored in past practices and engage in favoritism."

What are your most powerful strategies for staying positive when surrounded by negativity on campus?

Personally, I agree with Schooner1 when it comes to the importance of avoiding the complainers in the staff lounge and gravitating instead toward the teachers who stay on the sunny side. Actually, that's a good strategy for all areas of life, whether you're a teacher or not, right?