Ever wish you would’ve addressed a particular problem with your boss but you didn’t know exactly how to approach him? Or you felt intimidated by her? Or perhaps you were just too afraid? Yet, you knew that the more time you let pass by, the bigger the problem could become?
Here are some important things to keep in mind when addressing an administrator, department chair, dean or anyone in charge at your school so that you achieve optimal results.
Be professional – If, let’s say, it’s your principal that you’re trying to address, make sure to follow appropriate protocol for scheduling a meeting with him or her. Whether this is through their secretary, email, or phone call, don’t just barge in unannounced. Developing a good relationship with the principal’s secretary is always a good idea.
Also, depending on the seriousness of the topic at hand, dress professionally. You don’t want to speak with your department chair about your evaluation if you’re dressed ready to go to the gym. On the other hand, you don’t have to wear a suit and tie, but dress business casual. Depending on the school you teach at and your subject (it’s completely ok for a physical education teacher to approach an administrator in shorts if they’re headed out to the field, for example), just remember to dress the part.
Pick the right time – If you’re trying to address an issue that is minor, such as you want to switch your planning period or perhaps you’d like them to look into using a particular software, then do it at a time when your administrator isn’t stressed over a situation at the school, busy addressing a parent, or in the middle of taking care of routine duties like dismissal or lunchtime.
Be specific – Describe what you’re referring to at the beginning of your meeting/conversation.
Let’s say you show up to speak to the person in charge and ask to schedule a meeting (following your school’s protocol). Maybe you’re in a school with an open door policy where all you have to do is just knock and ask, “Got a minute?” Whatever the case may be, now that you have their attention, make sure to describe the event you’re referring to before you start to talk about how it made you feel or why it upset you. If you jump right in and say for example, “I’m really upset about xyz,” the administrator might have no clue as to what you’re talking about.
So start off by describing what happened so that you’re both on the same page.
Have an end in mind – So here you are. You have followed protocol to address your boss. You are dressed professionally and you have clearly described the event or problem you wish to address. Now what?
What do you wish to accomplish from this meeting? What’s your ultimate goal? Sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war. So maybe they’re not going to get you a new laptop. Can you compromise? Would they be willing to consider it for next year? What if you funded half the cost?
Let’s say you’re requesting to change classrooms with another teacher from the second floor to the first floor because you had foot surgery and don’t want to go up the stairs every day. This might not be a big deal in one school but be a huge deal in another because of how it would impact another teacher (the one who’s classroom you want to move into). So keep your end in mind. If the real reason you want to change classrooms is because of the stairs, maybe you can get an elevator key. Think of other solutions to your problem in case your first option isn’t feasible.
Listen – Do not interrupt while they speak. Your administrator or department head probably has to deal with responsibilities that you don’t have or don’t know about. So while you might be upset because no one came to fix the air conditioning in your room, maybe the administrator was dealing with a bigger issue at the school or something that affected more people. So listen and don’t interrupt.
Don’t take it personal – Keep it professional. You don’t need to be friends with your administrator. You just need to address your concerns or find a solution to your problem. You don’t have to like them (although I’ve been lucky with my administrators so far and we have a great rapport) the same way they don’t need to like you on a personal level. But you should be able to work together professionally because at the end of the day, it’s all about the students you service.
When you address your concerns to a person in charge in a professional and affirmative manner, you will most likely gain their respect for taking the initiative. After all, you chose to be upfront about handling a situation rather than talking about it behind their back in the teacher’s lounge.
Think of handling a situation in a similar manner that you’d like a student to come and handle a concern they have with you. If any of them had an issue with you or with something in your class, wouldn’t you appreciate them coming to you in a respectful and polite way rather than bashing you on social media?
We’ll see in a future post how much of these ideas can also be leveraged in managing difficult discussions with colleagues.
Have you ever had to address someone in charge at your school? What were you trying to resolve and how did you approach it? Write it below.
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