Search Institute

I read an interesting article the other day titled Avoiding Teachers’ Lounge Traps. The opening quote of the article is as follows:
“When you’re working in a school,” she said, “stay away from the teachers’ lounge.”
Despite having nothing to do with teaching language arts, this is the best advice I ever received.

When I first read this, I immediately understood the writer’s intent and there’s even a part of me that understands exactly what she’s talking about.

But the more I think about that opening line, the more I simmer. If you think about the subtext to this advice, it gets increasingly harder to agree with the advice this young teacher was give. The “avoid the teachers’ lounge” mantra is tantamount to a host of other assumptions.

• Teachers are going to be negative, gossipy, and detrimental.
• Your colleagues are not to be trusted.
• The cultural status quo of your staff is unchangeable.
• You can’t win.

The end result of “avoiding the teachers’ lounge,” literally and metaphorically, is a fractured staff, isolated teachers, and a break down of staff morale. I’d like to rattle some cages on this attitude.

We need teachers entering the profession willing to challenge and improve the state of their respective schools. We need courageous staff members to be willing to band together to work toward culture change. We need a purpose. If we operate under the false assumption that our colleagues are only going to drag us down, they probably will.

Therefore, we need to be intentional about the way we share the space and time we have together. If conversation is horrible in your lounge, purposefully change the conversation. Have book clubs. Everyone watch the same movie. Put Trivial Pursuit questions on the table. Anything!

One of our trainers, Marilyn Peplau, shared a story about working in a school where the negative conversations about students was pretty rampant. So they hung a picture frame in the lounge with this sign in it: “Would you like to re-frame what you just said?” This reminder was there to encourage individuals to think about their behavior and attitudes.

In my own conversations with school staff, I always say something along the lines of “if you’re complaining about the complainers, whining about the whiners, and gossiping about the gossipers, guess what?”

So as the new year comes upon us, I don’t want any of you heading to work thinking that the present state of affairs in your workplaces is completely cemented. It’s not. YOU can cause change. AVOIDANCE is not a long-term solution.

Google “avoid the teachers’ lounge” and you’ll find a whole host of articles on this subject. Some tell you to run and hide. Some tell you to engage and change. Which path will you choose?