Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What advice you give to a colleague who was dealing with a siilar situation?

After struggling as a first year teacher at a public charter high school, I found inspiration in John Wooden’s book, Wooden on Leadership. Learning about his framework for successful leaders empowered me to overcome the frustrations and disappointments of working in an environment with poor team dynamics.

During my Teach for America training, I had plenty of opportunities to collaborate with other corps members and satisfy my passion to learn from colleagues. Unfortunately, I did not feel that same sense of openness and collaboration with teachers at the school in which I was placed. They were not submitting attendance records, not updating grades on a regular basis, and not enforcing the school-wide norms. As a result, students skipped classes, rarely completed homework, and established their own set of rules that did little to promote learning. These behaviors resulted in lower test scores than the previous year.

Recognizing a need for change, I approached my principal with an idea. I wanted to schedule and facilitate a teachers-only discussion that would reveal the roots of our problems. No administrators would be present, in order to create an environment for teachers to be honest without fear of retribution. Whether or not I shared sentiments with my colleagues, I wanted everyone to express their true feelings so that we could identify the actual problems facing our school.

When a few teachers pointed fingers, I seethed and felt like the cartoon character Roger Rabbit, wondering if my eyes would pop out of my head and my jaw would drop to the floor. I managed to remain composed while absorbing information. After an emotionally draining ninety minutes, I returned to my principal with six pages of notes and creative solutions. With a clearer understanding of our human capital, we collaborated closely on programs for teacher success.

I learned from that experience and from my discussions with other Teach for America corps members who faced similar challenges at their placement schools that the program can be polarizing. Some seasoned teachers hold strong negative opinions about Teach for America, viewing the program as a threat to their jobs.

I would encourage current and future corps members to approach teaching as a team sport. Dismissing the performance of other teachers in the building and absolving yourself from any responsibility will not help the students. As Wooden said, “It takes ten hands to score a basket.” Always look to assist others when possible and make an effort to connect with colleagues on a personal level. If colleagues are not open to new information, build a relationship first, then share ideas and best practices. People are open to new ideas when they respect the change agent.

I hope to continue promoting teaching as a team sport and offer this advice to teachers and school leadership across the country to ensure our students receive the education they deserve.