Apryl Taylor, A Worthy Educator, Leader and Champion for turning rage into reason!
She is a Social Studies Program Specialist for the Orange County, Florida Public Schools and a member of our Speakers Bureau.
If prompted to describe myself, I would optimistically say I am “driven,” though pessimistically acknowledge that I’m a bit of a “control freak.” Currently, I’m in a district administrative position where I support the work of the United States History teachers across our 23 high schools in Orange County Public Schools, Florida. I know that many of these initiatives are well intentioned and some are even (dare I say?) effective. However, as more initiatives are rolled out, teachers have more on their plate and less platform to advocate. The result? Rage.
One of the many things that attracted me to education was the opportunity to engage freely in creating and implementing lesson plans. I approached planning like a 2,000 piece puzzle. I was meticulous, intentional, and patient. Fast forward a decade into my career and I’ve noticed that our ability to control our classrooms has been steadily declining. Lesson plans are created for the teacher, high stakes testing is monitored all year, and legislation is being passed that prioritizes parents rights.
ARTICULATING RAGE
We seem to be past the days of teacher frustration and burnout. The feelings behind teachers’ concerns are heightened and quite personal. I used to see rage seep out of my colleagues when we went out for half-priced appetizers after work. I would feel it in myself when I drove home. Now, that rage has fewer boundaries. I sense the tension in the emails sent to my office. I hear the roars from teachers during professional development. Worst of all, I see it in the faces of teachers during instruction. Something is happening in education where teachers are being so undervalued that they are ready to burst.
The good news is that rage IS different from burnout. Rage implies a deep connection to the subject at hand, a longing for change within the system rather than an apathetic exit from the classroom. This means we can and must address rage. The first step to addressing this rage within yourself is to articulate it. This may start with venting to a colleague or hand writing a passionate email that ought not be sent to your administrator. It cannot stop there, however. It must be articulated with specificity. Past all the run-on sentences and exclamation points, what is enraging you?
Example of a Rant: “You cannot keep putting new tasks on my plate. I can only do so much! Right now, I’m supposed to verify all grades for my team, finalize an upcoming lesson plan for the team, and participate in a parent meeting all during my 45 minutes of planning! How is that possible????? There aren’t enough minutes in the period!!!! Plus, you expect me to prepare for an IEP meeting, update my word wall, and set up for the annual tornado drill next month. How can I be expected to do all of this time and time again? I am only one person. I feel like you are taking advantage of me. You know I will do all of these things and you know that means I’m working nights and weekends without additional pay. It’s exhausting and I won’t be able to keep doing it much longer.”
Example Articulation: “I don’t have enough time to do everything that matters and I’m not sure what the priority is.”
FINDING REASON
While the fully expressed rant is valid, it is important to articulate that rage into something more digestible for yourself and for your audience. Who is your audience? Typically, I find that your boss is the audience. Sometimes that boss may not be able to fully address your concerns because - guess what? They don’t have full control either. However, if you can present your concerns in a reasonable manner and offer a potential solution then you may be able to address that rage. I suggest finding reason by utilizing the three P's: Prepare, Persuade, Pursue.
Prepare: Do not present your rage to your administrator when passing them in the parking lot or the hallway. Set a calendar meeting so they are prepared to dedicate time to you. Gather your receipts! If you are claiming that there is too much on your plate, you should have a list of every task assigned to you with deadlines. Share why this is a problem. Speak the language of your boss. If they are all about deadlines and data then relate that to your concern. Adjust your language if they emphasize community and culture. Your problem can relate to their passion, you just need to present it as so.
Example Preparation: Using the Eisenhower Matrix, I determined whether each task was urgent or not urgent. Then, I classified each task as either important or not important. I placed them into the matrix and determined which tasks I should do, schedule, delegate, or delete. Noticing that the vast majority of tasks were being communicated as both “urgent” and “important” I could prepare this matrix as visual evidence of the source of my rage.
Persuade: When you actually meet with your boss, be persuasive in your rhetoric. “If, then” statements are powerful in establishing logic. “If I meet with this parent during my planning, then our PLC will not have their data report to discuss during planning.” Use power words when you can: sacrifice, priority, culture, achievement, etc. Ask direct questions. For example, “Which items on this list should be approached as compliance versus with intention?” Most importantly, before leaving the meeting, reach an agreement. That may mean things are taken off your list or deadlines are adjusted. It could also mean that you agree to meet again at a specific date and time because you both need to talk this out more.
Example Persuasion: When showing my boss that most items on my to-do list were classified as “urgent, important,” my boss confirmed the classification. So what do we do now? We have agreed that the situation is not realistic to be accomplished, let alone sustained as an approach. Let’s agree that everything elsewhere on the chart will be scheduled, delegated, or deleted. Then, let’s turn the items in the “urgent, important” box into a spectrum. What is the most urgent? What is the most important? Sometimes it is difficult to label a task as “not important” but to place them in order of importance can do a lot to help a person manage their time. In this instance, grading would be the first thing to do on the list because it is the most urgent and it is highly important.
Pursuance: Hopefully, the meeting involved a reasonable discussion about your concerns and either a solution or a “next steps” type of action plan as guidance moving forward. To prevent yourself from running into the same issue next week, it is important to pursue. Follow up with your boss via an email, use a “read receipt” and verbally check in. Follow through on your commitments.
Example Pursuance: Following this meeting, I emailed my boss a summary of our discussion and I itemized my to-do list within the email. Unfortunately, the next week my administrator walked into my classroom and expressed that they were disappointed that I had not yet prepared my classroom for our annual tornado drill. They said the best way to lead my team was by example and that it didn’t set the right tone to wait until the last minute. In response, I reminded them that the annual tornado was listed as the least urgent and second to least important task when we discussed it. I had already verified grades, finalized lesson plans, and met with a parent. Together we made an adjustment and decided I would prepare my classroom for the drill before preparing for an upcoming IEP meeting.
FEELING JOY
In these examples, we have expressed and articulated our rage while also communicating and problem solving in a reasonable manner. A sense of calm has settled in and we have found some element of control within the chaos. Ultimately, that is a huge victory! It is a step towards feeling more valued and productive. Perhaps now you can let a complaint out at happy hour without letting it contribute to the classroom environment.
Consider, can we now allow ourselves to feel and express joy? I do not intend to assert that when you feel so helpless and angry, you should just “try being happy.” Toxic positivity is not productive. Yet, I do wonder that if we continue to articulate rage and find reason, can we break the habit of assuming the worst? Can we recognize the growth we have had in our relationships with our administrators and team? Can we celebrate our own advocacy and honor the time we have given back to ourselves?
Perhaps we can even establish better working relationships with our supervisors, voicing our intentions and setting appropriate boundaries. We showcase ourselves as problem solvers who are then sought after by leadership to weigh in on big decisions and new initiatives. If enough of us follow this path of self-advocacy, we may alter the dynamic of the hierarchy and model effective collaboration for our students.
It is important to actively reflect. Just because our daily experiences are not “perfect” does not mean that we haven’t improved the world around us by clearly communicating, critically thinking, and setting boundaries. If we continue to effectively advocate for our students and ourselves, I truly believe we will feel less tension in the emails, we will turn roars into questions during professional development, and we will feel the lightness in the classroom. No single individual should have full control over all decisions made on a campus. It is important to recognize the issues, collaboratively address them, and allow every person to feel like they have a voice on campus. Take out rage and you have space for joy. It is then up to you to share it with others.
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