Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Colleague Confrontation Michelle has a colleague, actually her team leader, that has much more educational experience than she has This colleague has even been assistant principle previously for one year but was asked to go back to the classroom for undisclosed reasons. Michelle's colleague is very opinionated and outspoken. This colleague has often spoken down to Michelle in front of other team members and treats her unfairly in front of the students. Michelle just sits back and deals with the behavior. This colleague seems to feel that she knows more and is better at teaching than Michelle because she has more years of experience. Michelle has had enough of being cut down in front of others and tormented in team meetings. How should Michelle handle the situation professionally without causing more issues? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I would recommend that Michelle ask to speak with her co-worker privately one day after school. Prior to the meeting, Michelle may want to have a few specific instances or actions her co-worker has made that have made her feel as though she is talking down to her. I would also recommend that Michelle end with a positive comment, possibly about how she respects her co-worker as a professional and wants to have a positive professional relationship. If the meeting doesn't go well, I would suggest that Michelle speak with her direct supervisor and ask if the three of them can sit down to discuss what has been going on.                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: one-on-one is the way to go. Rated On: July 9, 2017 5:22 pm Rated By: uTaGuv                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: Approaching the teacher in a non confrontational way is a smart first step to tackling this issue, while armed with specific situations that have made Michelle upset. It also recognizes that if nothing changes, Michelle will need to go to her supervisor to try and solve the situation. Rated On: February 21, 2018 8:26 pm Rated By: Simone Haddad                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) No The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: I definitely agree with this idea. It is important that all teachers are respecting one another as what this other teacher is doing is a form of bullying and it is not tolerated by students or from other teachers. I would let her know that what she is doing is bothering me and that it will not be tolerated by me so she should stop and have respect for teachers around her because no idea is a bad idea and she should be helping not putting me down. Rated On: October 10, 2018 2:58 pm Rated By: ubeBaz                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: Working with difficult people is part of life. You can address them privately like recommended. If you're noticing the issues with the leader, surely others are too. Rated On: March 3, 2021 3:33 pm Rated By: yqeRas