However, sharing a classroom with other teachers requires constant teamwork. The very notion of teamwork requires people accept they’re not in control of some of the greater goals. Teachers who share a classroom will need to communicate, compromise, be fair, clean, adaptable, and socially aware. Instead of being in control, people in a team collaborate their way to success while they control their small niche. This is the essence of what teachers must do when sharing a classroom. Read on for more details and techniques to be successful in a shared classroom.
Open Communication and Compromise
It is extremely important to have open communication with the teacher you share a classroom with. In doing so, you must communicate with each other often. This means you shouldn’t be communicating only when there is a problem. If you communicate only when there is a problem then you are basically taking action when it is far too late for a good solution. You should also give the other teacher praises or compliments to build a strong relationship. In doing so, your co-teacher will not feel so much attack when you bring up any issues you may have.
Keep in mind to communicate early and often. If an issue arises, make sure to bring it to the other teacher’s attention before tensions arise and creates a bigger problem.
Set and Respect Boundaries and Perspectives
Prior to the start of the school year, you should plan ahead to have a meeting with the teacher you share a classroom with, along with your supervisor. During this meeting, it is your opportunity to let the other teacher know and understand what your expectations are and you know what theirs will also be. At this time, you can communicate, compromise, and agree to what works best for the both of you in the classroom. Your supervisor being present at the meeting will provide a witness to what you both agree upon and also make suggestions to reach an agreement. This will prevent future problems such as the “he-said she-said” arguments.
If you want to further solidify the boundaries you set, email the agreement to everyone involved and make sure they agree via email. With emails, everything is recorded and can be easily referenced at a future time.
Keep in mind you should be open minded about your coworkers’ boundaries and opinions. You will not get everything your way and the same goes with your co-worker.
Make Sure Job Duties are Fairly Split
Some of the boundaries you will set will include how job duties are split and shared. Cleanliness is a great example of a shared job duty that can greatly impact you and your co-worker. Cleanliness is an important part of meeting safety and hazard standards, especially in preschools and Head Starts.
Morning teachers in Head Starts have a safety inspection checklist they must complete that includes kitchen cleanliness, item organization, and lots of other things. Both teachers need to make sure these items are checked at the beginning and end their sessions. However, if the morning teacher gets lazy and skips a few items, this puts a greater burden of work on the afternoon teacher. Then if the afternoon can’t complete that burden of work, the morning teacher can’t check off those incomplete items in the morning. This will make the afternoon teacher look bad even though it is basically the morning teacher’s fault. This will definitely create conflict and arguments between teachers.
Do your best to complete your job duties and make it part of your daily routine. Let the other teacher know when you can’t complete something so you’re both on the same page and not angry at each other.
Cleanliness Matters When You Share Your Classroom With Another Teacher
As mentioned in the job duties, cleanliness plays an important role in your shared classroom. When the class gets dirty, people get uncomfortable and coworkers get upset at each other when parents complain. Here is a list of ways you can keep your classroom clean.
Have a Daily Checklist
The daily checklist will include many of the below items, but plenty of others, such as covering electrical plugs, keeping hazards materials out of children’s reach, and removing sharp objects from the classroom and playground. This type of checklist already exists in some Head Starts and preschools, but it is a good idea to create your own to ensure safety and build good habits for yourself.
Keep Your Materials Organized and Stored in the Same Place
It is super important to keep all materials organized and stored in the same place at all times so all classroom staff have easy access to the materials when needed. This will create consistency between teachers and those who may have to come in and sub for you.
Define Separate Areas for the Morning and Afternoon Classwork
As mentioned above, it is important that both the morning and afternoon classwork have their own separate space. This will allow students to know where their work is located and show off to their parents during drop off and pick up time. This ensures each teacher has a space they can control so they can do what they like for their students and themselves.
Sanitize Your Food Areas
It is extremely crucial to keep the food areas clean and sanitize. Make sure the refrigerator, counters, and tables that have been placed with food are cleaned daily to prevent germs and bacteria from growing and spreading within the classroom. Don’t forget to clean the floor, as we all know those tiny crumbs can make its way to the floor without seeing. The students can also toss the food they don’t like on the floor or rubbed under the table or chair.At Safety is number one in all places.
Keep Your Restroom Clean and Functional
It is crucial to constantly keep the restroom clean and functional for the classroom. If a restroom is not cleaned daily, it can create build-ups and residues which will create problems in the future that can be costly and time consuming. It is not easy to clean a restroom that has urine smells and stains.
Sweep the Floor and Carpet Areas
Everyone wants to come into a place where it looks nice and clean. A clean floor is one of the most important things to keep a classroom appear clean to those who enter the room. So, don’t forget to sweep the floor and carpet prior to leaving for the day.
Empty Out Trash Bins
Don’t forget to empty out the trash bins at the end of your session to prevent any foul odor. Do your best not to pour any liquid in the trash bins to prevent leakage as it may create extra work for whoever takes it out. If possible, have separate trash cans for food and papers.
Make Sure to Have Private Areas for Your Personal and Professional Items
Even though you may not have full control of your room, you should still have space that belongs to you and your class. Not all items in a classroom are shared and most people have personal items they want to keep private.
Don’t be afraid to protect your designated areas. If you think someone touched your things, then ask around to see if someone accidentally went through your things. People will almost always say no, and it’s okay if they’re lying. This is just your opportunity to mention that this is your space and people shouldn’t be going through your things. Don’t forget to be professional!
Know When to Bring an Issue to Your Supervisor
When working with others, it is possible to have issues and conflicts. It is wise to keep an open communication with your co-workers. Let your co-workers know how you feel and address any concerns you may have first, prior to reporting it to your supervisors.
It is always best to work with your co-workers and talk about any issues you may have and find ways to solve the problem together. If this doesn’t work, you may want to take data on how often the same problems are occurring. And if this continues after communicating the problem, this will be the time to inform your supervisor and let your supervisor know the techniques you’ve used that have not solved the issue. Your supervisor may have a different approach and give you some ideas on how to solve the problem before a meeting takes place with the other co-worker.
Doing this gives your supervisor an idea that you have tried several solutions, which shows you are making an honest effort. Yet, there is still a problem and you need your supervisor’s help and input to solve the problem.
Always Have a Positive Attitude or Outlook
Attitude is everything! Well, not exactly, but appearances are very important. You don’t need to be the most positive person in the world, but it’s important to have a positive mindset because personalities are contagious and you don’t want everyone around you becoming depressed or irritated with you. You also don’t want people to see you as a negative person.
As an exercise, listen to the words you use in a conversation at work. When someone asks you to do something, how often do you use the word “can’t”? Here’s an example. The other teacher in your class walks in and asks you to move a heavy bookcase to the other side of the room. The following two responses are nearly the same but have different intent and outcomes.
There’s no way I can move that bookcase. Not gonna happen!
I’ll need some help, but if we remove the books and put the bookcase on a rug we might be able to slide it to the other side.
Both statements imply that you cannot move the bookcase. However the first statement has a negative tone and prevents anything from getting done. The second statement focuses on problem solving and maintains progress even when you can’t do it. The second statement is an indicator of a positive attitude.
If you do have negative feelings or are depressed about your job, make sure to let someone know so you can get the help you need to move forward with your life. Hating your job often means you need to make a change for yourself. Don’t be afraid of change!
It’s OK When You Don’t Get Your Way
Do not get upset when you do not get things your way. Eventually, everything will work out! Sharing a classroom with another teacher is not always easy, and it can be difficult at times. Just remember, you will eventually get SOME things your way. It is all about communicating and compromising with each other. You also have to keep in mind the other teacher should also have some things their way too. I know, it is not easy, but you have to give the other teacher some control as well. The best thing to do when you share a classroom with another teacher is to have open communication so you all will build a good working relationship and learn how to give and take.
As time goes by and you feel you are slowly not getting things your way, bring it up to your co-workers attention. Let your co-worker know how you feel and how it affects you. This will be challenging, but the sooner you learn how to do this, the sooner you will be able to use this strategy if any problems arises. And the sooner you solve the problem the less tension there will be.
As you are making attempts to communicate with your co-workers about the problems and nothing is ever working, let your supervisor know. You can find more information under the headline: Know When To Bring An Issue To Your Supervise.
Teachers Need to Adapt
There are a lot of rigid people out there. And people tend to become more rigid with age. Adapting means changing yourself or something you do in order to fit in better in a situation. A great example of this is when a school completely changes its curriculum
Many preschools have recently switched to the Frog Street curriculum, which may have different philosophies from a preschool’s previous curriculum. Some older teachers have difficulty adapting because they do not take time to learn all of the new words, definitions, and philosophies behind Frog Street. They instead try to justify their old teaching style by comparing it to the new style and noting how similar it is. This teacher needs to adapt to the change happening around them.
What If You Don’t Get Along At All? What About Severe Conflict?
You’ve tried everything in your power to work with your co-worker! And it just doesn’t work. No matter what you’ve done to communicate, compromise, share and give suggestions, your co-worker refused to work with you. The best thing to do is take comprehensive notes with the date and time when an occurrence happens. When you do this, you will have a notebook full of notes to bring with you to any meetings and use it as evidence. You can point out all of the facts at the meeting table to show that you have been keeping a record of the other co-worker’s behaviors and attitudes. This will show you have done your part of the job to try and work with the other person.
In the meantime, talk less to your co-worker. You should only communicate as needed. And when you do so, make sure the conversation is short, brief, and to the point. You don’t want to put yourself in any kind of trouble, so keep it short and sweet. Answer the question without extra information.
Any conversations you have with your co-workers upon an agreement, try to put it into words and send an email to your co-worker to use it as evidence of your conversation. It will be easy to track down an email you have with your co-worker when you need it.
If you are part of a union, make sure to keep your union rep updated on issues. You can find more information on why it is important to be part of a union: (insert link to out other article). This link will tremendously help you if the problem is with your supervisor or someone above them.
You Can Do It! Share Your Classroom With Another Teacher and Have No Worries!
While it’s usually not difficult to share a classroom with another teacher, behaviors and attitudes can go a long way. Whether it is positive or negative. Don’t get down when your working relationship isn’t smoothly. There will always be a solution and a light at the end of the tunnel!