A LOT of teachers get understandably frustrated because they’ve learned effective and developmentally appropriate ways of supporting children who exhibit challenging behavior…
BUT their coworkers aren’t interested in using these approaches.
So, let’s talk about the idea of being consistent.
A lot of us were taught that it’s important to use strategies consistently with preschoolers.
And that it’s best if adults working with children can get on the same page, if we can get coworkers on board, and if we use challenging behavior strategies consistently.
Yes, that is true…to an extent.
Yes, commit to building a trusting collaborative relationship with your coworkers.
Yes, share resources, strategies and tips to try to get everyone on the same page and using effective, compassionate strategies with children who exhibit challenging behaviors.
AND, don’t let anyone take your power away.
You can create change without getting everyone on board and doing exactly the same thing.
You can positively shift one child’s behavior and even start to transform your classroom without everyone on the teaching team seeing eye to eye and doing the exact same thing.
I’ve seen it happen and I trust you can do it too.
Use the strategies you’ve learned. Believe they can work without everyone doing the same thing. Trust that over time your coworkers will observe you and some will come along.
What’s your current experience with coworkers, consistency and challenging behaviors?
Let me know in the comments below.