FELLOW TEACHERS SUPPORT

KAREN Y. CLARIN

It is stated by Farber (2011,June 15) that teachers need to band together to support each other and make teaching a more sustainable career. There are several things we can do for each other and for ourselves.1.)Support teachers in time of need. When someone on your staff is going through a difficult time, a thoughtful gift from his or her fellow teachers can mean a lot. A fund can be created at the beginning of the year.2. Plan for a Better Work/Life Balance. A small group of teachers can improve the climate and community of the school by planning some activities that support wellness.3.Provide Backup. Have a meeting with a difficult parent? Plan to take a trusted colleague with you. Is your colleague having a rough day? Do their recess duty for them. These acts of kindness show solidarity, community, and kindness.4. Support New Mothers. Sleep-deprived, breastfeeding new mothers face many challenges as they return to teaching. Support them by finding a secure place to pump milk, and work with staff to provide coverage so they can continue to work and provide breast milk for their babies. This can be challenging in a space- and time-strapped school, but it’s essential to creating a family-friendly, breastfeeding-supportive environment.5.Seek Leadership Opportunities. Teaching lacks a clear career ladder. Many teachers don’t want to become principals, but they do want to explore other professionally paid challenges. Seek out opportunities to extend and enrich your profession, such as mentoring, coaching, teaching college courses, or writing.6. A Change Would Do You Good. When you feel like quitting, it might be that you’re simply ready to teach another subject or grade level, or in a different school. I was inspired by a colleague who spent 10 years teaching fifth and sixth grades and then moved to teaching kindergarten. Changing your position or school might be a better fit and a way to rejuvenate your teaching.7. Band Together. Teachers can and should work together to advance the interests of public education and teaching. We can meet together and take action on issues of importance such as the environmental health of a school, the leadership, endorsing (or not) school board members, and taking positions on certain policy decisions. Joining your local union, and getting involved directly with supporting schools and public education, can lead to empowerment and further engagement.8. Create a Positive, Supportive Climate. The last thing teachers need is to feel more isolated. Teachers need to collaborate, problem-solve, and share successes often. This should be regular, planned, and during school time. Sometimes administrators need to be reminded of this. If the climate deteriorates for any reason, handle it directly before people are hurt and disenfranchised. This could be through staff meeting discussions, or through a group reading of a book such as Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, and Roger Fisher.

According to RFT 3 and RFT9 , the elementary teachers are supportive.

Mas buri kunalaman deng teachers now kasi suportahan keng obra RFT3.

Ok naman sawup-sawup kami. Sosopan daku reng kakung co-teachers ku RFT9.

Moreover, it is supported by the response of RFT6 and RFT8 that teachers are supportive in the elementary in terms of sharing techniques on how to discipline pupils and answering their queries.

I get a lot of support from my co-teachers. Especially they are giving me techniques on how to discipline my pupils in the elementary RFT6.

Pero dakal noman deng kasundo kung mestra. Susuportan danaku man. Pakibatan danakuman pag atin kung kukutang karela RFT8.

In addition to that, RFT4 and RFT7 stated that the school heads in the elementary are also supportive. Maganaka la. Lalu na ing principal mi. RFT4. Ok noman deng suporta da reng teachers all in all.Lalu na ing kekaming principal maganaka ya.RFT 7.

However, it is contrary to the view of RFT 2 and RFT 5 some teachers in the elementary are not supportive.

Noon siguro nung sa high school isang faculty kami. So whatever problem arises na dumating napag-uusapan nasosolve ka. Pag merong isang nahihirapan. Nagsosoportahan saluhan between each other na nabubuo. Tulungan talaga sa high school kanya-kanyang assignment eh. Subject sagot mo responsibilitymo. Magkakasama kami.Ang elementary support from the elementary teachers? Siguro sa principal oo pero yung teacher. Hindi ko masasabi kung sinusuportahan nila ako. Kasi kung supported ako hindi ako mahihirapan eh. Tulad nyan ang daming trabaho. Yung mga activity lagi akong kasali tulad ng PE nayan hindi naman ako yung leader pero pagod din akoMas pagod panga kami kaysa sa leader eh. Wala man kinocoach yung leader namin.Mas ok panga yong kaunti lang eh kesa sa marami. Marami nga kayo tapos hindi naman gumagawa yung iba RFT2.

We don’t get much support from the teachers.Not much support.I don’t get enough support from my co-workers. There is a notion that we are newbies although we have been teaching for quite some time RFT5.

It is supported by Morin (2019) a licensed clinical social worker and a psychotherapist that no matter where you go in life, you’re bound to come across toxic people — especially in the workplace.It might be the team mate who often takes credit for your work or the office neighbor who loves to gossip. These are the people who make it hard for you to give up the bad habits that rob you of your mental strength. And if you’re not careful, they could ruin your entire outlook on your job.

-oOoTHE AUTHOR IS A TEACHER II AT MACABEBE

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL