Schools can be pretty tense places. I’ve worked in hospitals, in the armed forces and in a few other places besides, and all of these workplaces bring their own kind of stress, but, to be honest, I think that there is a level of tension that is peculiar to schools. Of course, wherever you have this level of tension, you are always going to have conflict – and conflict, whether it is for good reasons or bad (are there good reasons for conflict?) is a profoundly challenging experience for some people.
Some teachers might argue that the sign of a good school is the absence of conflict. To be fair, they would have some evidence on their side: after all, there are large numbers of first year out teachers leaving the profession, especially around where I live and teach, who cite the constant conflict, stress and tension, as well as the lack of support they receive as the reason for their desire to leave and do something else. It’s sad, and points out the need for a more effective mentoring program for first year teachers, but that’s an issue for another time.
I’m writing this blog post for two main purposes; firstly, I want to point out that I think some form of conflict in a school is an inevitability and secondly, when that conflict does occur, what really matters is how the conflict is dealt with. To start off with the first point: schools are places that change rapidly. They are also ‘black holes’ of resources. This means that there will be time when not everyone can get what they want, or do what they want. Having a clear vision about the future of the school can help alleviate some of the competition for limited resources, but even so, teachers and coordinators are likely to end up arguing over something. One teacher might feel an excursion is vitally important; a coordinator might argue that there is no money in the budget or he or she doesn’t see the value in the excursion. There are two points to be made here: firstly, not all conflict is bad. In this case, both teachers are arguing passionately for what they think is best for students – and that attitude, more than almost anything else – is what makes a school a successful one.
After all the arguments are put forward, I’ve seen conflicts go in two directions: sometimes, there’ll be dire imprecations and tears, threats and heated words once somebody realises they’re not going to get their way. This is probably the worst result possible – but it’s made worse when other people gossip about what’s happened. Then the whole conflict turns into an elephant in the staffroom, not being mentioned or discussed, making any future work difficult. This has the effect of splintering the staffroom. If it happens to often, you have lots of little power blocs in the staffroom, instead of a united body.
It is better if the conflict is resolved. Of course, people’s feeling are going to be hurt, but this is education; sometimes, we’re not going to get our own way. Part of being an adult is realising that there are people who make decisions, and if you’re affected by that decision, you can either accept it, or go somewhere else. To do anything else damages the collective efforts of all staff members.