Name Carolyn Gassmann

EPPSP Group 39
Butler University

The Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals

STANDARD:
38. Participate/understand in the termination process of a staff member Become a
functioning participant or administrative observer in the termination process for a faculty or
staff member. Notations should be made in an attempt to improve upon the existing
procedures employed for this task. Such notations could lead towards a perspective
termination plan for a tenured staff member. (ELCC 5.4)

Summary:
Because I have not yet had the opportunity to experience a true termination of a staff member, I
took the time to research various videos and articles regarding the topic, and I will summarize
and reflect upon that experience.

To begin, I watched a video from The Agenda with Steve Paikin, a series from Canada in which
a group of Ontario teachers weighed in on the difficulties of firing ineffective teachers.

In the video, they discuss the myth that bad teachers are hard to dismiss because unions don’t
want it to happen, and principals don’t feel like expending the courtesy to do it well. All of the
principals agreed that this was not the case. They all spoke in different ways to the point that
dismissal can happen, but what really needs to happen is minor adjustments to the teachers’
abilities and strategies to succeed. Truthfully, the goal should not be dismissal, but rather
improvement.

One principal spoke to the point that receiving an education in becoming a teacher is, many
times, not enough to be a strong teacher. “I’ve worked with teachers who have four PhD’s and
still don’t realize that you have to teach different kids in different ways.”

Another went on to discuss that a key component to the success of an administrator is having
taking the emotions out of the situation, having the tough conversations, and using conflict-
resolution to work with the teacher to either improve or be dismissed. This same principals
commented that conflict-resolution is one of the greatest skills a principal must hold.

To round out the video, a seasoned principal reflected on his experiences. He said that in all of
his years, he’s seen teachers face difficulty and need help, but he can think of very few that he
would truly fire.

From there, I read two articles and noticed very similar themes. The first, entitled Lessons—
Some Fair Steps to Take Before Firing Teachers, expanded on the idea of conflict-resolution
seen in the video. It talked about how when teachers are fired, it is usually for some sort of
misconduct, rather than for inadequate instruction. This article highlights a school system in
Maryland that mandated a board-approval process to fire a teacher. This process takes a total
of two years, and a teacher must spend the time under the guidance and coaching of a
consulting teacher who is nominated by the union and appointed by the superintendent. This
district states that throughout the years of this program existing, the group has approved the
firing of 7 of the 7,300 tenured teachers and 30 others have resigned or retired when faced with
dismissal. More importantly, however, 39 other teachers who were threatened with dismissal
improved enough under an experienced colleague’s guidance to remain.

The final article I read, Firing Incompetent Teachers, highlighted the difficulties of the dismissal
process. The article noted that removal is a very cumbersome, expensive, and frustrating
process. Many school administrators do not have the resources, time, and energy to follow
through on the process. It focused less on the conflict-resolution theme seen in the first two
sources, and more on the disadvantaged placed on students in the care of a teacher who is just
being “moved through the system”. Teacher incompetence affects students and colleagues. It
makes fellow teachers have to carry more of a burden, and it takes away learning opportunities
from innocent students. The authors of this article believe that the dismissal process needs to
be smoother and simpler in order to enact rapid change for students, teachers, and the
profession of teaching.

After reviewing this variety of sources, I will use the reflection section to explain why I believe
that working with teachers needing improvement can pay dividends in the long run.

Reflection:
To begin, I want to note that I believe anyone with a great heart for children and a passion for
education can be a successful teacher. However, there comes a point in many teachers’
careers when improvement is deemed necessary. At these points, I believe that it is the crucial
job of a principal or administrator to provide the guidance for improvement so that children
benefit, teachers grow as professionals, and the education system thrives.

I hope that when I am faced with a teacher needing improvement, I will turn to compassion and
coaching to ensure that he or she remains in education in order to positively affect the lives of
children.

When I envision myself facing this type of situation, I imagine that I will use a conflict-resolution-
based approach. The evaluation system that we use in my district is rooted in this. One key
component is a post-observation conference after every formal and informal observation. These
conferences are key components for coaching. If I see an area of difficulty emerge as a trend
throughout the school year, I plan to turn to a coaching or mentoring-style of enacting change,
rather than removing a teacher from a certain role.

I believe that by offering a mentor who is strong in a specific area is key to helping a teacher
improve. An important factor, however, is that the mentor must be someone who is
approachable and accepting. This type of relationship would not work if the mentor is
judgmental or rude. Throughout the mentoring process, I believe that it is my role as the
administrator to converse with both the mentor and mentee from time to time to see how things
are changing and progressing.

In the event that things improve, at the end of the school year I would release the mentee from
obligatory coaching, while still keeping an eye on him or her to ensure that new strategies are
maintained and old habits are not regained. However, if the teacher does not improve, I would
look to a more forceful conversation of improvement is necessary or dismissal is possible.

Artifacts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM4qMeSYwFQ

https://www.epi.org/publication/webfeat_lessons20020626/

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-07-05-9407050065-story.html