Several years ago I was contracted to work with a school district that was having severe problems motivating their youth, educators and other school staff. Annually they struggled with discipline issues, achieving AYP in their schools and teacher/administrator turnover. One of the first objectives of our assessment was to walk through the halls to get a feel for climate in the schools. It only took a few days and several visits to see the root of their problem. Negativity in the classroom, the teacher's lounges, within administrators and many others was evident in 70% of the schools my consultant and I visited. Sitting in the teacher's lounge as guests, (the teachers were unaware of the purpose of my visit) I heard statements about the youth, as well as the school leadership, that should have been censored.
The greatest challenge faced by the schools was the fact that pessimism was not perceived as pessimism. It was embraced by most of the staff and considered the norm. Any person who tried to show enthusiasm for students and youth was immediately ostracized by the masses. PESSIMISM became the mindset of the school, and the school staff did not realize that this negative mindset was subliminal. It was never discussed in meetings and became the primary influence of the school climate (s). Unfortunately, I see this same situation taking place in schools nationwide. Subliminal pessimism dominating the day to day mindset of school staff. It is sucking the life out of many educators and for most; they despise their work because of it. Retirement is the only hope of reprieve from the situation. The kids often reciprocate by displaying similar behavior.
I am writing this e-zine to highlight a subtle destroyer of student and staff potential-subliminal pessimism. Many school staff struggle with acknowledging this exist for in some cases--it may be career altering. Some of the characteristics you see in a school steeped in subliminal pessimism are as follows:
- Honest Communications Does Not Exist-People are not honest about the way they feel for they do not want to rock the boat.
- Kids Are Seen As The Problem-All the problems in the school are pointed directly to the students.
- Motivation is Rejected-Teachers who try to see things from a motivational perspective are despised and perceived as out of touch.
There are many additional factors that I will highlight in my next e-zine. I will also provide some strategies we shared with the schools.
My closing questions to you are as follows:
- Have you ever seen this taking place at a school?
- Have you ever been in a school environment like this? What impact did it have on the schools performance?
Your information will be held in confidence but the most insightful response will get a free copy of my book, Believing the HYPE-Seven Keys To Motivating Students of Color. I look forward to your thoughts on this.
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