Working with so many schools and districts and counties has given me a new perspective. The thing that sticks out most is this:
- In some districts, the support staff bends over backwards for teachers.
- In others, teachers bend over backwards for support staff.
Support Staff Should Support
I most often see it with tech people and purchasing departments.
In some places, these support staff somehow run the show.
The IT department makes educational decisions – when they should be making sure the darn internet works!
At my own school, I now see that we teachers bent over backwards for the custodial staff. We’d move our own desks because we didn’t want to bother them.
This is simply a failure of leadership.
Our principal was weak.
He allowed the support staff to take over his school.
If you have strong leadership, they will not-so-gently remind the support staff that their only job is to support teachers!
Suddenly, websites will be unlocked, orders will be fulfilled, and desks will be moved.
Recognize Your Limitations
Understand that the best tech people in the world are not working at school districts.
The best tech people are off making tons of money solving interesting fun and interesting problems.
Your school district had to hire the people they could afford. Likewise with accountants and lawyers and, heck, even custodians.
And that’s fine! Obviously school districts can’t complete for the top people in these support roles.
But that’s why it’s so dangerous when school districts allow support staff to take over.
These folks often don’t even know their own field.
I have a degree in computer science. I’ve been running the tech behind Byrdseed since 2009. When tech people email me, it’s very very very obvious that they don’t know what they’re talking about.
When accountants tell me, “This 35-page form is a new law,” I always check to see if the law exists. Often it doesn’t! Or it doesn’t apply to my business.
Find The Leader
So, if you, as a teacher, find yourself bending over for the support staff, send an email up the chain.
There’s bound to be someone in leadership who’s willing to make things right.
If not, you have a bigger problem on your hands!