Hiring Hiring GruntledGruntled Teachers TeachersStrategies for SBDM Councils

M. Mark Wasicsko, Ph.D.Dean and Bank of Kentucky Chair in Educational Leadership

College of Education and Human ServicesNorthern Kentucky University

wasicskom1@nku.edu

Who we choose to teacher our students is the single most important thing we do to increase their learning, growth, and development.

Dispositional Hypothesis

The most effective strategy for improving learning,

growth, and development is to hire the right teachers and

then invest in them to become better at their jobs

and more effective as human beings.

Your Favorite TeacherYour Favorite Teacher

What is the first thing that comes What is the first thing that comes to mind?to mind?

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Your Favorite TeacherYour Favorite TeacherCaringCaring WarmWarm HelpfulHelpful

FunFun GenuineGenuine EnthusiasticEnthusiastic

KnowledgeableKnowledgeable ResponsibleResponsible SharingSharing

CommittedCommitted EnergeticEnergetic PositivePositive

FriendlyFriendly EnjoyableEnjoyable LivelyLively

HumorousHumorous InterestingInteresting InteractiveInteractive

KindKind GoodGood MoralMoral

EnhancingEnhancing ProtectiveProtective AcceptingAccepting

StableStable EffectiveEffective EfficientEfficient

UnderstandingUnderstanding EmbracingEmbracing Well-InformedWell-Informed

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Your Favorite TeacherYour Favorite Teacher He really enjoyed teaching and cared about He really enjoyed teaching and cared about

students.students.

She looked for the good in each of us.She looked for the good in each of us.

He could teach something and make it fun.He could teach something and make it fun.

She held our interest with her lively, humorous She held our interest with her lively, humorous manner and her thorough knowledge of the subject.manner and her thorough knowledge of the subject.

He believed in me.He believed in me.

She challenged us.She challenged us.

He saw us as unique and treated us with respect.He saw us as unique and treated us with respect.

She really knew her subject and had a passion for it.She really knew her subject and had a passion for it.

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Your Worst TeacherYour Worst Teacher

What is the first thing that What is the first thing that comes to mind?comes to mind?

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Your Worst TeacherYour Worst Teacher

RudeRude HumorlessHumorless MonotoneMonotone UncaringUncaring

Cold Cold Hearted Hearted

RidiculeRidicule LecturesLectures IntimidatinIntimidatingg

ImpersonaImpersonal l

Ill-Ill-informed informed

UnimaginatiUnimaginativeve

UninspirinUninspiringg

UnfriendlyUnfriendly SarcasmSarcasm Boring Boring MeanMean

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Your Worst TeacherYour Worst Teacher

““I love to teach, I just cannot stand the kids.I love to teach, I just cannot stand the kids.””

““I was supposed to teach gifted kids but got you I was supposed to teach gifted kids but got you instead.instead.””

““I prepare the best lessons a teacher can prepare I prepare the best lessons a teacher can prepare and they send me the wrong kids.and they send me the wrong kids.””

““I teach the best and forget the rest.I teach the best and forget the rest.””

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How Important Are How Important Are Dispositions?Dispositions?

RankingRanking1.1. DispositionsDispositions

2.2. Teaching SkillsTeaching Skills

3.3. KnowledgeKnowledge

Favorite Teacher Characteristics

6%

19%

75%

knowledge

skills

dispositions

Preliminary findings from “Great Teachers, Great Memories” National Survey on Favorite Teachers.

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Part #1- Search Outcomes

Ineffective Effective

Transformative

Degenerative

SCREEN FOR THESE

HIRE THESE

What We Can’t Change

knowledge, punctuality, appearance

people skills, assessment strategies, technology infusion

caring, enthusiastic,responsible, committed, energetic, positive, enjoyable, humorous, accepting

relatively easy to change

relatively difficult to change

Select for These

What We Can Change

knowledge, punctuality, appearance

people skills, assessment strategies, technology infusion

caring, enthusiastic,responsible, committed, energetic, positive, enjoyable, humorous, accepting

relatively easy to change

relatively difficult to change

Train for These

In Search of Gruntled Teachers Typical hiring pools:

Dispositionally Disgruntled (50%) Situationally Disgruntled (10%) Unemployed (15%) New entries (15%) Idealistic high performers (10%)

Applicants

Candidates

In Search of the Gruntled Teacher

Recruit don’t select Start with the ideal candidate in

mind Don’t settle – if it isn’t a VERY good

fit take a pass (takes 2-5 years to undo a bad hire IF you can at all!)

Hire for Dispositions

Write your job description & profile Describe your ideal candidate Write a job description that would

appeal to him/her

Understanding Dispositions: the helping personality

dispositions toward one self: upbeat, non self-centered, identified

dispositions toward others: people are able, worthy and dependable

dispositions about purpose: see the big picture, keeps perspective, priorities

general frame of reference: put people first, builds relationships

PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AS PERCEPTIONS OF SELF AS ““IdentifiedIdentified””

IDENTIFIEDIDENTIFIED

The educator feels The educator feels a oneness with all a oneness with all mankind. He/she mankind. He/she perceives perceives him/herself as him/herself as deeply and deeply and meaningfully meaningfully related to persons related to persons of every of every description.description.

UNIDENTIFIEDUNIDENTIFIED

The educator feels The educator feels generally apart generally apart from others. from others. His/her feelings of His/her feelings of oneness are oneness are restricted to those restricted to those of similar beliefs.of similar beliefs.

Human Relations Incident Human Relations Incident (HRI)(HRI)

I would like you to think of a significant past event, which involved yourself in a teaching role with one or more other persons. That is, from a human relations standpoint, this event had special meaning for you. In writing about this event, please use the following format:

FIRST: Describe the situation as it occurred at the time.

SECOND: What did you do in the particular situation?

THIRD: How did you feel about the situation at the time you were experiencing it?

FOURTH: How do you feel about the situation now? Would you wish to change any part of it?

HRI #1 - I had about 30 first graders for an art lesson of paper designs. The students needed a lot of assistance and demonstrations because this project was new to them. One student did just the opposite of the assignment and I responded with shock and said, "What are you doing?" I felt irritated and wondered how the child could be so dumb. But now I think that I hurt the child's self‑confidence and that in the future I should handle the situation more calmly, since art is highly self interpretive. In the same first grade class, I was pinning notes on students to go home. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one boy take two pins and hide them in his pocket. This boy is a discipline problem so I figured he might use these pins in a destructive way. I got very angry and shouted at the boy to return them. His eyes got large and he returned one. I got even angrier because he gave me only one. He thought he was fooling me by giving one back. I couldn't paddle him so I yelled at him even louder, although we were face to face. He returned the last pin. I told him to sit down. He did and covered his face with his hands. Since then he has followed my directions a little more closely. I try to give him extra duties such as passing out things to make him feel useful. Still, yelling like that is more an emotional than reasonable way to handle a discipline problem.

PERCEPTIONS OF Others as PERCEPTIONS OF Others as ““AblAblee ””

ABLEABLE

The educator sees The educator sees others as having others as having capacities to deal capacities to deal with their with their problems. He/she problems. He/she believes others are believes others are basically able to basically able to find adequate find adequate solutions to events solutions to events in their own lives.in their own lives.

UNABLEUNABLE

The educator sees The educator sees others as lacking others as lacking the necessary the necessary capacities to deal capacities to deal effectively with effectively with their problems. their problems. He/she doubts He/she doubts their ability to their ability to make their own make their own decisions and run decisions and run their own lives.their own lives.

HRI #2 - Today on the playground, John, one of my children, broke his glasses. This was not my day for playground‑duty so I did not see what happened. Three conflicting reports were told to me. The children were running after the ball, John was sitting on the ground with his glasses beside him and Henry stepped on them. This was the first report. The second report was that Henry had hit John and broken the glasses. The third report was that John had become angry and had hit Henry over the head, breaking the glasses. The boys were very boisterous. I asked the boys to take their seats ‑ all except John. John was in tears and would not talk. I suggested that he take his seat and come talk with me when he felt like it. Some time later John came to my desk and said "I'm ready to tell you. I got mad at Henry for getting the ball and hit him. I had my glasses in my hand and they got broken." I smiled at him, thanked him and asked him to tell his mother. I believe this was the way I should have handled the situation.

The Dispositions Interview Begin the interview with usual questions Treat answers as self-reported information Get beyond rehearsed remarks and

engaged in conversation on topics that interest them

Use reflective listening Allow candidates to ask questions There are no absolute right or wrong

answers People always tell “their truth”

Dispositions About Self

Describe your “perfect day?”

What kind of problems do people bring you?

Dispositions Toward Others

How would your colleagues describe you?

Tell about a situation in which you helped a person or taught a significant lesson.

Dispositions Regarding Purpose

If your life works out the best you can imagine, what will you be doing in 5 years?

How do you maintain a balance in your life between work and play?

100% Rule

All parties should agree the person is a fit and has great potential for raising the level of the learning, growth and development of students.

Resource Six Secrets of Change (2010) by Michael Fullan Nuts! Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and

Personal Success (1996) by Freiberg and Freiberg Firms of Endearment (2007) by Sisodia, Wolfe, & Sheth

The National Network for the Study of Educator Dispositions 30

Hiring Hiring GruntledGruntled Teachers Teachers

More information on teacher dispositions can be found at the

website of The National Network for the Study of Educator

Dispositions. www.teacherdispositions.org

Or contact: M. Mark Wasicsko, Ph.D.Dean and Bank of Kentucky Endowed ChairCollege of Education and Human Services

Northern Kentucky Universitywasicskom1@nku.edu