Dealing with Difficult People

Presentation by

Doug Powers, Jen Kern, Melissa McFarthing, Micah Friesen, and

Terryl White

The 10 Commandments of Dealing with Difficult People, taken

from Todd Whittakers Book, Dealing with Difficult Teachers, is a

simple way to remember the responsibilities of principals when

responding to teachers that can bring down the culture and

productivity of the school.

The literature and books that have been studied in this

course have given us information to support our project.

According to DuFour, creating a PLC is already difficult, but that

does not give teachers permission not to participate. To be part

of this profession, they are required to work together and to de-

velop the capacity to implement PLCs appropriately.

The responsibility of the principal is more than coercing

teachers to work together. It is the responsibility to create a cul-

ture and structure to embed collaboration so that it is routine

practice. It is important to make sure that teachers focus on the

right things and that they build the capacity to work as a group

and not alone. Principals who have teachers who choose not to be

a part of the collaborative culture must be prepared to follow

these 10 commandments.