Teachers do not abandon their students; rather, they depart from detrimental leadership that fosters a toxic environment. This episode delves into the stark reality of educational settings, articulating how harmful administrative practices drive educators away from the profession they ardently cherish. Through candid introspection and illustrative examples, we elucidate the detrimental impacts of micromanagement, intimidation, and lack of professional trust on teacher morale and retention. In juxtaposition, we celebrate the transformative power of supportive leadership, as evidenced by Nicholas Kleve's positive experiences in Winnebago, which serve as a beacon of hope and a model for fostering a nurturing school culture. Ultimately, we advocate for a paradigm shift in educational leadership, emphasizing that when teachers are respected and empowered, they, in turn, create enriching learning environments for their students.

The discussion centers around a critical and often overlooked truth in the educational landscape: teachers tend to depart from their positions not due to a lack of passion for their students, but as a direct result of toxic administrative practices. Nicholas Kleve, also known as Mr. Funky Teacher, elucidates the various detrimental behaviors exhibited by school leadership that contribute to teacher attrition. He emphasizes that the issues of micromanagement, intimidation, and a general lack of trust are particularly pervasive, creating an environment where educators feel devalued and disrespected. By providing concrete examples from his own experiences, Kleve illustrates the stark contrast between toxic leadership and the supportive, empowering leadership he encounters in Winnebago, underscoring how the latter fosters a thriving school culture. The episode serves as both a critique of damaging administrative practices and a blueprint for cultivating a more supportive educational environment, thereby improving teacher retention and ultimately benefitting students. Key takeaways include the necessity for trust, autonomy, and genuine appreciation in educational leadership.

Moreover, the podcast delves into the psychological ramifications of toxic leadership on teachers, highlighting that burnout is not a sign of weakness but rather a response to consistent mistreatment. Kleve argues that when teachers are subjected to constant scrutiny and fear-based leadership, they are stripped of their creativity and joy, leading to a decline in their overall morale and effectiveness in the classroom. He advocates for a leadership approach that prioritizes the well-being of teachers, encouraging administrators to cultivate an environment that values not only academic achievement but also the humanity of both staff and students. Ultimately, the episode makes a compelling case for how strong, respectful leadership can transform not just individual teachers, but the entire fabric of a school, promoting a culture of support that resonates throughout the educational experience.

Takeaways:

• Teachers do not abandon students; they depart due to toxic leadership and administration.
• Toxic practices such as micromanagement and intimidation significantly contribute to teacher attrition.
• Supportive leadership fosters an environment of trust, autonomy, and respect, which is crucial for retention.
• Teacher morale and culture improve dramatically when leaders value their educators and encourage creativity.
• When teachers feel appreciated and recognized for their efforts, their commitment to the profession strengthens.
• The absence of genuine appreciation and recognition from administration can lead to a detrimental school culture.

Links referenced in this episode:

• beafunkyteacher.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Be a Funky Teacher

Yeah, he's Mr. Funky.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Mr. Funky Teacher inspires greatness, makes you feel good.

Like your favorite playlist.

Keeping that fresh and funky.

Yes, he does.

He got some funky cool ideas to share for all you teachers.

He can empower others, students and teachers.

It's all about hard work and creativity.

He brings out the kindness in everyone.

He's got the passion to teach.

You hear it when he speaks.

He knows how to build strong relationships.

If you're seeking the best bunkiest, he is it.

He will empower you to improve.

You'll be helping others and loving it, too.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Yeah, he's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This is Mr. Funky Teacher with Be a Funky Teacher dot com.

I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast.

Welcome back, everyone.

Today's episode is titled Teachers leave Bad Administration, Period.

This isn't about drama.

It's not about bitterness.

It's about truth patterns and what actually keeps great teachers in classrooms, y'.

All.

But before we get into it, let's talk about three things that I'm thankful for.

First thing that I'm thankful for is caring healthcare workers.

The people who help us when our families are sick.

Y', all the ones who take time to listen, explain, and care for us.

They remind us of how powerful compassion truly is when you have a caring healthcare workers out there supporting us.

Second thing that I'm thankful for, Energy and power.

Literally, like electricity.

I think about, like, heat, lights, warm classrooms, sometimes technology that works.

And also energy that lets us serve kids well, too.

We sometimes take it for granted until it's gone.

So I'm so thankful for energy and power.

And the third thing that I'm thankful for.

Coolers.

Coolers.

It's just a simple kind that you might grab for games or for a drive or for a classroom.

Keep your drinks cold, keep snacks fresh.

Right, That.

I just.

I just.

I love a nice little cooler that.

That I can just throw stuff in for a snack or some drinks or something like that.

I'm just.

That's what I'm thankful for.

All right, shall we get into the main topic, y'?

All?

Teachers leave bad administration, period.

See, teachers don't leave kids.

They leave leadership.

We love our students.

I think that most teachers out there absolutely love their students.

We show up for them.

We pour ourselves out for them.

But teachers will walk away.

Let's just be real.

Teachers will walk away from things like micromanagement, intimidation, humiliation.

Those are huge.

Micromanagement, intimidation, humiliation.

I do Believe though, that leaders, teachers will also walk away from leaders who don't trust teachers, leaders who assume the worst, or leaders who gossip about staff.

See, teachers will walk away from leaders who take credit but never responsibility, leaders who dismiss professionalism, leaders who demean, belittle, or even bully staff members.

A school, a school will survive tough kids.

A school will survive tough curriculum.

A school will survive tough parents even.

But a school, a school cannot thrive under toxic leadership, y'.

All.

So let's talk about the specific behaviors that drive teachers out, the ones that no one talks about.

Enough.

Teachers leave when administration, they micromanage every detail, turning teachers almost into, like, into robots instead of professionals.

It, it's tough because if a teacher feels like he or she is not seen as a professional and almost seen almost like a, like a cookie cutter robot, like, like a, just part of the system where there's no autonomy, there's no creativity, there's no trust, and we're being scrutinized and micromanaged all, every detail that we do in our classroom.

Teachers leave that Teachers leave when administration uses fear, shame or intimidation, y'.

All, fear based leadership crushes creativity and it kills morale in the school.

It is like pumping toxic waste into a school, y'.

All.

Teachers leave when administration says teachers aren't working hard enough.

This is one of the quickest ways to destroy trust.

When you have teachers who are being told that, hey, you're not working hard enough.

I, I, I tell you, I, I have worked with a lot of teachers in my 23 years of teaching, and for the most part, most teachers I've encountered are working so hard.

Now, are there things that we can change or things that we can address or things that can be adapted or tweaked?

Absolutely.

But for a teacher to be told or a group of teachers to be told, hey, they're not working hard enough, it's just blown up that trust.

If a teacher even thinks, thinks that administrator is thinking this.

See, when teachers leave administration, when administration badmouth staff behind their back.

A leader.

If you have teachers who know gossiping is happening, a leader creates that culture of suspicion in a school, it destroys things.

When you have teachers, teachers will leave when administration imply that teachers don't care or aren't loyal.

Because once again, I think that most teachers out there, 99.9% of teachers are bending over backwards for the students that we're entrusted to work with.

And to have anything else implied is just so poisonous to a school.

Teachers leave when administration wants to control everything, when there's no autonomy.

There's no creativity.

And when there's no creativity, there's no joy.

Teachers leave administration when, when there's, when, when, when administration never says thank you.

Appreciation costs nothing but means everything, y'.

All.

It's gotta be genuine.

It can't be like, like a, like a fake, like toxic positivity, overdone.

Thank you.

It's got to be like there, there's got to be a genuineness to it.

And teachers can, can really.

They, they can tell if it's genuine or if it's not genuine.

It's got to be genuine appreciation.

Because teachers will leave when administration also only values test scores.

When data becomes the only metric, humanity disappears out of a school.

We can't just only value test scores.

It's gotta be way much more than that.

Sure, I'll be the first one to say, yeah, data is important, Test scores are important, but it can't be the only metric.

We have to, we have to value humanity.

When humanity disappears, teachers will leave.

Teachers will leave because of that.

Teachers leave when administration punish mistakes instead of coaching growth.

See, people don't grow in climates of fear.

It can't be just about a climate of fear.

These behaviors aren't just bad leadership.

They're culture killers.

So let's talk about how teachers thrive under supportive leadership.

And I see this in many ways in Winnebago.

What I.

From the, from being here in Winnebago, here's some things that I feel like I have received as a teacher and as a teacher leader.

I feel like I have received.

Autonomy, trust, respect, partnership, room to innovate, equity in voice, opportunity, humanity, and encouragement.

Those are all things that I have that I truly do feel like, that I've received in a time that, that I've been here in Winnebago directly by my principal, by my superintendent, and, and I'm.

I'm excited.

While I'm new here, still fair, fairly new in this district here, I'm excited for, for what is to come.

And I have teachers throughout the country too, who have experienced both not so good leadership and also some very positive leadership, very supportive leadership.

See, it's important for teachers.

If teachers are going to thrive, it's important that we're not micromanaged, we're empowered, that we're not controlled, we're trusted, that we're not diminished, but we're valued.

This is why energy, creativity, and joy have skyrocketed.

I think in our collaborative team that we have this year, our fifth grade collaborative team, we're not Being micromanaged, we're not being controlled, we're not being diminished.

And boy, and that comes with that empowerment, that trust, that value.

And I do think that the joy alone has skyrocketed.

I, I, I love Winnebago times a hundred.

See, in the supportive leadership, it's, it's not a bonus, y'.

All.

It's not, it is the foundation of teacher retention here.

So let's talk about the, the psychology behind why bad leadership burns teachers out.

Teaching is such an emotional labor.

It is when you add disrespect, lack of autonomy, leader induced stress, constant second guessing or never feeling good enough or feeling unsafe emotionally or even physically feeling disrespected professionally.

Burnout.

You just take burnout and you accelerate it.

Not because teachers can't handle kids, but because teachers to toxic leadership creates chronic emotional injury, y'.

All.

Burnout is not weakness.

Burnout is a response to mistreatment.

So what good leaders do differently?

Let's talk about that.

Let's, let's really contrast positively what good leaders Do Differently, y'.

All.

I think that's actually a name of a book that I read a long time ago.

Todd Whitaker, I believe is the author what Great Teachers or what Great Leaders Do Differently.

And I think he's got a book also what Great Great Teachers Do Differently Too.

But let's talk about what great leaders do differently.

Great leaders, they trust teachers.

They listen without defensiveness.

There's autonomy given to teachers.

Strengths of the staff are celebrated.

Teachers are allowed to lead.

They believe in the best in people.

They coach instead of criticize.

They protect staff publicly.

They challenge staff privately with respect.

You can challenge staff, you can challenge them to be better, to do better.

Better if there's areas of growth, but in a private way, not, not where you're calling them out in front of a bunch of people.

Opportunities for success and opportunities for, for that success and, and for leadership.

Opportunities are distributed too.

And, and it's not just the same people getting those.

I also, people are valued over politics.

Administrators create safety in the school, builds belonging and treat teachers like professionals.

Teachers have to be treated like professionals.

There was a teacher or a principal in my career that was so good at it.

I've had quite a few principals in my day.

There was one who I taught under for 10 years and he was just phenomenal.

His name is Ben Schultz.

Mr. Ben Schultz, absolutely phenomenal.

Top notch principal.

And he just captures what it means to be a great leader as an administrative leader, y'.

All.

And under a leader like him, Teachers don't just stay, they thrive.

And so I just think about, why does this matter for kids, y'?

All.

The real heart of the issue here.

See, toxic leadership doesn't just hurt teachers, it hurts students.

Kids lose out.

Let's talk about how kids lose out, y'.

All.

Kids lose experienced teachers, stable relationships, creative lessons, y'.

All.

Consistent culture.

Kids lose leaders who understand trauma, adults they trust, and the joy of learning.

When teachers leave, students are the ones who fill the void.

Supportive teachers.

When teachers feel supported, teachers can go on then to empower kids.

It's just.

It is a powerful situation for teachers to be in because when we support teachers, we support kids ultimately.

I mean, those go hand in hand.

Let's just.

Let's just be real.

Let's call it out as it is.

And a challenge for leaders out there.

I'm challenging leaders out there to.

Trust your teachers, y'.

All.

Celebrate them.

Stop micromanaging them.

Stop assuming the worst.

Invite different voices and new voices.

Rotate leadership roles.

Treat people like professionals and believe in them before they believe in themselves even because every teacher is one invitation away from being the leader your school needs.

Well, I hope that I gave you something to think about.

I, as I do, a reflective closing here.

I truly.

I love this profession.

This teaching profession means everything to me.

It's given me so much, and I try to give back with my heart, my passion, my own words and guidance, my expertise, too.

And I just want to see.

I want to see schools thriving.

I want to see schools impacting young people in a positive, meaningful way.

We can't do that, y'.

All, if we have administrators who are pushing teachers out or administrators who are leading in an ineffective or a detrimental way.

What teachers do matter.

How administrators lead is even more important because teachers will.

Teachers don't leave students.

They leave bad leadership, y'.

All.

So it comes down to when teachers are trusted.

They shine.

When teachers shine, kids shine.

And when kids shine, the whole community rises, y'.

All.

I hope I gave you something to think about here.

This episode kind of connected to what I talked about yesterday as well in a lot of ways.

But it, nonetheless, it is such a valuable, powerful, and important topic that I.

It was really important that.

That I take time to talk about it, y', all, is because we, right now in Nebraska, we're losing teachers at a staggering rate.

10% of teachers a year, we're losing.

And nationally, the trends, looking at what we're losing for teachers nationwide is staggering, too.

And I just know what that means.

But yet I can't blame teachers, y'.

All.

I can't blame teachers.

And teachers have to take care of themselves first and foremost.

Because if they don't take care of themselves, how can they take care of a group full of impressionable children that they're trusted to teach?

So what we do matters.

And the support we receive, or the lack thereof, support by administration matters greatly.

If you found value in this episode, jump on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcast and let me know what you think.

Hit me up with a five star review and let me know what you think, y'.

All.

And I want you to remember to inspire greatness in young people.

And don't forget to be a funky teacher.

Bye now.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher?

Yeah?

He's Mr. Funky teacher?

Yeah, yeah, yeah?