What Are They?

Anyone who has spent time working knows how much of a difference relationships with colleagues can make. Oftentimes, our collegial relationships—i.e., how well we get along and work together with our coworkers—can make or break our enjoyment of a job, in school settings as much as anywhere else.

We all have a sense of what positive relationships among school faculty and staff might look like, but here’s how they have been defined in research:

  • Teachers who report positive connections with their colleagues say that their coworkers are friendly and care about them.
  • They say that their colleagues respect and trust each other.
  • They see their coworkers as accepting and encouraging, as well as collaborative and supportive of each other’s success.
  • They feel that they can communicate openly with colleagues, and can go to them for help if needed.

A teacher who is struggling to take care of elderly parents is starting to have a hard time meeting all his commitments at school. Rather than make assumptions that he is just falling down on the job, two of his colleagues approach him with kindness to find out what’s going on. As they hear this teacher’s struggles, they offer him their compassionate understanding, and together the three of them make a plan to help him through this difficult time.

A principal actively cultivates trust among staff members by asking for their input on decisions that affect them, by admitting her own mistakes, by not shying away from difficult conversations, and by expressing appreciation and gratitude for her staff. As a result, the staff feels comfortable taking risks, offering ideas, expressing concerns, and supporting one another.

Why Are They Important?

Research shows that when school staff, including teachers and administrators, have positive relationships with each other, everyone benefits—staff and students alike.

Positive collegial relationships increase teachers’ commitment to and satisfaction with their jobs.

  • Student teachers who feel that colleagues at their placement schools get along well with each other are more likely to want to work at that school in the future.
  • Support, both from principals/administrators and, especially, from their peers, makes teachers feel more committed to teaching as a profession.
  • When teachers perceive their colleagues as compassionate towards them, they show higher levels of organizational commitment, positive emotion, and job satisfaction; they are also better able to cope with stress and less likely to experience burnout.

 

When teachers get along and trust each other, they help each other improve.

  • Trust between colleagues—being able to count on each other, particularly in difficult situations—is important for the formation of professional learning communities.
  • Teachers who received one-on-one mentoring from experienced colleagues at the beginning of their careers are more cooperative with other teachers later on.
  • When teachers in learning teams have good relations with each other, they are more likely to work collaboratively.
  • Interestingly, when educators develop authentic, self-driven collegial relationships based on mutual support and trust, personal and curriculum development are likely to result; on the other hand, little growth is seen when collegiality is contrived, i.e., forced by administration.

 

Positive relationships among staff help make student social-emotional well-being a priority.

 

Students do better academically when staff get along well.

  • Research in urban high schools shows that positive staff relations lead to better school climate, which, in turn, contributes to students’ academic achievement.
  • Similarly, collegial behavior between staff is one of the important factors that distinguishes high-performing from low-performing middle schools.

Practices

Keyword
Level
Duration
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Foster well-being and inspiration through nature
Middle School, High School, College, Adult
≤ 15 minutes
Foster positive relationships by speaking kindly about someone “behind their back.”
PreK/Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult
≤ 15 minutes
Take a few minutes to relax your body and calm your mind.
College, Adult
≤ 15 minutes
Use the Circle process to build a sense of connection among students and staff by sharing moods, feelings, and moments of joy and pain.
PreK/Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult
≤ 30 minutes
Students explore their thoughts, emotions, or ideas by freewriting on a topic of their choosing, an academic-related question, or an ethical dilemma.
Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult
≤ 15 minutes
Think about a time when you felt close to another colleague to foster a personal sense of belonging at school.
Adult
≤ 15 minutes
Acknowledge the faces of everyone in your classroom or meeting to deepen a sense of group connection.
High School, College, Adult
≤ 15 minutes
A daily mindfulness and music appreciation practice for the whole school or a single classroom
PreK/Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult
≤ 15 minutes
A daily mindfulness and poetry appreciation practice for the whole school or a single classroom
Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult
≤ 15 minutes
Staff members brainstorm how they will intentionally model SEL in their interactions with students.
Adult
≤ 1 hour
Use the Circle process to encourage self-care among staff and students in all dimensions.
Middle School, High School, College, Adult
≤ 30 minutes
Inspire awe and build a positive school culture by acknowledging acts of moral beauty
Adult
≤ 15 minutes
Staff members explore the connection between healthy boundaries and an open heart in order to maintain caring relationships.
Adult
≤ 1 hour
A tool for fostering a supportive and equitable classroom and school environment and for promoting SEL.
PreK/Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult
Teachers unearth stereotypes and examine privilege while reflecting on the impact of systemic discrimination.
Adult
≤ 1 hour
A quick welcoming activity in which everyone’s voice is heard and valued
Adult
≤ 15 minutes
“To awaken compassion at work, recognize moments of incivility, bullying, or shame as sources of suffering and act on your shared humanity to alleviate them.”
–Monica Worline and Jane Dutton
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