How to Deal With Toxic Teachers | High School Teacher Vlog

This video is a collaboration with my YouTube friend Kate the Sleepy Teacher. You can find her video linked below.

A question I get a lot is, "how do you deal with toxic or negative teachers?" This is a tough question because everyone's situation and personality are different. As usual, I answered this head on and shared how I do my best to deal with the teachers that have tried to have a negative impact on my community and then I share a few solutions that might be more applicable to a variety of conditions.

Please leave a comment below on how you deal with "toxic teaches." I'd love to see what you are doing and maybe you can help someone else reading through the comments as well!! Peace!

Kate the Sleepy Teacher's video can be found here:

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[stephenobrien]

Be the teacher you want for your own children.

[samanthagiggles]

My son had a teacher so toxic in 5th grade that during our parent teacher meeting she came out and said she hated my child. It was his last teacher and ended up homeschooling him and my two younger kids. He is an adult now with a good job.

[juliamoyer]

As a high school student, I write letters to my teachers. Even if they aren't my favorite I try to bring out the little things that they do to make their classroom environment better. Thanks Reynolds for another awesome video!

[AhappyteacherAtruestory]

This is just the right answer to my video "stop farting in the teachers' lounge!" I can deal with negativity right now, but, at some point, when it's too much, when everyone around me is negative and it happens quite a lot, I simply leave the room. My tips: I surround myself with positive people, I try to make people laugh, there's always something to laugh about, that's why I'm still a happy teacher! :) Being negative is like farting in an elevator. It bothers everyone!

[rmsmith]

You perfectly described our teacher's lounge and that's why I avoid it like the plague! I would rather be with my high school students at lunch any day. They have me laughing every day!

[kimboga]

It's funny that you mentioned this because I was a first year teacher last year and I never went to the teacher's lounge or interacted that much with my negative co-teacher. Like I said, I was a first year and it was her 20th year, she hated field trips and doing activities with the kids. She spoke shit about me behind my back and even when I found out, I did not speak shit about her. I didn't want to be the 'that' person. I felt much more at peace not knowing gossip or listening to negative teachers. I work in a new school now, but I can see how a new teacher transforms into "that" teacher. They become miserable themselves and burn out faster than others. Thanks for this vid.

[keturah]

You made me want to be a teacher. You actually make teaching fun and enjoyable. I know this is cheesy but I aspire to be a teacher like that.

[lauracampion]

My administrator starts every staff meeting with “colleague kisses”. We can give a kiss (Hershey kiss, of course!) to any colleague for an act of kindness they have done. ie. stepping in to help with a difficult student, taking a recess duty for someone ill, sharing a lesson idea, etc. It’s a positive start to our meetings, and a chance to give shout-outs to our unsung, overlooked colleagues.

[elizabethhoover]

My first year teaching my mentor teacher used to openly bash other teachers to me and other teachers. It made me so uncomfortable. I ended up keeping my distance to the best of my ability and befriending another teacher who was really supportive and nice. I went to her whenever I wanted feedback or advice. I ate lunch in my room every day. I also let my kids hang out in my room if they wanted to. It made a big difference and helped me a lot. What we do is so rewarding and it is a really complex job (it definitely feels this way for me as a new teacher). Having positivity around me SAVED me. This video was great!

[robinsartsandcrafts]

Oh my gosh! I work as a private contractor teaching art. One program I work for sends me into public schools up to an hour away. I was at a new school and went into the teachers lounge during a break hoping for some info and support. There were maybe 8 teachers in the room, when I went in everyone was sitting at the two tables and no one invited me to sit with them so I went and sat alone in the couch to eat my lunch. Not one person said hi to me, they just sat there gossiping. When I finished eating I went to try and figure out the copier, struggled with it a bit, no one offered to help. I left thinking, “wow, what if I were a new permanent staff member, that would have felt all the more crappy.”
For the next 7 Mondays I ate alone outside, where all the kids saw me as they passed, and showered me with friendly greetings even if they didn’t know me. Of course being a guest art teacher is like being a rock star to kids, but in general, their hearts just haven’t died yet.
No joke was that toxic, and I’ve avoided the teachers lounges ever since. How are we supposed to expect kids to be kind to new students and invite them to sit if we can’t even do this ourselves? I’ve had some crappy teachers in my lifetime, downright abusive. Some people enter professions of power because they are narcissists or power hungry. I know it’s helpful to try to see the good in everyone, but these people need to be removed from positions of power.

[KateTheSleepyTeacher]

Btw... last year, for teacher appreciation I gave all my daily special treats - cookies, teas, lunches - to those I knew were not getting anything (such as our specials teachers and safety crew / lunch ladies / custodians) . I just wanted to recognize them as well because in my opinion no one person is more important than another.

[MidlifeMusicTeacher]

For teacher appreciation week I have my students make cards for every adult working in the school. I get the staff list and I bring in construction paper, markers, stickers... Everyone gets a homemade card. I find this is something that we don’t get a lot of at the middle school level. Elementary kids (and their parents) are “gifters” and high school kids tend to be more appreciative, but middle school teachers often go unthanked, and sometimes unappreciated. Yes, it takes time out of class during a very busy time of year but I think it’s so important to spread the love ❤️

[kcnurse]

I try to listen between the lines. Sometimes there is a deeper problem that we don’t know about. I am the school nurse so people will tell me about things they don’t want to talk about and the opportunity to just unload your fears to someone who will keep it to them self is helpful.

[sairam-ulgq]

This time last year, the head of my sixth form straight up told me to not bother aiming to study dentistry to become a dentist, after I failed my chemistry end of year exam. She stopped me from studying it in my final year of sixth form, and also told me to not even aim for the science based degree options I was looking at; such as neuroscience. She crushed my confidence in myself after telling me I would never be able to get into Universities of my choice because I was apparently “not good enough” at chemistry and said that I should do something I was better at. But now, as I have taken a gap year after finishing sixth form and I’ve decided to study chemistry to get the A level qualification needed to study Dentistry and to then get in to Dental school- the complete opposite of what she had drilled into my head. But then again, I’m sure every person has had a similar experience with any other person telling them they can not accomplish their goals 😁

You’re such a great teacher and you seem like such a lovely person to be around- I am so so glad that pretty much everyone you teach or talk to through YouTube feels inspired by you, because more human beings like you are needed on this planet!!

((I’m not sure what the American equivalent is to it- but sixth form is where 16-18 yr olds study for A-level qualifications before starting uni))

[ellajane]

This is a great video. It is so easy to get sucked into the negativity. I got some wonderful advice from a great teacher years ago, and like you, she said to just be the positive one. It is hard to keep being negative when the person you are talking to is not buying into it. I love your positive attitude! I teach elementary school, and last year I started "Free Hug Friday"...basically, I just give out free hugs as the kids walk by. I have a Free Hugs shirt that I got from the Free Hugs Project and another one by Kid President that says, "Haters Gonna Hate, Huggers Gonna Hug." The kids love when I wear them. One student that is not in my class and I might not have even known told me that this was the only good thing that happens to her. Amazing how a little act can make a difference, and I love that you do so many "little acts." You are an inspiration. Thank you.

[MisterMarkTV]

Thanks for including the say "hi" to everyone. I am also a high school teacher, and that attitude and practice is fundamental. Appreciated the entire video! Good work!

[profbvlogs]

Reynolds, I somehow missed this video (followed you after it was posted I suppose lol), but it is gold! I taught summer school this past summer and this was one of the issues I had. It was one teacher who was very negative about my practice and I became the talk of the lounge for "doing too much". I didn't know how to handle it so I distanced myself which later became the norm. This video helped me not only understand how to handle it, but allowed me to see the point of view of those "toxic teachers". I appreciate all of your videos, you're teaching far more "students" than you see!

[Niamirismom]

I made a video at the start of the year addressing this same issue for "new" teachers. Whether new to the building or to teaching overall, the buzz-killers are a no-no. I eat in my room or like you, invite my power people in. Some days I sit in my car and jam or call someone I love to inspire me. I wish you were in my school Reynolds...we'd just sing karaoke! 😂😂😂

[SarahWheeleeTravels]

Well I am a Tigger and Eeoyre combo, my district is snuffing my light which makes me not just go Eeoyre but if Rabbit and Eeoyre had a talkative intense angry baby, that’s what I am when my Tigger is snuffed out.

So what I do to combat my own Eeoyre is I have lists of “my sunshine students” and “shit my students say” because it never fails those lists bring a smile to my face.

I also write thank you notes to the other Eeoyre when there’s a chance or they helped me.

I write down powerful days when I didn’t just teach foreshadowing but I also taught a kid to apologize sincerely or open their minds to a new way to listen.

So lists and a journal keep my Eeoyre days away.

I show Disney movies at lunch in my room, so I have a few different groups that come in. I always introduce anyone new to people they don’t know. It brings me joy to see new friendships spawn.

Other than that I do the things you do, invite my tribe out for drinks and turn up my Tigger when the admin hasn’t gotten to me.

[nicholashansen]

I'm an English/Secondary education major and I've wanted to teach at a high need school ever since I was a student. This channel is so freakin' valuable.