Analysis of a Scenario

The purpose of these scenarios is to provide you with an experience that can be molded to the group of teachers with which you work. All of the scenarios are meant to be open-ended. To that end, the analysis provided should not be thought of as “correct” or “valid.” You should not feel compelled to lead your group to mirror these experiences. Instead, the following are examples from our research that may illuminate your experience, and they are provided to give you an idea of the diverse answers you may encounter during discussion.

COLLECTION OF THE DATA
These scenarios were selected to be a part of an on-line survey hosted by the Mentoring Leadership and Resource Network’s website, www.mentors.net. Respondents were asked to identify how many years of teaching experience they had. We then desegregated the data into two groups: those with six years or less of teaching experience and those with thirty years or more. For our research purposes, we defined new teachers as those with 0-6 years of experience. Experienced teachers have 30+ years of experience. While some of the new teachers answered many of the questions in a similar fashion to the more experienced teachers, there were clearly some who offered different solutions in terms of whom they would go to as well as what kind of action plan they would create. We continue to collect data in order to analyze more of the responses submitted. It is our belief that the unique qualities and varied replies offer a great deal of insight to help you, as the facilitator, lead a discussion with the teachers you work with, both new and experienced.

SAMPLE SCENARIO

A mother informs you that her child is not being challenged in class. She believes that the student should receive more advanced work or be placed in a more advanced class.

KEY ISSUES

The new teacher group was more likely to identify the mother as the problem—either her perception that the child was not being challenged, or in the most extreme case, that she was bullying the teacher. About three times as many new teachers as experienced teachers mentioned the mother as the main issue.
For those who thought that the mother was correct, and that the child was not being properly challenged, the experienced teacher group was more likely to specifically mention the teacher and classroom instruction by discussing differentiation, instructional techniques, or appropriate classroom materials. The new teacher was more likely to simply say that the "child isn't challenged" without referencing differentiation or instructional techniques. Both groups were about the same when it came to taking the middle road, believing that the mother thought there was a problem, but that it may or may not be real.

RESOURCES USED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM

Both groups of teachers turned to "administrators" roughly equally; however, a further breakdown yielded interesting observations. In the new teacher group, many respondents said that they would go to the principal or their department head, while only a few mentioned going to the guidance counselor. In the experienced teacher group, the responses were reversed; the main resource person was the guidance counselor.

New teachers also mentioned turning to other teachers or specialist teachers (a gifted coordinator, honors teacher, math specialist). The experienced teacher group mentioned asking other teachers for help, but less frequently.

ACTION PLANS

Both groups believe that a meeting –with the parent, with other faculty and staff, with the student—is a good action plan. The experienced teacher group was much more likely to be concerned about looking at data (test scores and grades) and coming into the meeting with much documentation. New teachers mentioned data collection and test scores, but less frequently.
The new teacher was more likely to develop an action plan that would keep the unchallenged student in the current classroom, either adjusting instruction to offer more challenges, providing extra work, or promoting the child to a tutor/helper. New teachers did, however, also suggest placement solutions: moving the child to a new classroom or, in one case, enrolling the child in a pull-out program. The experienced teacher group had a much more diverse set of action plans. Experienced teachers were much more likely to mention that either a classroom solution (modifying instruction) or a placement solution (go to a more advanced class) might be appropriate, but that the case would have to be looked at first.

Nobody in the new teacher group mentioned both possibilities; if they mentioned either a placement solution or an instructional solution, they did not acknowledge the other as a possibility.

Consider the following questions when examining these scenarios.  Who do you think gave these responses (experience, grade level, subject area)?  Why was the response given?  Is the response helpful, or does it concern you?  What similarities and differences exist between your responses and those listed below?

SCENARIO 1: You are planning an instructional activity that requires more space. How would you find out if the gymnasium will be available during the time you would like to use it for a special class event?

Resources

- PE Teacher
- Principal
- Secretary
- Unspecified “Person in Charge”

Action Plans

- Compromise with other teachers to use the space
- Check scheduling procedures
- Seek alternate spaces as a backup plan
- Modify the activity to take place in the room

The new teacher group chose, far and away, the PE teacher as the most likely person to contact about scheduling the gym.  The next most frequent response was to ask the principal.  Some new teachers would approach the secretary, and a small group would contact "the person responsible" or "the person in charge."  This last response could be seen either as uncertainty about which person that is, or perhaps as an acknowledgement that every school may have a different person responsible for scheduling large spaces.  One person suggested compromising with other teachers, seeming to indicate that all teachers had some time in the gymnasium during a school week.  A small number of respondents in this group indicated that they would need to check procedures for using a space like the gym, and some even had backup plans: either they would look into alternate spaces (the cafeteria, the auditorium, outside), or they would modify their plans to allow the activity to occur in their own classroom.

At first glance, there is not much difference in how the 30+ group responded.  Most experienced teachers would ask the PE teacher.  Some would go to the principal or to the secretary, and a few mentioned "the person in charge."  The experienced teachers were more likely to check the school event calendar directly and less likely to inquire about exact procedures.  Like the 0-6 group, experienced teachers would make backup plans; close to the same number mentioned using alternate spaces or modifying their plans if no large spaces were available.  Perhaps the biggest difference is that respondents in the 30+ group were more likely to describe their plan and explain why they needed the larger space to whomever they were requesting it from.

SCENARIO 2: You notice small bruises on the arms of one of your students.

-  Possibility of child abuse
-  Responsibility to report
-  General health and well-being of student

Resources

-  Student w/bruises
-  Guidance Counselor
-  Social Worker
-  School Nurse
-  Principal
-  Students’ Parents
-  Outside Resource

Action Plans

-  Document observations
-  Continue monitoring the student
-  Contact outside resources (i.e. Department of Family and Child Services)
-  Arrange a meeting with the student and an administrator or social worker
-  Arrange a meeting with parents / Call the parents
-  Talk to other students to learn background information about the home

It is no surprise that this scenario brought about a great deal of concern among both groups about the possibility of child abuse, and both groups showed an awareness of a teacher’s responsibility to report suspected child abuse.

Talking to both the student and a guidance counselor or social worker were the most common courses of action for respondents in the new teacher group.  The school nurse and the principal were also mentioned often.  The parents of the child would also be consulted, but much less frequently.  One respondent stated that s/he would talk to other students.  The 0-6 group was more likely than the experienced group to document their observations, and many specifically stated that they would continue observing the child for further signs of abuse.  Though some respondents did mention the possibility of contacting an outside agency such as DCFS (Department of Child and Family Services) or CPS (Child Protective Services) to report the abuse, all but one of these respondents also stated that they would discuss the matter with the student, school administration, and/or the school social worker to determine whether such action was warranted.  One respondent would both talk to the student and file a report with an outside agency, but did not specify if the report was contingent upon the result of the conversation with the student.

Trends among the 30+ group were similar: the counselor or social worker was the top contact, followed by the nurse, and then the principal or other administrator.  Interestingly, only one respondent in the experienced teacher group stated s/he would talk to the student's parents.  The 30+ group was also less likely to talk to the student.  Two respondents in the 30+ group specifically stated that they would not speak to the student about their suspicions under any circumstances.  As with the 0-6 group, some experienced teachers stated that they would contact an outside agency.  One experienced teacher listed an outside agency as the sole response to this scenario.  That respondent made no mention of talking to anyone else.

SCENARIO 3: You just completed your first principal observation and did not agree with the evaluation component.

Key Issues

-  Differences in perception
-  How to revise the evaluation

Resources

-  Teachers Union
-  Principal

Action Plans

- Contact the teachers union
- Review teacher contract evaluation guidelines
- Submit written statement specifying objections
- Add comments before signing the evaluation
- Discuss difference with the principal
- Take suggestions and improve classroom practice
- Suggest changes to evaluation process

New teachers were much more likely to focus on improving their own practice than the 30+ group. They would still talk to the evaluator and other staff members to try to get to the root of the disagreement, but many respondents from the 0-6 group mentioned something about seeing what they could do to improve for next time. It was not always clear if this was related to improving as teachers, or just improving in the sense of getting a better evaluation. Only a few respondents from the 30+ group mentioned trying to improve.

The experienced teachers focused more on specific grievance procedures. The 30+ group was much more likely to contact the union, review the contract evaluation guidelines, and follow specific grievance procedures (most notably, add comments to the evaluation before signing it), and submit a written statement specifying objections to the supervisor's evaluation. Many of the respondents in the 30+ group mentioned grievance procedures; few respondents from the 0-6 group did so. The 0-6 group was slightly more likely to suggest changing the evaluation process. Could this be because the 30+ group knows that the evaluation process is determined by the teacher contract, not by the whim of the principal, and that changing the process requires committees, meetings, and union votes?

SCENARIO 4: As coach of the basketball team, you receive a number of phone calls from parents who feel that their children are not getting enough "game time." Immediately after the next basketball game, you are confronted by several hostile parents.

-  Wrong time for confrontation
-  Aggressive behavior of parents

Resources

-  Parents

Action Plans

-  Parent Meeting at a later date
-  Call for security or police
-  Accommodate parents by discussing player performance; review game tapes
-  Give kids more playing time
-  Draft a game plan that includes all players
-  Discuss team philosophy
-  Check for district policies on playing time and adhere to those rules
-  Develop a parent conduct contract
-  Give parents the ability to vote on team focus: winning or equal playing time

Most of the respondents agreed that right after the game was not the place for a discussion to happen, and that a meeting, either with individual parents or all parents together, should be held at a later time.  A couple of teachers in the 0-6 group, perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek, stated that they would run away and call the police.

Respondents in the 0-6 group seemed more likely to try to accommodate the parents, either by reviewing game tapes to see if there was any merit to the complaint, drafting a game plan to be shared with players and parents which would allow everyone to play, or simply give the kids more playing time.  Only a few in the 30+ group chose one of the above options.  Only one respondent in the 30+ group would give more playing time, but only if students met a set of playing standards and adhered to a published practice schedule to reach those standards.

Several respondents in both groups stated that they would attempt to explain the playing time and coaching philosophy to the parents.  Interestingly, this seemed to break down into two possible philosophies: the goal is to win and the best players get the most playing time, or the goal is for everyone to get a chance and winning is secondary.  In the 0-6 group, some respondents specifically stated which philosophy they followed; most leaned toward winning.  The most vocal in this regard stated, "This is high school, not little league!”   In the 30+ group, a few respondents specifically addressed these two philosophies, but stated that the school/district needed to make clear which philosophy they followed at the beginning of the season.  One of these respondents seemed open to allowing the parents to vote to switch the team's focus, but would resign as a coach if s/he did not agree with the vote.  This respondent did not state to which philosophy s/he actually adheres.

A small number of respondents in the 30+ group also felt that this sort of behavior on the part of parents should not be tolerated (it can be presumed that the respondents from the 0-6 group who would run away and call the police agree).  One experienced teacher would have the parents sign a code of conduct, and would not allow any student to play at all if the parents violated that agreement.  Another would address the matter with parent groups.

Scenarios

SCENARIO 5: You feel as though you are not getting along with your mentor because there is a great deal of conflict between you two.

Resources

-  Mentoring Teacher
-  Principal
-  Department Head (or appropriate supervisor)

Action Plans

-  Discuss feelings with the mentoring teacher and/or an administrator
-  Ask for a new mentor
-  Discuss changes to the mentoring program

The 30+ group was much more likely to go into lengthy detail about how they would go about trying to resolve the issue with their mentor or get a new one, but once the extra procedural details were boiled down, there was not much difference in the two groups about the three basic solutions: either (A) get a new mentor, (B) try to resolve issues with the current mentor, or (C) try to resolve issues and then get a new mentor if no compromise can be reached.  In the 0-6 group, few respondents went with option A, most chose option B, and some chose option C.  In the 30+ group, few chose option A.  Most chose options B and C with option B receiving just a few more responses than C. 
One interesting note: in talking about which resource/person to utilize, both groups mentioned administrators, supervisors, and the mentor program itself; however, one experienced teacher specifically stated that the mentor program should have a designated contact person to help resolve mentor/mentee problems, and that this person should not be a principal, supervisor, department chair, or anyone else responsible for evaluating teacher performance.

SCENARIO 6: A mother informs you that her child is not being challenged in class. She believes that the student should receive more advanced work or be placed in a more advanced class.

Action Plans
- Arrange a meeting with parents and an administrator or guidance counselor
- Collect data on student’s previous achievement
- Change placement of the student (i.e. pull out group, gifted classroom)
- Change classroom instruction for the student

The 0-6 group was more likely to identify the mother as the problem—either her perception that the child was not being challenged, or, in the most extreme case, that she was bullying the teacher. Many mentioned the mother as the main issue, compared to just a few in the 30+ group (the most extreme here mentioned "overzealous parental intrusion"). Most of the responses from both groups were more mild than the extremes—mostly "mom is concerned" or "mom thinks her child is not being challenged." For those who thought that the mother was right, and that the child was not being properly challenged, the 30+ group was more likely to specifically put the burden on the teacher and classroom instruction by mentioning differentiation, instructional techniques, or appropriate classroom materials. The 0-6 group was more likely to simply say that the "child isn't challenged" without referencing differentiation or other instructional techniques.

Both groups turned to "administrators" roughly equally; however, when broken down further, something interesting happened: in the 0-6 group, most respondents said that they would go to the principal or their department head, while only a few mentioned going to the guidance counselor. In the 30+ group, this trend was reversed; most would seek out the guidance counselor, while only a few mentioned an administrator.
The 0-6 group was more likely to mention some sort of solution that would keep students in the current classroom, either adjusting instruction to offer more challenges, providing extra work, or promoting the child to a tutor/helper. There were many responses in the 0-6 group that suggested a placement solution—either move the child to a new classroom (but only after determining that this would be appropriate) or, in one case, to enroll the child in a pull-out program. The 30+ group kept their options open—some of them mentioned that either a classroom solution (modifying instruction) or a placement solution (go to a more advanced class) might be appropriate, but that the case would have to be looked at first. Only a few mentioned a placement solution without mentioning that modifying classroom instruction would be an option, and a handful mentioned a classroom instruction solution without suggesting that a placement solution would also be a possibility.

Nobody in the 0-6 group mentioned both possibilities. If they mentioned either a placement solution or an instructional solution, they did not acknowledge the other as a possibility.

SCENARIO 7: After reading the description for the next in-service program, you realize that the topic has little to do with your current teaching position.  You feel you can learn more by visiting another school district that has a program similar to yours and is more suited to meeting your needs.

Resources

-  Documentation about the activity (i.e. programs, pamphlets, website)
-  Other teachers
-  Principal

Action Plans

-  Provide background information about the activity
-  Volunteer to report back on the activity
-  Ask the principal, but expect a “no” and make the best of it
-  Find other teachers to go along—strength in numbers
-  Suggest changes to the professional development system

The primary difference between the groups in regard to this particular scenario seems to be that the respondents of the 30+ group are savvier bargainers.  The 30+ group was slightly more likely to support their request to attend a different school/district's in-service program by supplying documentation: programs, literature, agendas, anything that could help establish the value of the alternate program.  The 30+ group was also more likely to offer an additional incentive; they would report back what they found at the other in-service program either in writing or by offering a training session to their own staff.  Still, despite the somewhat more sophisticated bargaining techniques, only a couple of the respondents from the 30+ acknowledged that they would actually ask for permission.  They fully expected "no" as the answer.  One respondent put this rather succinctly: "Make the best use of your time when permission is denied.”

This is not to say that the 0-6 group was bad bargainers.  Many stated that they would supply documentation of the proposed alternative, and one offered a bargaining tactic not struck upon by the 30+ group: try to find other teachers who were interested in the other in-service program, and then see if a strength-in-numbers approach would bear fruit.

A few respondents in both groups mentioned trying to address the problem by modifying the professional development system itself.  A couple in the 0-6 group also proposed making modifications to the in-service provided without changing the system as a whole.

SCENARIO 8: You receive a new student from another country. The child rarely speaks and the student's pronunciation of English is exceedingly difficult to understand.

-  Lack of teacher training
-  Student’s language

Resources

-  ESL/ELL resource or teacher
-  Student helpers

Action Plans

-  Specifically indentify the student’s native language
-  Differentiate teaching materials
-  Differentiate classroom practice
-  Change placement of student to a bilingual classroom
-  Learn the basics of the student’s language
-  Use the opportunity to teach the class about new cultures
-  Make extra efforts to improve the comfort of the classroom

This is a scenario which is increasingly common in American schools, and a number of the respondents mentioned that they have had similar experiences or have had ESL/ELL training themselves.  Most of the respondents seemed aware that the student's native language could be any language at all, and they always referred to "the student's language" generically.  Only one new teacher assumed that the student's language was Spanish—certainly a possibility, but not dictated by the scenario as written.

Most teachers in both groups would contact some manner of ESL/ELL resource in their school.  They would also try to find extra resources (tapes, online resources) and make use of extra visual aids in the classroom, arrange for one-on-one tutoring, and use student helpers or "buddies" to assist the student, preferably "buddies" who spoke the student's native language.  In all of these ways, the two response groups were remarkably similar.

The 0-6 group was more likely to respond that the child's English proficiency should be tested, and a few respondents in the 0-6 group suggested that the student should be moved to a bilingual classroom. The 30+ group was much more likely to take extra efforts to make the student feel comfortable in the classroom.  Some experienced teachers specifically mentioned taking steps with the express goal of providing a more comfortable, relaxed classroom atmosphere; a couple stated that they would use the situation as an opportunity to teach the class as a whole about different cultures; and one stated that s/he would make an effort to learn at least a few words in the student's native language.  There were no respondents in the 0-6 group who mentioned any of these alternatives.

SCENARIO 9: Disgruntled parents claim that you have been treating their child unfairly, and as a result of your discriminatory behavior, they will be going to the administration.

Resources

-  Administrator
-  Parents

Action Plans

-  Meeting with parents and administrator
-  Meeting with parents alone
-  Discuss teaching practices with the parents (defend practice)
-  Document classroom observations and bring them to the meeting
-  Reflect on personal practice and consider if parents’ complaints have merit

The primary tactic among both groups seemed to be to talk to an administrator first (at least to give a heads up), and then to arrange a meeting with the parents and an administrator both present.  In both groups, about twice as many respondents seemed to be focusing on listening to the parents and trying to come to some manner of resolution than simply explaining why their actions were justified and fair.

The 30+ group seemed to approach this scenario a little bit more cautiously than the 0-6 group.  Some respondents in this group stated that they would bring documentation of their actions to the meeting with the parents or administrators, while only a few from the 0-6 group did.  Also, and perhaps more strikingly, only a handful of respondents from the 30+ group were willing to meet with the parents without an administrator present; many of the respondents from the 0-6 group were willing to do so.

New teachers were more likely to meet with the student to try to discuss the problem. Another interesting point is that a few respondents in the 0-6 group claimed that they would reflect on their teaching or check their own records to see whether or not the parents' complaint had any merit.  While both groups were more likely to approach the meeting with the goal of reaching some sort of mutually satisfactory resolution (rather than just defending themselves), this was the only direct acknowledgement from either group that the teacher might possibly be in the wrong in this scenario.

SCENARIO 10: A child asks you for a cup of water so he can take some aspirins that his mother gave him that morning. He says he had a headache when he left the house.

-  Parent gave medication to child to take on his/her own
-  Child’s health
-  Legality of letting the student take medication without the school nurse’s approval

Resources

-  School nurse
-  Parents
-  Student medical files

Action Plans

-  Send the student directly to the school nurse
-  Call home to the parents
-  Confiscate the aspirin
-  Check files for medication approval
-  Explore possibility of student drug use
-  Give the student some water to take the aspirin

There was very little difference in the two groups for this particular scenario.  Both groups are well aware that only the nurse can dispense medicine (even aspirin), and nearly all said that they would send the student to the nurse.  The largest differences appear when considering whether to let the nurse call the student's parents or to call home oneself, whether to confiscate the aspirin or not, and whether or not to check the student's records to see if there is some manner of permission on file.

New teachers were somewhat more likely to let the nurse handle calling home to mom and dad, though many respondents did say they would contact the parents themselves.  Though it can be inferred that many of the school policies regarding the taking of medicine stem from concerns about possible drug use on the part of students (some respondents said they would take the aspirin away from the student before sending the student to the nurse), only a few respondents specifically mentioned this.  One respondent suggested that perhaps the student merely wanted attention, and that is why he or she claimed to have a headache.  Another apparently was not concerned at all about possible liability or drug issues; this teacher would allow the student to take the medication, but would give the student a new aspirin.

The 30+ group was more likely to check into the student's records to see if there was a permission form of some kind from the parent to allow the student to take aspirin at school.  Some respondents said that they would call home, mostly to inform parents of school policies regarding medicine in school.  There was a subtext of concern regarding possible illicit drug use in many of the responses; as with the 0-6 group, only a few respondents voiced this concern directly.  Perhaps somewhat surprising is that fewer respondents in the 30+ group said that they would take the aspirin away from the student, though one teacher would put the aspirin in a sealed envelope before sending the student to the nurse.  One teacher said that no action plan was necessary for this scenario.  It is unclear whether that means that the teacher would just let the student have the aspirin, or if the teacher would send the student to the nurse and be done with the situation.