Have you ever sat in a staff meeting that felt like a total waste of time? Just endless complaining and blame? What if that chaos wasn’t just “bad behavior” but a clue to the entire school’s dysfunction?
This episode takes us back to a Teacher Support Group I led over a decade ago at a school steeped in chaos. What seemed like an unproductive, blame-filled space was actually an unconscious mirror of the school’s deep dysfunction—a fascinating concept called parallel process. Joe and I examine how systemic issues infiltrate individual classrooms and what teachers can do to cultivate a healthy learning environment against incredible odds.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
We discuss:
The “parallel process”: How your staff meetings and support groups unconsciously mirror the wider school culture.
Recognizing dysfunction: What actually makes a school’s “holding environment” chaotic?
The blame game: Unpacking the gendered patterns of blame that show up when systems break down.
Reclaiming your classroom: Empowering strategies to build a safe space for learning, even when the school around you feels like a dumpster fire.
Work in a toxic office? For my non-teachers out there: The dynamics of group behavior, the impact of leadership, and the power of individual action within a dysfunctional system apply far beyond school walls.
Connect & Share
Got a story to share? I know there is a lot of toxicity out there. Everywhere. But definitely in schools. If you’ve got an example to share, leave us a message about it. 413.239.4158. We’d love to talk about it on the air, totally confidentially, so other teachers can hear, at the very least, that they’re not alone.
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Credits
Founder and Host: Betsy Burris
Co-Host: Joe Johnson
Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision
Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision
Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout
