Toxic School? Diagnosing narcissistic organizations and changing school culture
Teaching through Emotions: Teacher Mental HealthShow Notes
This one’s for the leaders. In this episode, I talk with a most amazing psychotherapist and “Leadership Whisperer,” Jerry Fromm. Jerry does organizational consulting, which means he helps people figure out (as I put it) what the hell is happening psychodynamically within their walls — or within their societies! or countries! since he works with individuals and groups domestically and internationally as well. He does quite remarkable work and tells lots of fascinating stories in today’s conversation, stories that will make teachers and school leaders think differently about themselves and the school cultures they’re a part of. Many schools are rethinking their cultures. But I promise you: Jerry’s perspective will make you think in a way you could never have imagined. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
We discuss * The Clinical Is Missing: A simple and amazing definition of “clinical” makes Jerry’s (and TTE’s) psychodynamic work relevant to schools. * The Sentient Level of Organizations: How, in the psychological dynamics of systems, contagious unprocessed feelings define the school culture. * Playing Roles: Managing the “invitations flying around” all organizations to fit with others in familiar ways. * Different Types of Organizations: What are narcissistic organizations? What are dependent organizations? * The Power of Pictures: What drawing a picture of your organization with you in it can reveal. External Links For information on Group Relations Conferences and Leading from Experience, go to The Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems. To get in touch with Jerry, email him at [email protected]. Yep, I’m biased: I am certain that teaching is spiritual. Not because teachers need to be religious but because the tasks of teaching human beings require heart-based skills: faith, care, love, “unconditional positive regard for difference” — skills that do not necessarily come naturally all the time and therefore demand care and attention themselves. In this episode, I explore this question and others with Mark Longhurst, an inspiring pastor, writer, and publications manager for Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation. Together, we explore how to view teaching (and parenting) not just as a task list, but as a spiritual practice. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss: * Flowing with chaos: How to stay grounded when the classroom (or home) feels out of control. * The “holy ordinary”: Why the most mundane moments hold the most spiritual weight. * Detachment for connection: The paradox of detaching from our “teacher identity” to develop healthy attachment with students. * Somatic teaching: The importance of bringing a “settled body” into the classroom. * Sacred spaces: The benefits, and perils, of viewing your classroom as holy ground. External Links the holy ordinary by Mark Longhurst (Substack) The Holy Ordinary: A Way to God (Book) My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness that Can Heal the World by Dr. Jacqui Lewis Connect & Share Got a story to share? Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode! Support the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us. Get full access to the community: [www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe] 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 Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts
More from Teaching through Emotions: Teacher Mental Health
Ah, rudeness. Most college professors do not expect it from their students (or from anybody). The hierarchy in colleges and universities is pretty clear, and the stakes of messing with it are generally high for students. So what do you do when a student tells you to wait while they finish typing their text? In other words, how does student rudeness affect teachers? Even if you handle the student effectively in the moment, what if you feel bad about it afterwards? Teacher mental health (everyone’s mental health) includes surviving boundary hangover, or the regret that can follow doing the right interpersonal thing. In this episode, we hear some college professors in a Teacher Support Group wrestle with this very thing: setting an appropriate boundary and feeling bad about it afterwards. We discuss * Who’s in Charge: What to do when the authority structure gets flipped upside down * The Class Placeholder: The possible ramifications when students scramble to change their course schedule * Student Distractions: Do students need help fitting into your classroom reality? * The Teacher Ego: Why it’s crucial to teacher mental health * Objectification: What the antidote is to the common experience of being turned into an object for someone else’s use You don’t have to be a college professor to relate to this story! High school teachers, elementary and pre-school teachers, even parents — everyone who interacts with other people, especially members of Gen Z, can benefit from hearing how these teachers work through their reactions to student rudeness. Teacher mental health is crucial. Check it out! External links Teaching through Emotions What type of teacher are you? Take the quiz! Connect & Share Got a story to share? What shockingly rude behaviors have you encountered in your classroom? I’d love to hear! Leave me a voicemail at (413) 239-4158 and we might feature your perspective in a future episode! Or send me an email! [email protected]. Support the Show: If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a rating or review on your podcast app. Your feedback helps others find us. Get full access to the community: www.teachingthroughemotions.com/subscribe Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Podcast Editor: Jasper Chua Theme Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout Interstitial Music: Brad Wells Chapters: 00:00 Thank yous, then when students get under your skin03:58 A college student tells his professor "okay, go ahead"09:08 The group asks: was the phone really the problem?17:03 When students treat your class as a placeholder20:36 Getting paused like a phone, and why it stings29:21 Saying no to the replay, then the boundary hangover38:01 The plan: trust your gut and speak up42:44 A month later, plus takeaways for your own classroom
Welcome to Season 4 of Teaching through Emotions! We are excited to drop the first episode just a few days before World Teachers Day. October 5th is the day devoted every year to honoring educators the world over, specifically to draw attention to * Teachers’ rights and responsibilities * Standards for teacher education * Expectations for teacher recruitment and employment * Requirements for teaching and learning conditions Consider Teaching through Emotions our paean to teachers and our regular commemoration of World Teachers Day! Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Season 4 of Teaching through Emotions is about to drop (on October 1st)! And it’s different. Really different. In past seasons, I’ve shared teacher stories, many with my wonderful co-host, Joe Johnson. Here’s the most popular one from Season 3, btw: Handling Teacher Guilt: Are you being too judgmental of yourself? All of these teacher stories came from Teacher Support Groups or work I did with individual teachers. All of them were told by me. This season, we’re taking you right to the heart of TTE’s work. We’re cutting me out as the storyteller. Instead, we’re letting actual teachers tell their stories! That is, we’re recording TSGs and bringing teachers’ experiences to you fresh from their TSG meetings. Speaking of which, looking to join a TSG? Contact me. I’ll put together a group of teachers from all over the world (if need be) to meet regularly online to talk about — and change — the realities of teaching. Listen to the trailer and share it with your colleagues! your teacher friends! your other friends! The stuff we talk about is specific to teaching but valuable to anyone who’s in a relationship. Stuff like * Becoming overwhelmed even at the very beginning of the school year * Handling Gen Z device-enhanced rudeness * Dealing with AI * Setting crucial boundaries with students, colleagues, and parents — and surviving “boundary hangover” and so much more. Credits Founder and Host: Betsy Burris Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision Podcast Editor: Jasper Chua of PodVision Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout
Listeners! Ande Lyons, a wonderful, sparkling woman, recently interviewed me on her podcast Don’t Be Caged by Your Age. Ande asked me some great questions about how I got where I am, what advice I have for people over 65 (might be relevant to you even if you aren’t lucky enough to have yet reached 65), and why I care so danged much about my work. It’s a fun interview with lots of laughter! Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
My friend Sarah is a bad ass. She is an incredibly good teacher and is assiduously responsible. In our initial episode about the difficulties of having a Teaching Assistant (TA), she promised to follow up with me about her take-aways from her conversation with me and Joe. Which she did. And this is the conversation she and I just had about that follow-up. Teaching through Emotions is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.