Working With and Evaluating Difficult School Employees
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Description
"The Ellers have done an excellent job identifying supervision problems that plague administrators on a daily basis. They provide clear and detailed strategies to address personnel problems covering virtually every employment group. I strongly recommend this book as a quick reference for all school administrators as they deal with difficult employees."
—Dan Hoverman, Superintendent
Mounds View Public Schools, Shoreview, MN
Help marginal employees take positive steps to improve their performance and behavior!
Managing difficult employees is one of the most challenging aspects of a school leader's job. Written by experienced administrators, this resource provides specific techniques and strategies to identify, work with, and evaluate marginal school employees.
John F. Eller and Sheila Eller provide essential information for understanding and dealing with employees who may have negative attitudes, lack awareness of their behavior, blame others for problems, or are marginal performers. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience, this book includes:
- Skills and sample dialogues for conducting difficult conversations
- Templates for putting concerns into writing and developing improvement plans
- Information about legal issues and ways to protect yourself
- Specific strategies for working with teachers, secretaries and assistants, paraprofessionals, and custodial staff
- Steps to take when termination becomes necessary
This ready reference helps administrators develop the leadership skills and competencies necessary to confront marginal and deficient behaviors and achieve successful results.
Contents
Preface
Preface
About the Authors
- 1. The Nature of Difficult/Marginal Employees: Why Don't These People Listen to Reason and Improve?
- Frames of Reference
- Characteristics of Difficult Employees
- The Response to Change
- Understanding the Source of the Difficulty
- Summary
- 2. What Skills and Tools Do I Need in Order to Take On This Situation?
- Background of Employee Discipline
- A Competencies-Based Approach to Thinking About Employee Problems
- The Definition of Success When Working With Difficult or Deficient Employees
- Your Readiness in Dealing With a Difficult Situation or Person
- The Use of Job Descriptions in Your Work With Difficult School Employees
- Summary
- 3. Strategies for Confronting Marginal and Deficient Behaviors
- Framing
- Authority Voice
- Summary
- 4. Protecting Yourself While Dealing With Difficult Employees
- Presuppositions
- Reflecting
- Displacing Negative Energy
- Additional Self-Protection Strategies
- Summary
- 5. Strategies for Working With Difficult/Marginal Teachers
- The Law and Teacher Employment
- Your Master Contract or Master Agreement
- Understanding Your Evaluation Criteria
- The Ability to Describe Deficient or Substandard Work
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Deciding Whether to Move Forward to Terminate Employment or Develop a Growth Plan
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Deficiency Notice or Termination Message to a Teacher
- The Entire Cycle
- Summary
- 6. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Secretaries and Office
- Handling Your Administrative Assistants
- A Basic Set of Administrative Assistant/Office Employee Tasks
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Prioritizing Work Tasks
- Planning Sessions to Establish Priorities for the Work Completion
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Deficiency Notice or Termination Message to an Administrative Assistant
- Summary
- 7. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Paraprofessionals and Teaching Assistants
- The Nature of Teaching Assistants and Paraprofessionals
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Performance Concern or Termination Message to a Paraprofessional or Teaching Assistant
- An Example of a Meeting and Letter of Reprimand for a Paraprofessional
- Summary
- 8. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Custodians
- Possible Difficult Custodial Behaviors
- Effective Delegation of Tasks and Assignments
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Performance or Skill Deficit Concern to a Custodial Employee
- Summary
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Description
"The Ellers have done an excellent job identifying supervision problems that plague administrators on a daily basis. They provide clear and detailed strategies to address personnel problems covering virtually every employment group. I strongly recommend this book as a quick reference for all school administrators as they deal with difficult employees."
—Dan Hoverman, Superintendent
Mounds View Public Schools, Shoreview, MN
Help marginal employees take positive steps to improve their performance and behavior!
Managing difficult employees is one of the most challenging aspects of a school leader's job. Written by experienced administrators, this resource provides specific techniques and strategies to identify, work with, and evaluate marginal school employees.
John F. Eller and Sheila Eller provide essential information for understanding and dealing with employees who may have negative attitudes, lack awareness of their behavior, blame others for problems, or are marginal performers. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience, this book includes:
- Skills and sample dialogues for conducting difficult conversations
- Templates for putting concerns into writing and developing improvement plans
- Information about legal issues and ways to protect yourself
- Specific strategies for working with teachers, secretaries and assistants, paraprofessionals, and custodial staff
- Steps to take when termination becomes necessary
This ready reference helps administrators develop the leadership skills and competencies necessary to confront marginal and deficient behaviors and achieve successful results.
Contents
Preface
Preface
About the Authors
- 1. The Nature of Difficult/Marginal Employees: Why Don't These People Listen to Reason and Improve?
- Frames of Reference
- Characteristics of Difficult Employees
- The Response to Change
- Understanding the Source of the Difficulty
- Summary
- 2. What Skills and Tools Do I Need in Order to Take On This Situation?
- Background of Employee Discipline
- A Competencies-Based Approach to Thinking About Employee Problems
- The Definition of Success When Working With Difficult or Deficient Employees
- Your Readiness in Dealing With a Difficult Situation or Person
- The Use of Job Descriptions in Your Work With Difficult School Employees
- Summary
- 3. Strategies for Confronting Marginal and Deficient Behaviors
- Framing
- Authority Voice
- Summary
- 4. Protecting Yourself While Dealing With Difficult Employees
- Presuppositions
- Reflecting
- Displacing Negative Energy
- Additional Self-Protection Strategies
- Summary
- 5. Strategies for Working With Difficult/Marginal Teachers
- The Law and Teacher Employment
- Your Master Contract or Master Agreement
- Understanding Your Evaluation Criteria
- The Ability to Describe Deficient or Substandard Work
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Deciding Whether to Move Forward to Terminate Employment or Develop a Growth Plan
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Deficiency Notice or Termination Message to a Teacher
- The Entire Cycle
- Summary
- 6. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Secretaries and Office
- Handling Your Administrative Assistants
- A Basic Set of Administrative Assistant/Office Employee Tasks
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Prioritizing Work Tasks
- Planning Sessions to Establish Priorities for the Work Completion
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Deficiency Notice or Termination Message to an Administrative Assistant
- Summary
- 7. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Paraprofessionals and Teaching Assistants
- The Nature of Teaching Assistants and Paraprofessionals
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Performance Concern or Termination Message to a Paraprofessional or Teaching Assistant
- An Example of a Meeting and Letter of Reprimand for a Paraprofessional
- Summary
- 8. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Custodians
- Possible Difficult Custodial Behaviors
- Effective Delegation of Tasks and Assignments
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Performance or Skill Deficit Concern to a Custodial Employee
- Summary
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Reviews
December 2009 | 136 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | 01/02/2026 | 9781412958684 | $37.95 |
| Hardcover | 27/02/2023 | 9781412958677 | $74.95 |
| Lifetime | 01/02/2026 | 9781452272504 | $35.00 |
"The Ellers have done an excellent job identifying supervision problems that plague administrators on a daily basis. They provide clear and detailed strategies to address personnel problems covering virtually every employment group. I strongly recommend this book as a quick reference for all school administrators as they deal with difficult employees."
—Dan Hoverman, Superintendent
Mounds View Public Schools, Shoreview, MN
Help marginal employees take positive steps to improve their performance and behavior!
Managing difficult employees is one of the most challenging aspects of a school leader's job. Written by experienced administrators, this resource provides specific techniques and strategies to identify, work with, and evaluate marginal school employees.
John F. Eller and Sheila Eller provide essential information for understanding and dealing with employees who may have negative attitudes, lack awareness of their behavior, blame others for problems, or are marginal performers. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience, this book includes:
- Skills and sample dialogues for conducting difficult conversations
- Templates for putting concerns into writing and developing improvement plans
- Information about legal issues and ways to protect yourself
- Specific strategies for working with teachers, secretaries and assistants, paraprofessionals, and custodial staff
- Steps to take when termination becomes necessary
This ready reference helps administrators develop the leadership skills and competencies necessary to confront marginal and deficient behaviors and achieve successful results.
Table Of Contents:
- Preface
- About the Authors
- 1. The Nature of Difficult/Marginal Employees: Why Don't These People Listen to Reason and Improve?
- Frames of Reference
- Characteristics of Difficult Employees
- The Response to Change
- Understanding the Source of the Difficulty
- Summary
- 2. What Skills and Tools Do I Need in Order to Take On This Situation?
- Background of Employee Discipline
- A Competencies-Based Approach to Thinking About Employee Problems
- The Definition of Success When Working With Difficult or Deficient Employees
- Your Readiness in Dealing With a Difficult Situation or Person
- The Use of Job Descriptions in Your Work With Difficult School Employees
- Summary
- 3. Strategies for Confronting Marginal and Deficient Behaviors
- Framing
- Authority Voice
- Summary
- 4. Protecting Yourself While Dealing With Difficult Employees
- Presuppositions
- Reflecting
- Displacing Negative Energy
- Additional Self-Protection Strategies
- Summary
- 5. Strategies for Working With Difficult/Marginal Teachers
- The Law and Teacher Employment
- Your Master Contract or Master Agreement
- Understanding Your Evaluation Criteria
- The Ability to Describe Deficient or Substandard Work
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Deciding Whether to Move Forward to Terminate Employment or Develop a Growth Plan
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Deficiency Notice or Termination Message to a Teacher
- The Entire Cycle
- Summary
- 6. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Secretaries and Office
- Handling Your Administrative Assistants
- A Basic Set of Administrative Assistant/Office Employee Tasks
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Prioritizing Work Tasks
- Planning Sessions to Establish Priorities for the Work Completion
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Deficiency Notice or Termination Message to an Administrative Assistant
- Summary
- 7. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Paraprofessionals and Teaching Assistants
- The Nature of Teaching Assistants and Paraprofessionals
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Performance Concern or Termination Message to a Paraprofessional or Teaching Assistant
- An Example of a Meeting and Letter of Reprimand for a Paraprofessional
- Summary
- 8. Strategies for Working with Difficult/Marginal Custodians
- Possible Difficult Custodial Behaviors
- Effective Delegation of Tasks and Assignments
- Base and Surface Competancies
- Growth Plans
- Delivering a Performance or Skill Deficit Concern to a Custodial Employee
- Summary
- References
- Index