"My colleagues never drive me crazy." - faculty unity at Benjamin Banneker Elementary School in Milford, Delaware

Instructor, Jan-Feb, 1996 by Meg A. Bozzone

How teachers at one school said good-bye to gripes, boosted morale, and built a bastion of faculty unity

Step through the fire-engine red doors at Benjamin Banneker Elementary School in Milford, Delaware, and the joyful cohesiveness of the faculty and staff envelops you like a warm blanket on a frosty night. School families team up to landscape the courtyard garden and collaborate on Hooked on Homework, the school's homegrown motivation program. In the Solutions Book, secondgrade teachers jot down possible remedies to scheduling glitches for the school improvement committee to consider. Cafeteria workers point to a map hanging above the lunch line and ask first graders who are studying European countries, "Where in the world is Italy?"The latest employee of the month is announced: a staff member who is selected at random and who, among other honors, may park wherever he or she chooses--a boon on rainy days.

The Banneker bunch makes getting along and effectively working together look as easy as pie, and they've remained close-knit even through the most challenging circumstances--shouldering the responsibility for rewriting a schoolwide curriculum and for rallying community support behind it. (Banneker, grades 1-4 school, remodeled its curriculum as a Basic School, one of 15 schools nationwide collaborating with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.)

The reigning atmosphere of collegiality, however, didn't magically materialize overnight. Sure, good chemistry had something to do with it, but the secret ingredients in Banneker's recipe for unity are innovative team-building initiatives and constant nurturing--neither of which cost money. Says principal Dr. Kae Keister, whose curly carrot-colored hair and spunky spirit make her a Miss Frizzle double,"Over the past five years or so we've financed our team-building programs with people-power and ingenuity. Any school can do it."

To bring you this inspirational story, Instructor paid a visit to Banneker and takes you behind the scenes, where teachers describe their practical strategies for working together and warn of pitfalls to avoid.

GETTING RID OF GRIPES

Other than a pay cut, few things dampen morale more than festering problems.Where there is no avenue for voicing complaints, no one to listen to them, or no action taken, negativity and energy-sapping gossip breed faster than fruit flies on a compost pile.To turn the tide, five years ago the staff at Banneker decided to implement a simple but powerful program that third-grade teachers Margaret Martin and Judy Purcell heard about at a workshop. Here's how it works.

Solutions by the Book

The staff created several Solutions Books--red-and-white folders filled with pages on which teachers can explain a concern or problem they have, outline a solution if they choose, and sign their name. The books are kept in visible spots: in the faculty lounge, next to the photocopier, and by the phone.At the end of each month, the School Improvement Committee (SIC-pronounced "sick" although it was created to keep the school healthy) meets to discuss the problems, delegate responsibilities, and implement solutions. SIC is made up of faculty and staff volunteers with at least one representative from each grade level.At faculty meetings, the committee reports on what concerns were voiced that month and what's being done about them.

Problem-Solving Safeguards

To ensure that their program wouldn't produce complaints of its own, the faculty took several steps. Says Margaret Martin,"We require that each entry in the Solutions Books be signed.That way there are no cheap shots in the book." SIC also meets like clockwork. Counselor John Caldwell reports, "Teachers can rest assured that their complaints will be addressed swiftly because SIC meets every month."Third-grade teacher Sandy Baker concurs, "It's better than a suggestion box, which can become a black hole into which notes disappear."

The Proof Is in the Productivity

Since it came into being about five years ago, SIC has tackled a wide range of issues.

* When first-grade teachers worried that their students would slip on a ramp, the custodians added skid marks.

* So that teachers could dial 800 numbers, the school rewired its phone lines.

* The hot water, which had been shut off in the student bathrooms near primary classrooms so youngsters wouldn't burn themselves, was readjusted.

* SIC reminded bus drivers not to refuel with children aboard and saw to it that trash containers were placed around the playground to curb a littering problem.

At times, SIC's action has opened new communication channels. For example, when some teachers feared that Friends of Banneker--parent and community volunteers who donate time or supplies--were only being thanked sporadically, SIC organized a Friends of Banneker tea. Afterward, an offshoot of the school's hospitality committee took over the responsibility for planning regular Friends of Banneker events. SIC has also helped the school save face--it ensured that all lightbulbs were in working order for an open house--and save money--it asked the cafeteria staff to stop bagging already-wrapped lunches. Currently, SIC is considering how to make Banneker's report cards less confusing to parents.