Other Teachers

Sometimes the hardest thing about teaching isn′t the students—it′s the other teachers

Even educators who love what they do may find that their colleagues add stress to their already demanding jobs. Workplace bullying, cliques, fear-based leadership, and collective burnout are just some of the workplace dynamics that can make our jobs harder and diminish our ability to support students.

Psychological safety is the belief that you will not be humiliated, punished, or retaliated against for asking questions, expressing concerns, or trying new strategies—and it is essential for building teacher self and collective efficacy. The Other Teachers provides strategies to nurture psychologically safe relationships at work and create a more inclusive, supportive environment for all. Inside, you′ll find:

• Strategies, tools, and reflection questions to help you identify the challenges at your school
• Eye-opening stories based on the experiences of real educators in a variety of roles and settings
• The stages of psychological safety and insights into the ways our relationships, teams, and school cultures can foster belonging and trust
• Research supporting the need for psychologically safe workplaces—not just for our benefit, but for our students’

How we treat one another at work impacts our well-being as well as our career satisfaction and performance. Whether you work in a school with a toxic workplace culture or one that is highly supportive, all schools can benefit from intentionally cultivating psychological safety among staff.

Ricky Robertson is an educator, author, and consultant. He has had the privilege to work with students from pre-K to 12th grade who have persevered in the face of adversity and trauma. He began his career in education as a New York City public high school teacher, teaching in one of the city’s highest-performing public schools. He then went on to work as a teacher, behavior specialist, and, eventually, as an administrator in traditional and alternative schools supporting students with significant mental health and behavioral needs. Ricky is the co-author, along with Victoria Romero and Amber Warner, of the Corwin bestselling book, Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole Staff Approach. The model that he and his co-authors developed in their book was included in the Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, & Health as an example of best practices for schools to support children and families impacted by toxic stress and trauma. Ricky continues to work with state and federal policymakers as an adviser on trauma-informed care in public health and education policy.  As a consultant and coach, Ricky works with schools, school districts, education service districts, and state departments of education across the country to develop systems of support that foster achievement, well-being, and resilience among staff and students. His work has been featured in podcasts, online media, books, magazines, national conferences, as well as a trauma-informed teaching video series developed by the National Education Association, WETA, and AdLit. Ricky finds inspiration in the resilience of young people and the heart and hard work of educators.