Yoli Vega

July 19, 2016

Conflict Resolutions

I had the pleasure of interviewing Barbara Ortiz-Rodriguez. She is the Assistant

Principal at Lee Lewis Campbell Elementary Media and Performing Arts Institute which is part
of the Austin Independent School District. I asked her to tell me how she handled and solved
different conflicts she had with staff using conflict resolution. She had to think really hard
because she stated that on her campus there were very few conflicts due to the outstanding
leadership of her principal, Mr. Moore. I prodded her further and she was able to tell me of two
particular incidents; one of which concerned a couple of teachers on a grade level, and one at the
beginning of last school year (2015-2016) that involved a newly hired teacher with alternative
certification.

In the first incident, Mrs. Ortiz-Rodriguez stated that first and foremost a protocol was
followed that consisted of first speaking to the teacher(s) in question. They were asked to try and
come up with a resolution between themselves. If the issue could not be resolved just between
the two of them, then the second step of bringing in a mediator (school counselor) was called
upon to help resolve the issue. Even with this step it was the primary job of the mediator to just
listen to the problem and really allow the teachers to come up with a solution. If neither of these
steps helped to resolve the issue, the third and final step was to bring the issue up with both
administrators. Mrs. Ortiz-Rodriguez stated that it was a very rare circumstance for any issue to
reach the third level of their school protocol.

The other incident involved a retired Airforce Bilingual fourth grade teacher with
alternative certification. The issue brought forth by a parent and other staff members was that
this teacher was in the habit of speaking down to his students and at times had even cursed at
them. In this instance a meeting was set up between the parent, teacher, and both administrators.
The parent was allowed to give a statement regarding her concerns. The teacher was then able to
address the parents concerns. This was then followed by bringing in various student accounts,
through written statements, of incidents that had occurred in the classroom. The teacher denied
any wrong-doing; however, he did apologize to the parent. Privately, the teacher was confronted
with the statements students had written which were further collaborated by other teachers. The
administrators made it very clear that they were there to provide him as much support as he
needed. From that point on more impromptu classroom visits were made alternately by both
administrators. Besides his mentor teacher, he was also provided with an academic coach to
assist him further. This teacher was also offered free counseling (provided by the district through
HR) to help him relieve stress. Mrs. Ortiz-Rodriguez also stated that the goal of their
administration is to build trust so all staff knows that they are there for them. Administration is
also there to help them grow with the right interventions and support which would allow a person
to change any bad or negative habits. The campus expectations are made very clear to all staff so
that there arent any surprises. They want to be an open-book and be very transparent.
Unfortunately for this particular teacher, he was written up several more times after being placed
on a TINA for the same issues involving students and other issues of not following lesson plans
and actively being involved with core planning with his team. The teacher chose to resign at the
end of the first semester.

Mrs. Ortiz-Rodriguez further stated that the goal is to always help a teacher grow to gain
longevity. With regards to classroom management, when a teacher has concerns with a
particular student(s), she said she always asks the teachers if they have gone through the process
and procedures that are set in place by the administration of which every teacher is given a copy
of at the beginning of the school year. She understands that some teachers are easily
overwhelmed. She follows up her walk-throughs with a campus created Walk-through Sheet
with both positive, and if necessary, helpful comments. Mrs. Ortiz-Rodriguez went on to say
that at her campus they have an F-4 sheet (Face-to-Face Feedback Form) that is used during F-4
meetings. These meetings last between 15-20 minutes to give positive feedback first and
foremost. In instances where a teacher may need assistance, they let the teacher try to come up
with how they are going to improve themselves. Then they give further guidance. Both she and
Principal Moore want to develop their teachers leadership opportunities. They want to build
teachers up to create a learning community where everyone is valued.