Short Paper 3

Gabby Ball
Short Paper #3
Option #2
It is more common to find resistance among education professionals than conflict because
of how much change takes place in the schools. Resistance can only happen if change is taking
place. Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook, authors of Interactions Collaboration Skills for School
Professionals state, “Giving the amount and pace of change currently taking place in schools, it
is not surprising to find that resistance is common. And when you reflect on the changes
occurring in the education of students with special needs, you should conclude that resistance is
likely among specialists as well as between specialists and other staff” (2017,P. 225). It can be
hard to change your teaching style when things have been working for you. Some teachers might
be hesitant to change their style because their way is working; even though a new style/technique
may be even better and result in more success for the students. Resistance is more common than
conflict within education professionals because of this amount of change that takes place school
year to school year.
I find that the symptoms of resistance that are most common for educational
professionals are supporting a change with words but not actions, displacing responsibility,
deferring a change to a future time and relying on a past practice. Supporting a change with
words but not actions is common among educational professionals because it is quick and easy to
agree with someone’s idea and not implement the idea than to have to ask questions and provide
a counter idea. This also avoids the opportunity for conflict to arise. This can be seen as a
professional agreeing to an idea, but not physically implementing the idea. Displacing
responsibility is also common among educational professionals because of the amount of people
they can push the resistance to change onto; including parents, stakeholders, other educational
professionals, principals, superintendents, bosses, etc. This can be seen as saying the principal
won’t allow the change, parents and/or families would become upset, the state/stakeholders
won’t agree and support the change, etc. Deferring a change to a future time is also extremely
common in education because of the amount of time we spend with students and/or families. A
teacher could say that she will implement the change with her class next year instead of her
current class. A developmental specialist could say that she wants to wait to implement a new
technique with a new family. Professionals could also just say that the time of the year is too
hectic to implement a change, resulting in the change to keep getting pushed back. Lastly,
relying on a past strategy is a safety net for educational professionals. The strategy may have
worked for them, so they don’t want to risk their routine for a new strategy even though it may
be better. This can be seen as a professional saying that they have always done it this way, the
intervention is too different than what the child/family is used to, etc.
I am resistant to change my routines- educational, professional, and personal. I like to
have my set schedule so that I know what I am expected to do each day and when I will be doing
it. I am resistant to change my schedule because it has worked extremely well for me in the past.
Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook, authors of Interactions Collaboration Skills for School
Professionals state, “The tendency of some individuals and systems to prefer sameness to change
is referred to as homeostasis. Some individuals, once they become accustomed to a particular
way of carrying out responsibilities, working with students, and otherwise fulfilling their
professional obligations, may struggle to consider alternative ways to do those tasks” (2017,P.
226). It has become second nature and can almost be viewed as a habit. Being that I am new to
the professional field, I don’t think I am reluctant to change any of my views/strategies because I
know that I am still learning and I am aware that I am still trying to find my way in my
professional career. I acknowledge that my resistance to change in my schedule can affect the
way I approach my professional relationships. I must work on becoming okay with changing my
schedule to best fit the needs of my team and families that I will be working with. I can start by
addressing my resistance by becoming more open in the schedule of completing tasks during
group assignments/presentations. I can also start changing things around in my own schedule to
see if something works out better when I complete it at a different time. Overall, change can be
great and I am willing to take the necessary steps to better my professional relationships.
Resistance is a natural occurring reaction that we must be aware of in order to make progress.
Work Cited
Friend, M., & Cook L. (2017). Interactions collaboration for school professionals New York,
NY: Pearson

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Gabby Ball

year to school year.

I am resistant to change my routines- educational, professional, and personal. I like to

is referred to as homeostasis. Some individuals, once they become accustomed to a particular

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