When teachers have a different personality and communication style from their students, learning can be affected, Ignacio School Board members were advised at their August meeting.
Communication coaches Joseph and Judy Pauley did multi-day training sessions for 32 teachers and other district staff before school started. They acted out the communication styles of six different personality types for the school board - promoter, rebel, thinker, harmonizer, persister, imaginer. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, they said.
The harmonizer is very soft spoken, needs reassurance, tries to please everybody, and needs to be recognized as a nice person.
The persisters have an opinion about everything and everyone, and they won't change easily. They know they are right and don't understand why others don't do what needs to be done. They are very patriotic. They can stick to a project until it's done. They don't care if anyone likes them, but they need respect. They will verbally attack those who don't measure up to their standards.
A thinker is very organized and needs to know when things are due. They plan ahead. They need recognition for their hard work. They tend to over-control and attack people. They don't delegate.
The rebel is loud and wants to have fun at whatever, or it's boring. Most classes are boring. They blame others for their problems. These kids are the class clown and the most likely to end up in detention, suspension, expulsion, or to drop out. They will do anything for a teacher they like and nothing for a teacher they don't like. "None of that will happen if you let me have a little fun in class," Joe Pauley said.
The imaginer is quiet, imaginative, calm, and needs to be alone. They don't like crowds. They see connections between thoughts and ideas that others don't. They have a hard time on multiple choice tests because there is no one right answer. They need direction and help prioritizing. They can shut down waiting for someone to tell them what to do.
The promoter likes to sell and is a natural leader. "If I get my needs met, I'll lead in a positive direction," Joe Pauley said. "There isn't much excitement in most of my classes, so I create negative drama." They can manipulate, con, stir things up. They think rules are for others. They don't learn in linear order. "I have to see the big picture and how I can use it on the streetss," Joe Pauley said.
"We have parts of all six (personalities) in us," he said. "Most adults can energize two or three pretty easily. Kids can energize one or two."
Each personality type learns differently, is motivated differently, and gets in trouble differently, Judy Pauley said.
"How we say something is more im[portant than what we say," she advised and demonstrated four ways to say, "If you have any questions..." Depending on how it was said, the listener would be invited to ask questions or be warned to stay quiet.
"Some people may be uncomfortable with my favorite way of communicating," she said. Most teachers have harmonizer, thinker, and persister in their mix. The students they can't reach are the promoters and the rebels, she said. Teachers need to understand and meet some of those kids' needs.
She cited a slogan, "Our children won't care about how much we know until they know how much we care." The students at risk of dropping out have never had a teacher as a friend, she said.
Joe Pauley added that teachers tend to not know who those kids are. They are throw-away kids. "The key is to create a culture where all these kids feel they belong. Then they'll stay in school," he said.
