What do staffrooms mean to you?

Memories

The staffrooms in schools in which I taught were busy.  Before the start of the day, during breaks and lunchtimes people gathered for coffee, tea and chat. I am old enough that in the first staffrooms there was a single landline phone extension and no emails. They were places that offered a degree of privacy and disconnection from the hustle of the day. In one school, tea and coffee was always served up by a member of the catering team, and we knew which cakes were on the lunchtime menu because trays of them made their way up the stairs to the staffroom.  

Occasionally my experience of a staffroom was one of anxiety. It wasn’t possible to feel part of every crowd, and on these occasions a sense of ‘otherness’ could creep in. In my first staffroom days the headteacher was not considered ‘staff’, and if he entered the staffroom he brought a sense of impending doom with him. In later days, as I crossed the boundary from school to university, there were days when it felt like my professional and academic learning needs far outstretched my capacity to learn through the effect of osmosis from my colleagues’ conversations.  

As a teacher educator many of my visits to student teachers began or ended in the staffroom. An informal conversation with a student or their mentor there would spill out into catch-ups with previous students (now fully-fledged teachers) or a check-in by a school leader who knew I was visiting. Amongst my favourite schools to visit were places where staffrooms were vibrant, laughter-fuelled and added a sense of urgency and collectivism to the working day. 

Perspectives

Overall, I have found staffrooms to be a place of professional formation, solace and collaboration over time. Sometimes, even the anxieties felt above could be re-shaped as welcome challenges. But I know that my memories and perceptions are just that - ‘mine’, and while it is tempting to advocate for staffrooms on the basis of my singular experience, I want to know more about others’ experiences. My work in coaching and mentoring is driven in part by my interest in teachers as social learners – to whom conversations can make a difference to practice and wellbeing. I am now curious about staffrooms for the same reason. 

So, I have started an impromptu research project. I am interested to know what staffrooms mean to others currently or recently working in education. Participation is simple – based on watching a short presentation of images and reflecting on one that resonates with staffroom experiences.  

Responses are already arriving, and they do provoke critical reflection. For example, two people each chose the image of a city, but reflected very differently. One wrote that “I feel like I am an observer rather than a participant in staff rooms. I don't want to engage in moaning about school life - I feel like staff rooms encourage teachers to behave in unprofessional ways where they complain. I expect to work hard at work so not sure why so many don't expect to? I also hate coffee so why would I need to go in there?! Literally just for the photocopier.” Another participant used the city image to reflect that “For me, staffrooms have been diverse, bustling, surprising, energy-giving and -taking places: much like a city. Like a city, they can appear chaotic and noisy at a distance but quiet personal spaces can always be found. They disrupt, support and enrich.” 

Insights

What is interesting about these is that they not only reveal something of how staffrooms are used, but perhaps also something of how educators as insiders’ view their profession and their role within it.

Another participant chose the tree image, stating that the “image is of the roots and the trunk. The foliage seemed to me to be the thing that happened in the classrooms. The roots were how I got the nourishment to continue as a headteacher, and how I tried to give nourishment to others [in the staffroom].

Invitation

If you would like to contribute your reflections on staffrooms in education settings, please participate in the research.

All you need to do is watch this 5 minute slide presentation – it is 3 introductory slides and then a set of images.  From here you select an image which represents your experience of, or perception of staffrooms, and write about 50 words in reflection here. You will find the project information and consent details are all embedded in the google form. 

Do feel free to share this invitation far and wide, as capturing as many voices as possible will make this data set richer. 

Given the challenges in education this research on staffrooms may seem trivial. But to me there is a need to know more about the influence of the workplace and its community on those working in schools and colleges. You never know – this may be a way of building a manifesto for future staffrooms and the profession to enhance engagement, opportunities for learning and developing and a sense of belonging. Maybe this is just what we need, but without some further enquiry how will we know?