Dealing+with+Resistance


 * QUICK! Let's get cracking!**

The resistance to the change towards the IB came primarily from a small parent group. They felt that the IB was too difficult for their children and that by adopting the IB and removing other options, we were setting up their children for failure. Because of the lack of planning of this initiative, no plan was in place for the few students that we had admitted and whose needs could not be met through the IB.

The highly respected teacher, and trained administrative and trained by the IBO, became our first IB coordinator and served as both cheerleader and chief monitor (Beach, 2006). Beach recommends that the monitoring be delegated to others with more experience and time however in a small school such as AISK the implementation monitoring fell on her shoulders. She quickly became the **scapegoat** for all that was not going well. “One reason that individuals are blamed for change failure is that it often is their behavior that signals that something is wrong.” (Beach, 2006, p. 99) She was faced with training an entire staff in IB implementation. More challenging was the inability for some of the teachers to adapt to IB content and methodologies. When parents complained, she was blamed. Ultimately, she took the school through the difficult first two years of implementation only to be replaced by a foreign hire considered to be an IB expert. In that manner, the administration hoped to erase its mistakes without dealing with the issues.

After the non-renewal of contract of one of the most respected members of staff, the teachers no longer trust in the Board or in the new administration. The culture of mistrust continues as the new middle and high school principal endeavors to bring about positive change. This year, the middle and high school professional staff turn over is the highest in years; five out of twelve teachers have resigned.