• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

January 22, 2015 Featured

Just Say NO! How To Do It the Right Way

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Teresa

Teresa Cooper is a 30-something divorced mom and teacher from North Carolina. She has a Masters of Science in Education for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University and a BA in Psychology with a minor in Creative from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Having struggled with anxiety and depression most of her life and later having birthed a child with autism, she is passionate about spreading awareness and acceptance of mental illness and autism. After 13 years in education, she has a wealth of knowledge to share on education and bonding with children.
  • PTSD in Teachers: Yes, It's Real! - August 19, 2018
  • Teacher Anxiety: How to Cope With Anxiety Under Stress - July 29, 2018
  • Depression Kills Teachers if Left Untreated: It Should Not Kill Their Careers - July 23, 2018
  • Amidst Declining Mental Health in Teachers, What Can Administrators Do? - June 30, 2018
  • 5 Things I'd Tell Myself in My Earlier Teaching Years - October 15, 2017
  • How Class Dojo Saves My Sanity Daily - October 1, 2017
  • Surviving the School Year: Game of Thrones Style - August 27, 2017
  • What to Change Behavior? Start With Class Meetings in Special Education - August 20, 2017
  • When Your Administrator Doesn't Like You - July 3, 2017
  • Conquering Teacher Biases Against Disabilities: Important Strategies - May 8, 2017

Just Say No! How to Do it The Right Way!As special educators, we often feel obligated to do more than our job requires. The job description becomes blurrier and blurrier with time as we get more job responsibilities tacked on with time--you know you can do that Educational Testing, write that report, and work with kids in small groups, all while following an inclusion model, right? All of this extra responsibility means we have less time to give to others who might demand more of our time. At some point, to avoid burnout, you must say no to something. But what happens if you're in the middle of doing something and someone wants you to do something else? More importantly, what happens if someone higher up than you "requests" that you take on an extra responsibility? How do you say "no" to extra responsibilities when you already feel overwhelmed without (a) jeopardizing your job or (b) making yourself look bad?

Just Say No! How To Do It the Right Way. 

  1. Weigh Out the Consequences. First, make sure you weigh out the consequences of saying "no." If you have less experience than other teachers, you probably have less leverage for declining a request. As a more experienced teacher, though, saying yes to one experience might get in the way of your real goals or make you feel burned out or exhausted.
  2. Take Time to Consider the Request. Before you answer the question about the opportunity, ask for time to consider the request. State that you need time to consider how the opportunity or assignment will affect your existing schedule and workload. Take this time to think about how saying no will impact your career before answering.
  3. Offer Some Alternatives. If you decide not to do it, try to help in some way. See if you can contribute in a different way or if it's a project, see if you can get an extended deadline.
  4. Answer in Person. You cannot judge a person's tone by email, so make sure to answer in person so that your answer does not come off the wrong way. Your willingness to work with your employer may not come off that way via email. You'll want to deliver in person so that your message does not get misunderstood.
  5. Keep It Simple. Stay away from the details in your explanation. If you give your entire calendar out, the importance of your other responsibilities may get challenged. Just give a simple explanation about why you cannot complete the task.
  6. Don't Put Yourself Down. If the person attempts to flatter you in order to persuade you to do the project or assignment anyway, don't respond by putting yourself down. Instead, lay out all of your current responsibilities. It's better to explain why you cannot do it (how busy you are) than to devalue yourself.
  7. Ask for Help. If the project or assignment conflicts with something you're already working on, and your Principal asks you to take on something else, give a simple explanation that you've already committed to something else and ask for help prioritizing between the two. "I'd love to help you with this project. I have X responsibility for Students XYZ by February 2nd. How much time can I have to get this project back to you?" Again, you want to keep this really simple.

Saying "No" doesn't have to be a negative thing. You can assert yourself at work, keep your peace of mind, and still look like a team player. Just say no the right way!

Have you ever had a situation at work where you had to turn down an opportunity? How did you handle it? 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailWhat Every Teacher Should Know About Teaching Students with Disabilities Default Thumbnail9 Simple Ways to Prevent Burnout in Special Ed Teachers Budget Crisis: Tips for the Overwhelmed Special Educator Default ThumbnailOctober Is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month
« Dear Leaders: A Letter from a Teacher
9 Simple Ways to Prevent Burnout in Special Ed Teachers »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships
  • Want to Keep Special Education Teachers? Try Mentorship
  • An Idaho teen who won his school board election has a message for educators
  • Moving Beyond Diversity to Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Lessons from a Sunday Sermon

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.