What if a teacher doesn't want me in their classroom?
This happens, and how you respond matters more than most leaders realize. The worst thing you can do is assert your authority — "I'm the principal and I have a right to be here." You may be technically correct, but you've just confirmed every fear that teacher had about your intentions.
Instead, lead with your responsibility rather than your authority. You're in classrooms because students and their learning are your responsibility, and you can't fulfill that responsibility from behind your desk. Frame it as something every teacher will experience equally — you're visiting everyone, not singling anyone out.
If you've already completed a full cycle of visits across the school, resistance is much less common. Teachers who see that everyone is being visited, that you're not using visits punitively, and that you're genuinely interested in teaching and learning usually come around. The small number who remain resistant often need more time, more trust, and sometimes a direct but respectful conversation about mutual obligations.
I address this and other tough scenarios in Now We're Talking!, Day 15.
From the Book
Now We’re Talking! 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership
About the Author
Justin Baeder, PhD
Justin Baeder, PhD is Director of The Principal Center, where he helps senior leaders in K–12 organizations build capacity for instructional leadership. A former principal in Seattle Public Schools, he is the creator of the Instructional Leadership Challenge, which has helped more than 10,000 school leaders in 50 countries around the world:
- Confidently get into classrooms every day
- Have feedback conversations that change teacher practice
- Discover their best opportunities for school improvement
Dr. Baeder directs the Instructional Leadership Association, the premiere professional membership for school leaders, and is the author of three Solution Tree books on instructional leadership:
- Now We’re Talking! 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership
- Mapping Professional Practice: How to Develop Instructional Frameworks to Support Teacher Growth (with Heather Bell-Williams)
- Cultivate and Activate: Building Teacher Capacity for Instructional Leadership (with Keith Fickel)
Justin is the host of Principal Center Radio, a long-running audio podcast featuring more than 400 education thought leaders and more than 500 books, as well as The Teaching Show and The Eduleadership Show. A prolific education commentator, he has more than 250,000 followers and 30,000,000 annual impressions on social media, and is frequently consulted by major media outlets on issues of education research, policy, and practice.
As a consultant, trainer, and speaker, Dr. Baeder has worked onsite with groups across the US, Canada, and Central America, and virtually with groups across the Middle East, Australia, and around the world. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, and regularly provides administrator professional development on classroom walkthroughs, teacher evaluation, and instructional leadership.
He holds a PhD in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Washington and an MEd in Curriculum & Instruction from Seattle University, and is a graduate of the Danforth Program for Educational Leadership at UW.