Teachers as Consultees

Abstract

Although the school consultant may assist many different consultees—including administrators, counselors, and parents—he or she is most likely to consult with teachers (Costenbader et al., 1992). Furthermore, given the fact that most school consultation occurs in elementary schools (Alpert & Yammer, 1983; Gresham & Kendell, 1987), it is reasonable to assume that the consultant’s most frequent consultee will be an elementary school teacher. For this reason, in Chapter 7 we shall focus to a large extent on characteristics of teachers who have been assigned to kindergarten through grade 6 classrooms as well as aspects of consultation that occurs at these grade levels. Chapter topics that pertain to the general enterprise of teaching are the complexity of classroom teaching; rewards and challenges of teaching; and teacher recruitment and retention issues. Other topics regarding teachers and consultation are: why teachers seek consultation; teacher expectations for consultation; how teachers view and respond to student problems prior to consultation; characteristics that differentiate teachers who participate in consultation from those who do not; the adaptation of consultation methods to fit the school schedule; and principles to enhance knowledge and skill transfer back to the classroom. The major point of Chapter 7 is that, although most teachers today are dedicated and want to help students to succeed, often they are not assisted in their efforts to do so. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the school consultant to offer consultative support to teachers so that they may work effectively within the constraints of their role.