“Help me work with resistant teachers.” It’s a major request for instructional coaches, but Becca Silver, founder of The Whole Educator, says it’s often a misdiagnosis. 

In this episode, Silver joins Daniel Rock and Jason Adair to explain why resistance isn’t a personality trait—it’s a human response to unmet needs. Discover how to move your staff past simple compliance and toward true ownership using the Catalyst Mindset framework. 

For those who prefer to read, we also created a write-up of this episode on our blog.

Key Takeaways

• Reframe the Resistance: Why we should stop labeling teachers as resistant and start supporting teachers experiencing resistance. 
• The 5 Catalyst Mindsets: A deep dive into the five unmet needs (Value, Belonging, Success, Growth and Ownership) that are actually at the root of pushback. 
• Fidelity vs. Integrity: Why the language we use to describe initiatives can either build trust or signal a lack of it. 
• The Levels of Engagement: How to move staff along the continuum from sabotage and defiance to agency and ownership. 
• The Culture of Niceness Blocker: Why valuing harmony over authenticity is actually a silent progress blocker for your school. 

Resources Mentioned

• The Resistance Solution: Why Educators Resist and What They Need Instead by Becca Silver
• The Whole Educator 

You can find this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.