By Luke Wyles
I have over 20 years of experience as a teacher, and I work in an international school in Qingdao, China, alongside colleagues from Georgia, Iran, Armenia, Scotland, America, Jamaica, and Kazakhstan. The cultural mix brings richness to our students’ experiences, but it also means that expectations around communication and professional boundaries can differ widely.
One day, a guest speaker – who had previously worked at our school for four years – returned to give a talk to the students. During her session, she began asking individual pupils what they thought of “the new teacher.”
“Do you like him?” she asked one. “No? Why not?”
She continued this line of questioning with several students.
What made the moment particularly challenging was that I was the teacher in question. I was in the next room, waiting for a student, when I overheard parts of this exchange. It wasn’t an overtly hostile act, but it was professionally unsettling. In that instant, a cascade of emotions moved through me: shock, embarrassment, disbelief, and anger, all coupled with the need to stay composed.
This article is for any new teachers who may find themselves in a similar situation in a new environment. Incidents like this are rarely written about, yet they can deeply affect confidence, authority, and the professional atmosphere. They do not fit neatly under “bullying” or “harassment”, but they are real, challenging moments that teachers must navigate.
I also believe that teachers are at risk of ‘sleepwalking’ into the same trouble themselves. It is easier than one might think to speak in the classroom of another teacher, and whether our words are critical or positive is somewhat beside the point.
The Emotional Labour of Composure
Sociologist Arlie Hochschild (1983) describes emotional labour as the process of managing one’s emotions to meet the expectations of a professional role. Teaching, particularly in an international context, demands a great deal of this kind of labour: remaining calm, approachable, and respectful while balancing diverse cultural expectations and managing personal feelings.
In that moment, my emotional labour was to maintain professionalism despite feeling publicly undermined. I had to suppress the instinct to react, while my sense of professional identity felt directly questioned. Emotional restraint is often mistaken for ease, but it can be a heavy burden—especially when dignity is at stake.
Identity, Power, and Psychological Safety
Amy Edmondson (1999) defines psychological safety as the shared belief that a group is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. In schools, psychological safety doesn’t just apply to students; teachers need it too. When a guest publicly invites pupils to evaluate a teacher, the sense of professional safety is disrupted.
Such moments shift the classroom hierarchy. The guest, as a former insider, temporarily regains authority, while the teacher’s credibility becomes a topic of open discussion. Even if the guest intended no harm, the effect is the same: a public questioning of status and respect. In multicultural environments, where different norms of hierarchy and communication coexist, these power shifts can be especially confusing and uncomfortable.
I have spoken about this situation with many EFL colleagues, and while none have had precisely the same experience, others have shared similar problems. The common thread was when a teacher was covering for an absent colleague. Inevitably – or so it seemed to the teacher covering – the students asked where the absent teacher was. When this question appeared, the temptation to pass comment on that teacher did too. Most of those I spoke to were able to resist the temptation to criticise their colleague; some admitted to saying how much they liked or admired their colleague; my opinion is that the cover teacher must do everything they can to avoid saying anything about the teacher who isn’t there. After all, kind words become cruel when the student misunderstands what the teacher is saying!
Boundary Crossings and the Role of Bystanders
Erving Goffman (1955) wrote about facework—the ways people preserve dignity and mutual respect during social interaction. Professional settings rely on a shared understanding of boundaries. In this situation, that understanding was breached: a private professional evaluation was turned into a public conversation.
What often deepens the impact of such moments is not only the initial behaviour, but the reaction of others. When staff members witness or later hear about such conduct and find it amusing, their laughter becomes a form of reinforcement. It signals that undermining a colleague’s authority is acceptable, or even entertaining.
In a multinational workplace like ours, where humour and hierarchy differ across cultures, some may see such incidents as harmless banter. Yet these reactions inadvertently normalise disrespect and weaken the shared standards of professionalism that international schools depend upon.
Three Frameworks for Responding
How, then, should one respond when faced with this kind of situation—one that is emotionally charged but professionally ambiguous?
- Immediate Containment
In the moment, restraint is vital. Reacting defensively or publicly can escalate matters and shift attention away from the inappropriate behaviour itself. Composure allows space for reflection and for regaining control of the narrative later. - Reflective Processing
After the incident, reflection is essential. Donald Schön (1983) emphasised the importance of the reflective practitioner—learning from lived experience by examining it critically. Writing about the event, discussing it confidentially with a trusted colleague, or seeking mentorship can help to transform confusion into insight. In multicultural environments, reflection also means considering how cultural factors might have influenced intentions or interpretations, without excusing the breach of professionalism. - Boundary-Setting Conversations
Once emotions have settled, it may be appropriate to address the situation privately—either with the guest or with school leadership. Using assertive yet professional communication (as described by Thomas Gordon in Teacher Effectiveness Training, 1974) can re-establish expectations. The goal is not to assign blame but to restore professional respect and prevent recurrence.
Collegial Responsibility and Culture
A healthy workplace culture depends on collective responsibility. When others minimise or laugh off breaches of respect, they contribute—perhaps unknowingly—to a culture of tolerance for incivility. Conversely, when colleagues quietly affirm one another’s dignity and speak up for fairness, they model the very integrity schools aim to teach.
International teaching environments thrive on diversity, but they require shared values of professionalism to function. Without those shared standards, cultural differences can easily be misread as excuses for discourtesy.
Conclusion
After 20 years of teaching around the globe, I can say with certainty that professionalism is tested not in policies, but in everyday interactions. Respect is not only a rule; it is a practice—one maintained daily through choices, restraint, and solidarity.
For new teachers stepping into unfamiliar environments, moments like this can be shocking. But how we respond, and how our colleagues respond, reveals the culture we inhabit. Emotional labour, reflective practice, and calm assertiveness are not signs of weakness—they are the quiet strengths that sustain dignity and credibility in the most human moments of our work.
References
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behaviour in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
Goffman, E. (1955). On Face-Work: An Analysis of Ritual Elements in Social Interaction.
Gordon, T. (1974). Teacher Effectiveness Training.
Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The Managed Heart: Commercialisation of Human Feeling.
Schön, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action.
Biography
Luke Wyles has over 20 years of global teaching experience and holds a Master’s in English Language Teaching. He has taught in diverse international settings and worked as an English and Spanish interpreter in the Amazon, travelling across all continents. His specialisations include exam preparation and sociolinguistics, and he has a deep passion for promoting physical wellbeing through exercise. Luke has also written a collection of children’s books. Drawing on decades of classroom experience, he writes to support new teachers navigating professional challenges in multicultural environments, offering practical insights into maintaining dignity, authority, and reflective practice.
