Normalize Saying 'That's Not My Area of Expertise
In this video, Dr. Justin Baeder encourages teachers to set professional boundaries by acknowledging when a student's needs exceed their training.
Key Takeaways
- Teachers aren't everything - Expecting teachers to be counselors, therapists, and social workers is unreasonable
- Admitting limits is professional - Saying 'that's not my area' and referring to the right professional is the responsible thing to do
- Specialization exists for a reason - Students with serious needs deserve help from trained specialists, not well-meaning generalists
Transcript
I don't know.
Not my job.
If you're an educator, normalize that phrase.
Practice saying that phrase.
And you may get in trouble if you say it in exactly that way.
But what you can say is, that's not my area of expertise.
I would recommend talking to a professional with training and experience in that area.
This is something that I think we have been conditioned not to say in the education profession because we've been seen as the Swiss Army knife of professionals.
We can be the one profession that can do everybody's job.
And I think we've got to finally stand up for ourselves and say, I can't do everybody's job.
I can't be a physician and a psychiatrist and a psychologist and a social worker and do 10 different people's jobs.
There are some things that I'm good at and there are other things that I am not certified in and just are not my job.
So practice saying that with me.
I'm not sure.
That is not my area of expertise.
Or if you are maybe in not the best mood that day, you can say, I don't know.
I don't care.
That's not my job.
It's not my problem.
And it's not that we should have that attitude, but I do think that is the reality that we can't take responsibility.
for every problem.
And I'm tired of the shaming and the guilting of teachers for not taking responsibility for every problem, because not every problem of society is on teachers' shoulders.
It's not on principals' shoulders.
Let it go.
Let other people, let other professionals handle their areas of expertise.
And let's focus on education.
Let's focus on teaching.
Let's focus on school leadership, because that is what we do.
Let me know what you think.