Slides
Script cards
Groups get their card on paper. Keep these closed when you present, and open one only for your own group. On every card, you are the K-12 teacher who overhears or is spoken to, and Ms. Forté is the colleague being discussed. Use your own names for the other roles.
Card 1: The Hallway
Setting: After school in the 10th-grade hallway, you walk past two students who don’t see you.
- Student A: “I don’t understand anything in Ms. Forté’s class.”
- Student B: “I asked her twice. She just says go figure it out.”
- The students notice you and go quiet.
- Student B: “Are you going to tell Ms. Forté?”
Your play: Write what you say next, and what you do not say or promise.
Source notes
- Schmidt, in Education Week (2017): don’t join in; smile and change the subject as delicately as possible; “there is NEVER a good reason to share negative or confidential information about another child or colleague.”
- Doherty, Tes Magazine (2018): don’t agree and don’t ignore it; listen, then follow your school’s complaints policy.
- Penn State help-seeking brief: students value compassion and strong listening more than problem-solving advice.
- Sacramento City USD memo (Penal Code 11166): a teacher who knows or reasonably suspects abuse or neglect must report it; telling a supervisor does not substitute. So you can’t promise secrecy.
Think: How do these change your answer to “Are you going to tell Ms. Forté?”
Model script and notes
One possible version. Your group’s version will differ.
- Student B: “Are you going to tell Ms. Forté?”
- You: “Thanks for being honest with me. I don’t know her class, so I can’t say what’s going on there.”
- You: “I’m not going to repeat what I heard. The only time I can’t keep something between us is if someone is being hurt. Then I have to tell the right person.”
- Student B: “So you won’t tell her?”
- You: “I’m not going to take this to her. What have you tried so far?”
- Student A: “I asked in class, and it didn’t help.”
- You: “Try asking again with three parts: what I tried, where I’m stuck, what I need. You could write it down, or ask before or after school. Her help hours, a tutor, and a study group can help too.”
- You: “I haven’t seen her class, so that’s all I can say. Come find me if something else comes up.”
Notes on the moves
- Stop and Withhold: You don’t agree, defend, or repeat anything (Doherty, Tes; NEA; AAE).
- Say what you don’t know: “I don’t know her class” keeps you from guessing (Doherty, Tes).
- Be honest: You promise nothing you can’t keep. A suspected abuse or neglect report must be made, and telling a principal is not enough (Sacramento City Unified).
- Listen: You ask what they tried before offering help (Penn State; Columbia EPIC).
- Helping them ask again: This is teaching practice, not a legal rule, so it is not sourced here.
Card 2: The Lunch Question
Setting: The teachers’ lounge at lunch. Earlier this week, you overheard one group praise Ms. Forté and another say they can’t follow her.
- Colleague: “Have you heard anything about Ms. Forté? Some of my students say she’s the best teacher they’ve had, and others say they’re lost.”
- Colleague: “Come on, you hear things.”
Your play: Write how you answer without passing anything on or taking a side.
Source notes
- Schmidt, in Education Week (2017): redirect the conversation, use a polite exit line (“I don’t want to interrupt your lunch by talking about that”), or leave the room if it continues. Don’t trust “keep this between us.”
- NEA Code of Ethics (Principle II): don’t knowingly make false or malicious statements about a colleague; don’t disclose information about colleagues from your work unless there is a compelling professional purpose or the law requires it.
- AAE Code of Ethics (Principle III): don’t reveal confidential information about colleagues unless required by law.
- Doherty, Tes Magazine (2018): don’t share it in the staffroom.
Think: What can you say to your colleague that follows these?
Model script and notes
One possible version. Your group’s version will differ.
- Colleague: “Have you heard anything about Ms. Forté? Some of my students say she’s the best teacher they’ve had, and others say they’re lost.”
- You: “I really don’t know her class, so I can’t say.”
- Colleague: “Come on, you hear things.”
- You: “I do hear things, and that’s why I don’t pass them on. If students are lost, her help hours or a tutor are good places to send them. If it keeps coming up, our school has a process for that.”
- You: “How did third period go for you?”
Notes on the moves
- Stop: You pause instead of trading stories (Ferlazzo and Schmidt, Education Week).
- Withhold: You say nothing about what you overheard, and you don’t pick a side (Doherty, Tes; NEA; AAE).
- Route: If it repeats, the path is your school’s process, not the staffroom (Doherty, Tes).
- Redirect: Changing the subject politely is the exit line the Education Week piece recommends.
Card 3: The Background Remark
Setting: Outside the library, you overhear a student talking quietly with a friend.
- Student A: “A teacher said things about my race and my family, like they already knew everything about me. It felt so weird.”
- Student B: “I heard that teacher was out of school last year over something like that.”
- Student A: “Please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to get them in trouble.”
Your play: Write what you do next, and what you say to Student A about confidentiality.
Source notes
- CA Dept. of Education, Uniform Complaint Procedures: complaints alleging discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying are filed in writing with the district superintendent or designee.
- U.S. Dept. of Education, Title VI: covers race, color, and national origin discrimination; a school can be found to discriminate if a hostile environment is “left uncorrected.”
- Santa Cruz County Office of Education policy BP 5141.4: mandated reporters “shall not investigate” suspected incidents.
- NEA Code of Ethics: confidentiality has an exception when disclosure is required by law or serves a compelling professional purpose.
Think: These sources don’t say who a teacher tells first, so check district policy. What can you honestly tell Student A about confidentiality?
Model script and notes
One possible version. Your group’s version will differ.
- Student A: “Please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to get them in trouble.”
- You: “Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry that happened. I can’t promise to keep it secret, because what you described could be discrimination, and I need to take it to the right person. I won’t investigate or talk to the teacher myself.”
- You: “I’ll tell you who I’m going to, and what happens next. You can tell me what happened in your own words, and I’ll only ask what I need to pass it on.”
- You (to Student B): “I don’t know anything about last year, and I won’t repeat it. That’s secondhand.”
- You (later): You go to an administrator or the district’s discrimination complaint contact, and you follow your district’s policy.
Notes on the moves
- Listen: You let the student get it out, then thank them.
- Be honest: You don’t promise confidentiality. You say what you must do (Sacramento City Unified; NEA allows disclosure when the law requires it).
- Route: Bias or harassment goes through the district complaint process, not child protective services (CDE Uniform Complaint Procedures; Title VI).
- Don’t investigate or confront: Santa Cruz COE says mandated reporters do not investigate suspected abuse; the same restraint fits here.
- Withhold: You don’t repeat the rumor about last year.
- Check your district: These sources don’t say who a teacher tells first, so confirm your district’s policy. If a student describes being hurt, it is a mandated report.
Card 4: The Direct Ask
Setting: After class, a student stays behind. You teach a different subject and have only nodded hello to Ms. Forté in the hallway.
- Student: “Can I ask you something? I don’t understand anything in Ms. Forté’s class.”
- You: write your words here
- Student: “I already asked her. She said go figure it out.”
Your play: Write the rest. Show yourself listening, asking, and pointing the student to a next step, without reteaching Ms. Forté’s content or giving an opinion about her.
Source notes
- Columbia EPIC (2021), summarizing Peeters et al. (2020): students weigh learning goals against risks like upsetting the teacher or being mocked; teachers can treat help-seeking as a positive sign of learning.
- Penn State help-seeking brief: students value friendliness, trustworthiness, and listening that shows understanding.
- Bacal, parents-teachers.com (about parents): usually it is not your role to get between a parent and another teacher; refocus on what you can control. He also suggests the person raise it with the teacher.
- Doherty, Tes Magazine (2018): listen first and let the person get it out.
Think: Does “raise it with the teacher” fit when the student says “I already asked”? What would you do instead?
Model script and notes
One possible version. Your group’s version will differ.
- Student: “Can I ask you something? I don’t understand anything in Ms. Forté’s class.”
- You: “Thanks for telling me. That sounds frustrating. What have you tried so far?”
- Student: “I already asked her. She said go figure it out.”
- You: “Okay, I believe you. What did you ask, and what did she say?”
- Student: “I asked how to start the essay.”
- You: “Let’s make it a more specific ask: what I tried, where I’m stuck, what I need. Something like, ‘I made an outline, but I can’t tell if my thesis answers the prompt. Could you look at it for five minutes?’ You could ask in writing, or before school. A tutor or study group can help too.”
- You: “I haven’t seen her class, so I can’t say more. But that’s something you can try. Tell me how it goes.”
Notes on the moves
- Listen: You ask before you advise (Doherty, Tes; Penn State).
- Treat asking as a good sign: Students risk upsetting the teacher when they ask for help, so asking shows learning (Columbia EPIC).
- Believe “I already asked”: This is teaching practice, not a sourced rule. Bacal and Doherty suggest raising it with the teacher, which this student already did, so you try a different route.
- Stay neutral: You don’t reteach her content or give an opinion about her.
Card 5: You Chimed In
Setting: The teachers’ lounge. Colleagues are complaining about Ms. Forté’s class. A student teacher sits at the next table.
- Colleague A: “Did you see her grades come in? Nobody can follow that class.”
- You: (laughing) “I’ve heard the same thing.”
- Colleague B: “Wait, you’ve been in her class?”
Your play: Continue from here. Show how you recover with your colleagues and with the student teacher.
Source notes
- Doherty, Tes Magazine (2018): nodding along can look like agreement.
- Schmidt, in Education Week (2017): if you gossip, the news will most likely get back to the person.
- Univ. of Montevallo Career Center: gossiping about teachers can cost an educator students’ respect; respect colleagues even when you dislike them.
- NEA and AAE codes: no knowingly or willfully false statements about a colleague.
Think: You said “I’ve heard the same thing.” What had you actually seen? How do you recover?
Model script and notes
One possible version. Your group’s version will differ.
- Colleague B: “Wait, you’ve been in her class?”
- You: “No, I haven’t. I shouldn’t have said that. I’ve only heard it secondhand, and I don’t actually know her class.”
- Colleague A: “Well, everyone says it.”
- You: “Maybe, but I don’t want to add to it.”
- You (to the student teacher, later): “Earlier I piped in about Ms. Forté, and I shouldn’t have. I don’t know her class. If you ever have a concern about a teacher, talk to your cooperating teacher.”
Notes on the moves
- Stop adding: A short correction is enough. You don’t need a speech.
- Say what you do and don’t know: “I’ve only heard it secondhand” (Doherty, Tes: nodding along can look like agreement).
- Withhold: You don’t repeat what you can’t back up (NEA; AAE; Education Week: gossip tends to get back to the person).
- Repair later: You tell the student teacher what you did and where concerns go (Montevallo: interns talk to their cooperating teacher).
- Notice what pulled you in: Wanting to belong. Plan for it next time.
Sources
Links checked October 11, 2026. Rules vary by district, so confirm your district’s policy and the current statute before relying on this.
- Sacramento City Unified, Child Abuse Reporting memo 2022-23 (opens in new tab). Summarizes California Penal Code sections 11166 and 11167. All educators are mandated reporters; report by phone immediately or as soon as practicably possible, then in writing within 36 hours; the trigger is reasonable suspicion, not proof; telling a supervisor or principal does not substitute for making the report.
- Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Board Policy 5141.4 (opens in new tab). Mandated reporters report known or suspected child abuse and neglect and do not investigate.
- California Department of Education, Uniform Complaint Procedures (opens in new tab). Complaints alleging discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying are filed in writing with the district superintendent or designee.
- U.S. Department of Education, Education and Title VI (opens in new tab). Title VI prohibits race, color, and national origin discrimination in K-12 public schools that receive federal funds, including hostile environments a school leaves uncorrected.
- NEA Code of Ethics of the Education Profession (opens in new tab). Educators shall not knowingly make false or malicious statements about a colleague (Principle II), and shall not disclose information about colleagues or students obtained in professional service unless there is a compelling professional purpose or it is required by law (Principles I and II).
- Association of American Educators, Code of Ethics for Educators (opens in new tab). Principle III. An educator does not reveal confidential information about colleagues unless required by law, and does not willfully make false statements about a colleague.
- University of Montevallo Career Development Center, Teacher Professionalism (opens in new tab). Compiles articles by Stacy Zeiger. Professional educators do not gossip; teachers handle disagreements in private and avoid talking negatively about colleagues in front of students; interns with concerns talk to their cooperating teacher.
- Shannen Doherty, article on what to do when a parent complains about a colleague, Tes Magazine, November 11, 2018 (a UK teaching magazine) (opens in new tab). Don’t agree, don’t ignore it, don’t share it in the staffroom, listen first, and make someone else aware by following your school’s complaints policy.
- Robert Bacal, article on when a parent complains about another teacher, parents-teachers.com (opens in new tab). Your role is usually not to get involved as a third party; refocus on what you can control; step in only when the complaint involves illegal activity or a child at risk.
- Larry Ferlazzo, “Response: New Teachers Should ‘Leave Gossip for Tabloids & Reality Shows,’” Education Week, September 17, 2017, with advice from Rebecca Schmidt (opens in new tab). Don’t join in; smile and change the subject; use a polite exit line; leave the room if it continues; never share negative or confidential information about a colleague; gossip tends to get back to the person.
- Columbia University Teachers College, EPIC: why students avoid seeking help (2021) (opens in new tab). Summarizes Peeters, Robinson, and Rubie-Davies (2020). Students weigh learning goals against risks such as upsetting the teacher or being mocked; teachers can treat help-seeking as a positive sign of learning.
- Penn State, Students, Teachers, and Help-Seeking Behavior (opens in new tab). Students value friendliness, trustworthiness, and listening that shows understanding more than problem-solving advice.
These guides agree on the basics: don’t join in, don’t gossip, listen, and don’t criticize a colleague in front of students. They differ on one point. Bacal suggests encouraging the parent to raise the issue with the teacher, and Doherty lists speaking to the colleague as one option. This activity instead points to your school’s process, since you may not know the colleague well. These are practitioner guides and codes, not peer-reviewed research or a full teacher-preparation textbook.
The four moves combine advice from these sources; the grouping is ours, not a published framework. The advice on helping students who say they are lost (listen first, believe “I already asked,” make a specific ask, point to other supports) is teaching practice rather than a legal requirement.