Abstract:

Educational research focuses mainly on student results and assessment, the subject of teachers' professional development is also covered, but there is a significant lack of concern on relations among school staff and different dimensions of teachers' psychosocial work environment such as possibility of receiving support in school and relations with the principal. This issue is important due to several reasons. Cooperation encourages teachers' reflections on their attitude towards students and their teaching practices. If teachers cooperate with each other, they also tend to work more with students and their parents. Moreover it was demonstrated that such an attitude is beneficial for teachers themselves (prevents burnout, promotes greater job satisfaction), but also for students who become beneficiaries of cultural interaction among pedagogical staff by having better grades. (Fisher, Taylor 2012). In the paper we will present forms and frequencies of cooperation among teachers from countries participants in international research TALIS 2013 (Teaching and Learning International Study).

We will also describe the costs of cooperation, due to the fact that cooperation does not always give results as planned (Aronson et all., 1997). In this context the role of principal, as the school manager will be analyzed. The principal should discover talents among both students and teachers and adapt certain tasks to adequate people (in terms of collective and individual work, but many others things too). We will also discuss the teachers relationship with the principal, as well as the ways to support teachers by both the principal and other teachers. Positive principals' attitudes towards teaching staff are likely to produce benefits in terms of support for teachers, school improvement and student achievement.

The second part will examine negative aspects of teachers work such as competition among employees and mobbing or burnout as a consequence of stress in a teaching profession. The teaching profession is known for having many job demands which are strongly associated with burnout. Although world wide the relations between teachers are rather positive, it happens, however, that some teachers are victims of bullying in schools. We will explain characteristics of victims and aggressors in schools as well as indicators and consequences of
bullying.

Keywords:

Cooperation, teachers, relations in schools, international data.