Reflections on School Leadership

• EDUL 6013 and 6014 - Joseph Blase

   

  Introduction:

  Fortunately, I have had personal experience with principals who empower and encourage effective teachers, and have seen the benefits within the school and the classroom when these teachers are allowed to work to their full potential.  I would not be a principal who would feel threatened by these teachers (Blase & Blase, 2001). I spent my first three years teaching under principals who wanted to keep teachers from having power. I was certainly a subordinate (Sergiovanni, 2001). I enjoyed the actual teaching, but most of the other experiences at the schools were negative. I had to fight to do anything outside of the ordinary with my students. I almost left the profession out of frustration. Then, I decided to shop around for a true leader. I definitely found one.

When I started working for my current principal, it took a while for me to believe that she trusted me to do my job. I was surprised when she invited me to participate in decision making and to step up as a leader because she saw potential in me. She did not see me as a threat. She wanted me to grow with her. The affective dimension that was completely missing at my old schools made me feel like I was part of a community at my new school (Blase & Blase, 2001).

I believe as a leader that the affective dimension is crucial. The readings repeatedly mentioned the importance of the leader's focus on the welfare of those that she serves. I believe in servant leadership, and it is through servant leadership and my ability to be a good follower that I have gotten where I am today. As I continue to self reflect and move forward, I intend to focus on my own growth and the cultivation of leaders around me through a clear vision, meaningful staff development, the promotion of innovation and creativity, problem solving and opportunities for improvement, conflict resolution, and balance.

 

On Vision:

I believe that vision is one of the single most important qualities of an effective leader and an effective school. I think that it is something that is hard to track as far as its cost or benefit to an organization, but I believe that the benefits of having a clear vision are abundant. The vision answers the age old question, "Why am I here?" Despite what some people say about their jobs, very few people work hard and love their jobs if a vision and/or sense of purpose is not clear to them. People who work solely for money are few and far between, and they are not the people that I want working for me.

I agree with Sergiovanni's (2001) idea of purposing as the combination of the leader's vision and agreements that the groups shares. It is through sharing my vision and helping others to come to consensus on the purpose of the organization and the agreements that we will commit to that I will be able to motivate others to become more than subordinates. It is through real motivation and shared values that leadership density is increased. It is my belief that motivation will not come if those that would follow me do not believe that I truly care for their welfare and best interests and the best interests of the organization. They have to see my personal vision through my actions and understand that my vision aligns with their vision and the vision of the organization. Then, they will be truly motivated.

If a clear vision and purpose is forged by the community, the outcomes will be tremendous for teachers, students, parents, and other community members. I believe that it is through vision that all other goals can be accomplished. The clearer the community is about what our ultimate goal is, the easier it will be to make crucial decisions about what we do. When we know what we want to be , we can more easily decide what we need to do to become that. The challenge will be to include members of the community at the different levels that are affected when decisions are made. This problem can be addressed by including diverse members of the community in the decision making body and practicing shared decision making.

 

On Teacher Leaders:

I was struck by the statement that the shared governance school is a "learning community in which leaders become teachers and teachers become leaders ." (Blase & Blase, 2001, pg. 145). It reminds me of the saying, "Try walking in my shoes for a day." This seems simple, but it is essential that school leaders remember what it is like to be a teacher through experience and that teachers experience what it is like to be a leader. This is how mutual respect and open dialogue are built. Of course, the statement means more than just walking in someone else's shoes. I think that the real implication is that we share the load and walk together to accomplish the goals that we have set out to accomplish. While I walk with the community, I must recognize that at times our roles will rotate to better accomplish the purpose.

How do you go about rotating roles and still have clarity of roles? The obstacle in increasing leadership density and sharing leadership roles is in having the confidence and the clarity to let followers become leaders while realizing that my role will remain clear (Sergiovanni, 2001). Delegation is definitely easier said than done and is something that I want to focus on. Giving responsibility and trusting that the person will come to me if they need help, not smothering them with how they should accomplish the task and putting out their creative fire, is a skill that must be practiced and executed appropriately.

Sergiovanni's (2001) point that leadership and followership are inextricably linked is helpful to my grasp of delegation. The good followers in an organization can be equipped to be good leaders. Eventually, I can reach the level of delegation where the teacher leaders can act on behalf of the goals of the school and can work actively to equip future teacher leaders. To reach this point the leaders will have to be properly equipped. Some leaders get caught in the trap of feeling that equipping wastes their time. I hope that by equipping future leaders, I will be investing in time that I will get back later in folds. In order to put my energy into equipping leaders, I must have in the front of my mind the benefit of increased leadership density to the individuals within the organization and to the organization.

I am strongly drawn to John Maxwell's (1995) model for equipping leaders because it is parallel to what I have also found to be successful in my classroom. According to Maxwell, to equip someone to be able to accept responsibility and become a mentor to someone else, you must model, mentor, monitor, motivate, and multiply. Each step is crucial to the development of a leader. I have to be committed to follow through with each step of the equipping. I have to limit the number of people that I try to equip at one time or all parties will end up frustrated with the progress of the process. If I start small, soon I will have equipped a group of leaders who can generatively build new leadership within the organization.

To meet this goal, I will have to be selective in hiring. It will be important to ask questions that help to distinguish between a good follower/leader and a subordinate. Is the person just saying what they think that I want to hear, or are they speaking from their own beliefs and commitment to their purpose? Then, the question would become, do our purposes align and complement each other? Are we trying to create something similar? The community will be built to its fullest potential by good followers/leaders with a shared vision, not by those who will do only what they are told. Equipping leaders begins with equipping the school with the right potential leaders.

 

On Professional Development:

Professional development is crucial in keeping staff fresh, enthused and prepared for the next challenge. It can also help to make a school more sustainable. As I move into leadership I want to create staff development that aligns with the vision of the school and provides variety (Blase & Blase, 2001). Since I began in teaching, I have been surprised by how many staff development classes I have taken on differentiated instruction, while the staff development itself assumes that all teachers are at the same level.

I believe in teachers creating their own professional development plan through dialogue with their administrator, peers and/or mentors and in recognizing that teachers will be at very different levels. Too often staff development assumes that everyone needs the same thing. This is not only a waste of money and time, but it serves only to frustrate those teachers that are already incorporating the strategy or skill effectively in their classroom. I envision professional development held simultaneously on different skills and/or strategies and that each teacher must attend a session but has choice in where she goes according to her progress and plan. I imagine higher level teachers working in study groups to do research on topics of interest to them. I believe that this would illicit more buy in from teachers and encourage more metacognition throughout the school year.

I do believe that certain professional development activities should include the whole staff, so that the vision and purpose is continuously being reviewed and clarified through learning. I am excited about the idea of professional development workshops for all teachers in which teachers look together at student work and conduct teacher observations.

A challenge in professional development that, if met, would contribute greatly to the growth of all staff members is the building of Sergiovanni's (2001) definition of collegiality. In my experience, I have found that many teachers want their autonomy. They are willing to pitch in when needed to help with group goals, but they do not like to share their personal areas of improvement. They often do not want to have honest conversations about teaching and learning. There is a fear of being observed and sharing work.

I believe in the power of teachers teaching teachers. The challenge will be to set and maintain the expectation for shared learning and cooperation (Sergiovanni, 2001). I think that providing the framework for dialogue by creating common planning times with purpose and weekly staff development led by teachers on teacher requested topics will help to build the foundation for collegiality. True collegiality will come when there is mutual respect and the entire community learns to listen and trust exists. Schmuck and Runkel's (1995) view on trust as a fragile element that is difficult to build and easy to break poses the ultimate challenge to true collegiality, for in order to truly share of ourselves, we must trust that those with whom we are sharing will not take unfair advantage of us.

 

On Creativity and Innovation:

One of my strengths as a person, teacher, and leader is my creativity and ability to look at the big picture and see multiple options or solutions. I strongly believe in the idea of teachers as creative beings. I am emphatic about the importance of creativity to children. From my experience, children learn more when they create. If teachers are allowed to explore their creativity, then they create realms in which students can be creative. Promoting creativity and innovation stems from confidence in teachers as competent professionals (Blase & Blase 2001).

At my last school, the principal lost confidence in teachers, so he hired Direct Instruction to come in to teach us how to teach reading. We were literally given scripts of everything that we were to say and do during a 90 minute reading block. This experience almost broke me as a teacher. I was stripped of my power to create and to build connections to my students. I was also stripped of any hope that my principal believed in me as a professional. So, what do I do to keep this from happening as I move forward? I need to remember to trust teachers as professional and to empower them to become leaders. I will encourage innovation.

To provide a culture of creativity, I will encourage teams to plan together, but remind them that they are individuals and that what might work for one teacher may not work for another. I will also encourage them to share ideas that were successful at larger gatherings. Finally, I think that it is crucial to have administrators in place that are open to change, growth, and innovation. Too often administrators become closed to new ideas because they have gotten used to doing things a certain way.

On Taking Risks, Problem Solving, and Opportunities for Improvement:

As important as innovation is, it cannot happen without a willingness to take a risk. "Successful leaders typically bring to their practice a sense of passion and risk that communicates to others if something is worth believing in then its worth feeling strongly about" (Sergiovanni, 2001, pg. 154) As a leader, I have to be willing to try and fail and try again. Everything will not work as expected in every situation, regardless of research that might support the change. The view of problems as technical or adaptive is helpful in understanding that the school is a complex system (Owens, 2004). Some problems have a direct solution, but for most problems the answer is indirect and the results of any particular solution are unpredictable. Collaboration at many levels of the school community can help to pinpoint some of the possible effects of a change within a school climate; however, I need to remember that there will always be the unexpected. I also need to remember that followers follow leaders at the highest level because they respect the ideas of the leader. To maintain a body of teacher leaders, I have to respect and when possible incorporate their ideas as a part of the system of the school. I have to be willing to take risks with the ideas of another as I would with my own, if the idea is in line with the goals and purpose of the school. I have to be willing to engage with all of the members of the community to solve the problem in an adaptive way. This means I have to be willing to take a risk. It is in this way that the school can become transformational for the community members and satisfy the higher needs of its members. I need to avoid solving problems through transactional measures, for then I am only meeting the lowest needs of the members of the community and of the school (Owens, 2004).

As a part of collaborative and calculated risk taking, I am interested in capturing the decision making process with graphic organizers. When the leadership body meets to make a decision, we would have a graphic organizer on which to record all of our ideas, reflections, thoughts, pros, and cons. This would become a shared document that we would use to help to make the decision and to reach consensus. It would also be a working document, so that as we work through and implement the proposed solution to the problems, we record the effects of the solution that we see. In this way, we will have a record of how we solved problems in the past and of how those solutions worked in that particular situation. This might help us to solve future problems and to remain self reflective about the problems we are in the midst of solving. It would also serve to remind us that problem solving is a process not a destination.

I hope that by modeling a willingness to take risks, I will inspire teachers within my school to take risks in their classrooms. It is my intention to help them to see observations, not as criticisms, but as opportunities for transformation and growth (Blase & Blase, 2001). To me, good teaching is a process, not a destination.

 

On Conflict:

I know that one of my current weaknesses is handling conflict skillfully. I am a peacemaker by nature. I want things to go smoothly and for everyone to be happy. I often avoid conflict when I have the chance. I know that this is something that I must work on in order to be an effective leader because I know that conflict will arise. I need to begin by revising my attitude towards conflict. My previous feeling about conflict is that it is necessarily bad, but conflict is neither good nor bad. It is simply a part of life (Schmuck & Runkel, 1995). If viewed appropriately, conflict becomes an opportunity to improve and to become creative in how to solve problems and settle differences (Maidment, 1987).

Before conflicts can be solved, trust again becomes an issue. I intend as a principal to open communication pathways and dialogue by encouraging staff to share ideas and respect the opinions of others. In shared decision making, conflict often arises, but it is through the conflict that the best decision can be made to benefit the students' learning. By encouraging all parties to speak, I can increase the chances that the students will receive the best solution. I can also increase the likelihood that conflicts will be addressed proactively.

Conflict often rises out of misunderstanding of expectations or intentions. I am working on an agreement with myself to not make assumptions about other people's intentions. For me, assumptions led from misunderstanding to further misunderstanding. Instead of assuming, my goal is to work on questioning to understand someone's point of view and intentions. From the Schmuck & Runkel, (1995) text, I thought that the following strategies would be helpful to in this respect. Checking expectations to help determine if the conflict is due to role discrepancies clarifies any misunderstandings and the origin of the conflict. In addition, I think that the role negotiation worksheet would be helpful in encouraging participants to honestly assess what works and what doesn't work in the role relationship. If done in a group, it would also create an opportunity for participants to see how they are perceived by others.

A particular weakness for me is handling mistakes that I make and conflict within myself. I tend to be harshly critical of myself when I make a mistake, which opens the door for others to join in the fun. I think that the point of listening to rather than interpreting criticism is key to maintaining balance. I was struck by the statement in this piece that "this coping inadequacy is not due to modesty. It has its roots in our childish belief that other people are the real judges of our actions" ( Skills for coping and conflict ). I have to work on separating other people's statements about or to me from my beliefs about myself. I have to become my own judge.

From Maidment's (1987) text, I appreciated the strategy of encouraging legitimate resistance. Often, conflict is a reminder that I have gone against something that is strongly valued and that I need to carefully consider the ramifications of the decision. I want to encourage teachers to speak up when they have legitimate concerns because I recognize that I cannot be an advocate for everyone all of the time. Diversity within the decision-making body will help to provide different legitimate resistance viewpoints.

A strategy that worked well to help teachers to become aware of conflict skills at our school was diversity training by the students. The students created skits about how to handle conflict in their lives and presented these to the teachers. The goal of the training was to encourage teachers to invite the students into their classrooms to work with their students on conflict skills. However, the unexpected side effect was that the teachers began to focus on the similarities instead of differences. The teachers were more attentive on that day than they had been all year. In leading the discussion after the presentations, I noted that the teachers seemed more open to dialogue and gave more input. The students proved to be an inspiration for honest self reflection and more mature dialogue among the teachers.

Despite all the strategies and example situations laid out in the text, it is clear to me that resolving differences is something that must be handled on a case by case basis and is, therefore, something that will improve over time and with experience and self reflection.

 

On Balance:

The final topic I want to address is balance. Knowing when to be there and when to back off is crucial to the success of a leader and to the growth of the followers of that leader. Creating balance within my personal and work lives will also be a major determinant to my prolonged success. I am entering leadership knowing that I have all the skills, heart, knowledge, and energy needed to be successful. My success will depend on my ability to create balance within my life and my school, so that each member of the community feels supported for what they have accomplished and at the same time strives for continual growth.

 

Conclusion:

I could point to hundreds of tips, pointers, and suggestions about what principals should do throughout the readings; however, to me the most important and prevalent suggestion that I will take to heart is to care deeply for those that you serve and to keep the best interest of the organization, the vision, out in front. I think that by focusing on helping others to grow, as I did when I was a teacher, I grow through them and with them. I think by giving my all to an organization and working to help the goals of the organization to be met, I grow with the organization. By giving, I will receive.




References:

 

Blase J., & Blase, J (2001) What successful principals do. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin.

 

Maidment, R. (1987) Conflict: A conversation about managing differences. Reston , Virginia : National Association of School Principals.

 

Maxwell, J. C. (1995) Developing the leaders around you: How to help others reach their full potential. Nashville : Nelson Business.

 

Owens, R. G. (2004) Organizational behavior in education. Boston : Pearson.

 

Schmuck, R. & Runkel, P. J. (1995). The handbook of organizational development in schools and colleges. Prospect Heights , Il : Waveland Press.

 

Sergiovanni, T. (2001) The principalship: A reflective practice perspective. Boston : Allyn & Bacon.

 

Skills for coping with conflict.