This month in District Administrator, Gary Stager, wrote an article about building relationships with students and that can give all students the opportunities to be successful. It is in the February issue of District Administration 2008 Teach the Kids You Have. He continues to challenge our ideas about diagnostics, learning styles, testing, putting students in groups based on whatever a test says, etc. His point is if we just build relationships our experience will pave the way to educate all students through the use of compassion and a knowledge of working with kids not at them. As educators we have a bag of tricks that includes the latest in pedagogical skills but also weaves that in with instinct, keeping students engaged and believing there is a way to reach all. He says that too often ” the emphasis is one what the teacher does to the student as opposed to how to create the conditions for learning.” I was working with some of our guidance staff a few weeks back and found that their primary job is to test and provide results for diagnosis and analysis. I question if their time could be better spent working directly with children. Do we need to categorize and constantly put students in boxes or perhaps have a diagnosis that aligns to some sort of plan? Gary says that ” teachers who read, engage in professional activities outside of class, and knows each student will help them progress forward.” It is really why I originally became a teacher. I thought I had a gift to be that person. How many of us are tied by so much administrivia that we can’t move forward? The infrastructures alone to support the intense lists of tests and diagnostic tools is staggering. There are technical, personnel, and supervisory systems in place to be successful. I am not sure of the exact number but I might venture to say we could significantly reduce class sizes and have a lot more hands on time with our students. As an administrator who manages these systems it is frustrating and sometimes debilitating. I can’t always see the connections or the improvement it is making for our students that come to school without being fed, they were up all night because their parents were fighting, they are homeless, they just have not hope. How is testing helping them? Just some rants for the hour!
As we try to increase our leadership capacity in our district we continue to want to engage teachers in the process. We look forward to promoting leaders from within. Teachers are our greatest asset and to really plan and implement new programs their inclusion is critical. I have approached this with open arms and have been slightly side tracked in my thinking as I grow through this experience. My first comment centers around teachers seeing themselves as leaders and how that impacts their relationships in their respective schools. We all talk about building a trusting organization and in promoting that we need to include all. I wonder if we can ever get there and how do we change that culture. I think it is with teachers. As teachers sit alongside us in planning and strategizing there is sometimes a sentiment that they are crossing over to the darkside. They begin to feel a bit alienated and have to really juggle their feelings of inclusion in their schools and what it means to be part of “us.” There are some that might begin to distrust them and their effectiveness might be hampered by that. There are tough decisions to be made and those decisions don’t always come with favorable feedback from staff. Now they are making decisions and supporting initiatives. Their support comes out of the fact they are involved and engaged in the process. We are hoping they can transmit that to their colleagues to garner support and feedback to help inform the process. I have had some feedback that they are not always comfortable in that role as they get a bit of resistance and don’t always know how to react. In this process I realize we need to train and have those conversations with our teacher leaders to impart some of the strategies we use.
My second comment relates to scheduling and the general infrastructures of schools. We are trying to have two groups come together when one of these groups is booked everyday from 8 – 4 with no breaks (I did not say they can go to the bathroom). Meetings are difficult and time to network and just converse is at a minimum. If you ask our teachers they want to be in the classroom and they are just as torn. There is a “meeting” culture that is necessary to occur to move forward. Sometimes we as administrators move ahead leaving our teachers behind because of their jobs. How do we attempt to adjust that? I have often thought of partner teachers that can team with our teacher leaders so instruction is not impacted when they are out of the classroom. We need them to keep us on the right road and keep us connected to what is happening daily but have little access to teachers to do that except in hallways and maybe in the stall next to them as we meet in the bathroom. I know there are initiatives such as teachers on special assignment that can keep teaching in the loop and that is an option. In order to really impact the process and bring teachers into the fold I believe we need to relook at the whole infrastructure. I would like it to be more open to everyones involvement so all voices are heard.
In USA today – Tuesday October 24, 2006 there was a great article called “Generation Y gets involved.” In this time of increased “internet safety” programs for parents and increased paranoia about the internet and our children, this article shows us the power and positive impact the Internet should and can have. Our children need to make choices at every age and instilling that value in them is something we do as guardians or parents. That value should stretch across many arenas. This article shows how millenials are reaching out to create a civic minded and socially conscious website to express their views. They are working together to promote volunteerism and an interest in government. Visit Generationengage.org and celebrate the positive accomplishments of our youth and see how they can leverage social networking of the internet for a positive cause.
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