Leadership Connectors: Safety

This was a very helpful chapter and important chapter for any school leader.  The universal response for leaders is, "My number one priority is to provide a safe environment for my students."  That is true on so many levels, however it is equally important to create an environment where "everybody" feels safe from students to teachers to parents to classified staff.  Bullying behavior is prevalent at schools, especially secondary schools.  Students bully other students, teachers bully other teachers, and administrators bully teachers.  In order to create an effective learning environment, a leader must implement systems to counter this type of behavior and create a culture of compassion, caring, and interdependency. 
Bullying between students is something that can not ever be tolerated.  Disciplinary measures are not always effective.  A culture where bullying is not tolerated must be established.  The classroom is a great place to teach appropriate behaviors.  Teachers can have class meetings with their class to discuss the damaging effects of bullying, the support systems in place in case you are getting bullied or have witnessed bullying, and systems to help the bully.  Counseling and discussions with administrators can be very effective in changing these negative behaviors.
Another type of bullying exists between teachers and teachers and teachers and administrators.  Veteran teachers can be very unsupportive of new teachers and their new ideas and strategies.  An effective leader must supportive the ideas and establish opportunities for the new teachers to share in department or PLC meetings and share how the ideas are innovative and could assist the PLC or department in achieving its goals.  The process to building trust between teachers is critical and the administrator can play a vital role by providing opportunities to meet within the school day and encouraging active participation by all members.
The role of the administrator is continuously changing.  The manager that rules with an iron fist is being replaced by the collaborative instructional leader.  Working in collaboration with teachers and supporting their work each day will be more productive in establishing the trust needed to create a healthy school environment.  Teachers should feel comfortable to come to you with questions or problems without fear of retribution.  They must include the administrator as a member of the instructional team.  This type of environment does not happen overnight.  It must be developed over time through common goals and support for one another.  One way to do this is to give teachers credit for what they do.  If something works well, a leader should look through a window.  If something goes wrong, a leader should look through a mirror. 
I feel that the best way to earn the trust of your teachers is to admit that you don't know everything and that you have a lot to learn from them.  Yes, you still have to make the tough decisions when needed, but they will trust you if they know you are there to help and are not out to get them.   When they realize that you are on a treasure hunt each day, they will cease to believe that you are on a witch hunt. 

Blog Post for Ch. 1 and 2 of Leadership Connectors: Communication and Support

Wow!  These two chapters provided some great insight in how to become an effective leaders.  Chapter 1 talks about the importance of establishing consistent and effective communication with your staff.  Communication is transmitted three different ways:  verbal, written, and nonverbal.  The information you want to communicate with your staff must be clear and consistent, transmitted through an appropriate medium, and be composed in a way to allay any negative perceptions or confusion.  Effective leaders take the time each day to have positive conversations with all stakeholders at the school to thank them for the contributions they make to the school.  These conversations are held with teachers, custodians, support staff, students, and parents.  It is important, however to "frame" these conversations as an opportunity to continuously improve our efforts to support the school's goal of student achievement.  By framing conversations in a positive manner, your chances at creating an environment based on trust are increased, hopefully limiting the whispers in the staff room and conversations in the parking lot.  The story of Martin was a great example in using communication as a way to establish trust with his staff.  He consistently found something positive in every classroom visit and asked teachers to teach him the systems that were in place.  This humility developed a level of trust that allowed him to ask the challenging questions about student achievement later in the year.  The teachers were absolutely willing to do this with him.
Chapter 2 deals with another critical component of being an effective leader; support.  Teachers want to feel supported.  If they know they are supported, they will give you their best each day.  They need the materials that are required to teach from day one of the school year.  They need to make sure that they follow through on their promises.  If they tell a teacher they will get a new desk, that desk better be ordered and assembled before the first day of school.  Not following through on promises is a great way for teachers to lose the trust they had in you.  Furthermore, support not only refers to materials but also to people.  Teachers need support so that they are not isolated at the school.  They need support in assisting them with classroom management, organization, best teaching practices, etc.  An effective leader ensures that this is taking place by proving ideas and suggestions or seeking the assistance of veteran teachers or other administrators.
I took a lot from these two chapters that I can use to be an effective leader.  First of all, I have to continuously communicate with my staff.  I need to be present each day so that they know I am always available to assist them.  Many teachers do not like going to the Principal's office.  If I camp out in my office all day I will not get a true measurement of my school's climate.  Being visible makes you accessible and that is a great way to develop trust.  I will support my teacher's needs and ensure that they have the materials and technology required prior to the start of school.  I will share budget information with them and ask them for their input when making purchases at the school site or approving professional development seminars.  I will establish a council made up of myself and teacher representatives to share ideas and make critical decisions to improve student achievement.  Finally, I will work tirelessly in my support of all my teachers in providing them with the assistance they need to become effective teachers. I will get subs to conduct peer observations or to plan for the year.  I will conduct daily focus walks that will be formative in nature and initiate conversations with them around best practices and student learning.  Although these two chapters gave many suggestions, I feel that by starting with these I am on my way of becoming an effective leader.