I found that this is one of my favorites books I have read in this program. I really enjoys the way it breaks up the traits you must possess in order to be an effective leader and then puts them together to say that you need all of them. You can not be an effective leader if you only possess one or two of them.
Trust is a major challenge for any new leader. It is not something that happens overnight. You have to work hard to gain the trust of teachers. I am still working on a few after a year as their supervisor. In order to earn trust you have be available for your teachers and show them you are there to support them through your actions. It is also important that you communicate with them in a positive manner each day. Tell them hello, find a strength each day in their teaching, and follow through on what you said you were going to do. A good leader goes to the PLC meetings not to check up on them but to participate as a member of the team. A leader that has earned the trust of her teachers will have teachers going to them for assistance when they need it. One of the best moments as an Assistant Principal was the first time a teacher came to see me for help in designing a lesson. We sat in my office after school for over an hour developing that lesson and then the teacher asked me to visit the class when the concept was taught. This was not for an observation but just because the teacher wanted to deliver an effective lesson for a difficult concept and came to me for help. Those moments make you feel good about your decision to go into administration.
Another important point mentioned in the book was to be careful with how you communicate with teachers. One bad choice of words or one facial expression can take months to recover from. The best thing to do is be honest even if it is not what the other person wants to hear. They will respect you more for it than if you sugar coat the issue or give false hope because you don't want to deal with a challenging situation.
Pete,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insight and personal story! I think that was awesome that the teacher came to you and together you were able to work on the lesson plan and then she wanted you to come see it in action. I too feel that when you have that relationship with your admin, you are able to do that. I can imagine that it is hard to balance and make yourself available enough to the staff. Sounds like you are doing a good job if you have people coming to you. Thanks again!
I also agree that this is one of the best books. It's a book I know I will go back to time and time again for advice. You're absolutely right about the need to be careful with how you communicate with teachers. Sugar coating and false hope often lead to mistrust down the road.
ReplyDeleteHi Pete!
ReplyDeleteI loved your point about attending PLC meetings as an administrator to be a part of the team. That was very refreshing. Thank you for modeling for us daily how to develop trust on your campus!