“Respect and authority can’t be centralized,” a teacher told me a few hours ago as we walked out of school into the damp weather of a rainy mid-November evening. “It has to be shared [across the building].”
A wise observation that struck me. (I kiddingly gave admiring props which were quickly and laughingly rebuffed.) As I think about it though, there’s an embedded call in that statement for something essential–a collaborative and respectful school culture that extends beyond a traditional hierarchy of decision making and leadership (though there must also, of course, exist elements of this in a successful school as well). We had just spent nearly three hours afterschool in thoughtful reflection, grading and longer-term planning. On our way out, another teacher who had stayed late excitedly called us over, showing us the classroom norms, consequences and rewards posters he had been working on, themselves based on feedback he had culled from his students over the past few days.
Thoughtful educators having good conversation about issues of teaching and learning in their classrooms–from struggles to successes to newly-considered initiatives. I thought it to be more evidence to support the idea of teachers having real voice in our buildings to shape the culture and practice of our schools. Teachers don’t merely need to be managed and held accountable and directed, but perhaps more importantly, to be appealed to…to be invited substantively into the conversation and ongoing work of what can make the school a better place. Maybe it’s these ‘hidden’ conversations–supported, encouraged and shaped into the substance of school policy and practice–that really hold the promise for more lasting school improvement.
Respect and Authority Can’t Be Centralized…
“Respect and authority can’t be centralized,” a teacher told me a few hours ago as we walked out of school into the damp weather of a rainy mid-November evening. “It has to be shared [across the building].”
A wise observation that struck me. (I kiddingly gave admiring props which were quickly and laughingly rebuffed.) As I think about it though, there’s an embedded call in that statement for something essential–a collaborative and respectful school culture that extends beyond a traditional hierarchy of decision making and leadership (though there must also, of course, exist elements of this in a successful school as well). We had just spent nearly three hours afterschool in thoughtful reflection, grading and longer-term planning. On our way out, another teacher who had stayed late excitedly called us over, showing us the classroom norms, consequences and rewards posters he had been working on, themselves based on feedback he had culled from his students over the past few days.
Thoughtful educators having good conversation about issues of teaching and learning in their classrooms–from struggles to successes to newly-considered initiatives. I thought it to be more evidence to support the idea of teachers having real voice in our buildings to shape the culture and practice of our schools. Teachers don’t merely need to be managed and held accountable and directed, but perhaps more importantly, to be appealed to…to be invited substantively into the conversation and ongoing work of what can make the school a better place. Maybe it’s these ‘hidden’ conversations–supported, encouraged and shaped into the substance of school policy and practice–that really hold the promise for more lasting school improvement.