Module Two

MODULE TWO

An Effective Leader

        According to the resource Leadership Characteristics That Facilitate School Change, “Leaders of educational change have vision, foster a shared vision, and value human resources.” 

        One of the most effective leaders I have worked with has been the principal at my school. One of the changes she has been working toward with diligence has been implementing teaching strategies in our classrooms that will challenge and engage students and require them to use higher order thinking skills.  What initiated this idea was the realization within our school that our students served by the special education program were getting left behind in some classes and subjects, and by some teachers. There was a large progress gap between these students and the regular education students. We needed more student engagement in the classroom, but we also needed to challenge students at a higher level.  We needed to make a change across the board to implement this vision that our principal brought to us.

        The first, and most important thing she did was to clearly communicate the need and vision to us, and give us some time to discuss possible responses.  To foster a shared vision, she put committees together at the school-wide level, and also broke us up into grade levels to brainstorm and discuss possibilities.  When we all became part of the solution, we felt more valued. 

        She then made use of the human resources available to her, and rather than lecturing us about her plans for a solution, or bringing in an outside element to speak to us about our shortcomings and how to solve them, she has had us teaching each other.  The other reason why this is so effective is because even the teachers guiltiest of contributing to our progress gap with special education students are required to teach others how to lessen that gap.  We’ve been charged at each grade level to work as a team to come up with examples of activities we do in our classrooms that engage all students and require higher order thinking skills.  Each team is given two hours of professional development time to pass on the activities via teacher participation activities, videos, and demonstrations. 

        Even if all teachers didn’t share in our principal’s vision at the outset, we’ve all been valued in becoming a part of the response.  Through teaching each other, we’ve been able to more readily see our own shortcomings and gather ideas from sources close to us, which has made the response more meaningful and lasting.  We’re all keeping each other accountable, because we all have a stake in the process.

Leadership Skills Assessment

       According to the Leadership Skills Assessment on the Mind Tools web site, the skills I was strongest in were motivating people and being a good role model. These are probably my strengths, because they are also things I look for in a good leader, things I value quite a bit, and I can’t say that I’ve really found them very often.  I think these two skills go hand in hand. I’ve always felt it was important that a leader be a good role model, have integrity, be someone of trust, a person who will do what they say they will do.  When someone like this is leading you, and they have a vision for something, people are likely to feel very motivated, and do whatever they can to help carry out the vision.

       A couple of the skills I need to develop are self-confidence and providing a compelling vision, which are two skills I also feel are intertwined.  I definitely tend to second-guess myself a lot, which can get in the way of putting forth a vision for others.  Once I’m clear about where things should go, I can get others motivated and lead by example, but getting to that point can be difficult for me. I listen to the naysayers and criticizers far too often.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to listen to them less, and do what needs to be done, but it still proves to be a challenge for me.

        In looking at the leadership styles described in the resource Leadership Characteristics That Facilitate School Change, I think my leadership style is one of being a visionary who communicates and listens effectively.  There have been other leadership positions I’ve been in, previous to teaching, where I think these strengths were more apparent.  Teacher leaders have to have the freedom at their workplace to exercise leadership skills, and I don’t know that every school environment is conducive to that happening. Given the authority and opportunity, I think this would be my style of leadership, as well as valuing human resources.  I am not a leader who likes to micromanage.  As a team leader at my school, I’ve had to recognize the strengths of other teachers on my team, and delegate responsibilities accordingly, and I’ve never had a problem with that.

The Secrets of Change

        One of the Six Secrets of Change (Sheninger, 2014) is to "Connect Peers With Purpose."  In my description of one of the most effective leaders I’ve known, I describe a perfect illustration of this.  Making the teachers a part of coming up with and carrying out the solution when a problem is presented will provide purpose.  Also, going beyond the school and involving the students and community when a vision or change is going to be a sizable one, is a good way to ensure success.

        Another Fullan Change Secret is "Learning is the Work."  In the study by Gao, Wong, Choy and Wu (2010), the authors state, “As the participants explored constructive teaching approaches…they discovered their own ‘tech savvy’ strengths.” As teachers are given new tools for technology, and participate in the training to use those tools, they also will need the freedom and consistent support within the school environment to learn how to use them daily, in the classroom.  That is the real work.  Once this begins to happen, new leaders are recognized and can be utilized for even more support.

Social Media in Schools

       While reading Chapter 4 of the book by Sheninger, I have been struck by how willing he is to lead by example, even when it hasn’t been comfortable for him.  I think this is what keeps a lot of administrators and school systems from allowing social media in their schools.  They’re scared of what they don’t understand.  Building or school district administrators today do not regularly use many of the social media tools kids use, because the administrators tend to be older, and didn’t learn how to educate by using these tools.  They’ve heard horror stories about teen suicides and cyber bullying, cheating on tests and sexting, and they would rather not delve into the area of social media in the schools.  I think this does a great disservice to students today.  I think it is incumbent upon us, as educators, to do what we can to teach students to be successful in the world of their present and future, rather than teach them how to live in our world, or even the past.  Use of social media in today’s schools would need to be carefully regulated, and staff and administrators would need to have training that is comprehensive and long-term to implement the change, but it could also be a powerful tool to draw kids in, keep them motivated, involve the community, and help the school system be more successful in educating its students.