Leadership Platform

In reading "What Makes or Breaks a  Principal", Educational Leadership, Oct. 2009, I came across a section on Becoming a Person Who Values Relationships. I agree with the authors that a person has to have strong convictions before being able to form strong relationships. It is difficult to value a relationship with a person who doesn't seem to be grounded in anything.

Forming relationships is tricky when you're the boss. Fostering teamwork and collaboration is necessary when you have a group of people working toward the same goals. In the schools I work in, our ultimate goal is student achievement. In order to have the staff trust me, they need to know where I am coming from. This article leads me to reflect on the questions: "What are your definitions of power and authority; under what circumstances is their use by a principal justified?"

I think it was at a conference/workshop led by Rick Dufour, that the role of the principal was laid out and discussed by the principals and superintendents attending. I already knew that you could get more done if the people you are working with are on the same page. Dufour says that a school needs to be a learning community, not just for students, but for staffs as well. Just because everyone wants to see students achieve, it doesn't mean that the definitions of achievement and success are the same or that all people believe that all students can achieve.

Where does one begin? With himself or herself. So what is my leadership platform?  My core beliefs and my vision as a person come from a deep faith in God and an upbringing in a Catholic home. We were poor, but we had hope and a vision of a better life. My family had a lot of love to give, but as the oldest, I also had a lot of responsibilities. I grew up learning to negotiate, hold my own in an argument, and protect my view of the world. My father was very strict, but he also listened. My mom's faith kept her going through years of battling Multiple Sclerosis. My sisters and I were in charge of the household from the time we were old enough to make a meal and do the dishes. It was in this environment that I was taught that an education was extremely important and that there is no substitute for a deep faith. Not being afraid of hard work was also an asset. Still is.

Upon reflection, I believe that all students can learn and can achieve if the resources they need are available. I also think that staff can do their jobs well if they are supported. Goals need to be realistic and attainable. And we need to work together to achieve these goals. (No man is an island.) The tension between caring for the children in our schools and getting the work done is the dilemma we face every day. So what do I do? How do I look at leadership?

I begin with the children. They are the reason I have a job. By discerning their needs and providing for them in order for them to achieve, I need to have good help. By having the right staff in the right place, achievement is possible. This takes time, but it is forever in my mind. I also need support. Therefore, I need to keep my superintendent happy. Thank goodness this is easier when I focus on the children's needs and their achievement, because I believe that my boss is on the same page. She will also support me in getting the right staff in the right places.

In order to get all my staff to believe achievement is possible, they need to see it and experience it first hand. And this is what should take up most of my time and budget: response to intervention, classroom research, data collection and professional development for the staff and myself. Instead, I am dealing with behaviours, lack of attendance, apathy, etc. So, I go back to the beginning. What is our vision of our school? Who are our students? What do they need? and how do we make it happen?

My leadership platform is that we need to have a vision and we need to work on it together, based upon common values and beliefs. Therefore, when we get together here at the end of August, we will again review our vision, principles, and set new goals based on what we have already achieved.

My definition of power and authority is based on what I can get done with my staffs and parents, for students. If the students achieve, we are all winners. If the students are achieving, the parents and staff have no choice but to continue working for higher achievement. It is my job to encourage growth and learning in the students, parents, and staff, show them the data and provide time for the sharing of stories and celebration of learning. So, I really am not the boss, but the facilitator and coach for collaboration between students, staff, and community.