Becoming a high school teacher is a very personal decision as teachers must truly love what they do in order to offer the best environment to their students. It cannot be taken lightly and the events that transpire outside of the classroom cannot impact the teacher’s ability to maintain control within the educational environment of the classroom. As with any job, personal and family issues must be left outside of the school building and issues with the administration should not interfere with the work ethic of the employee However, in the education field, the decisions and leadership of the administration, especially the principal, directly impacts the ability of the teachers to conduct their jobs and to do so in an effective manner. The issues that teachers face with the students often require a team effort to resolve. If there is not a true leader in a team then the team will surely fail.
Through reading “Growth Strands for School Leadership” and preparing to write this reflection essay I have found that there are issues in the leadership at my school and these findings have assisted me in understanding some of the areas in which I personally struggle.
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The first point of the reading establishes the difference in a reactive leadership style and one that is proactive. The key difference is preparation. Often times a situation could be handled more effectively or avoided altogether if there was a plan to follow. Notably there cannot be a plan in place for every possible situation, but a overview of various situations can be helpful. The principal at the school that I teach at is effective at dealing with immediate situations. All of the required staff meetings are scheduled and conducted.
Everything that “has” to be handled is taken care of. However, impromptu meetings to discuss a potential problem that a teacher or staff member has heard of is not a part of his leadership plan. This would not be acceptable in the classroom. If I heard that someone was planning to cheat on a test then I would be expected to monitor that situation closer. Perhaps I would even enlist extra assistance in monitoring the classroom on test day. This would discourage the activity and prevent it from happening. This, to me, is the difference in reactive and proactive.
The second point that the reading made explained the importance of looking outside of one’s own comfort level and knowledge base in order to promote the team and the educational environment. This puts me in mind of the old adage “there is no I in Team.” My principal is a very well educated individual and has earned his right to become a leader. The area that I questioned mostly through this activity is whether or not he is willing to continue to grow. The ability to look beyond what an educator already knows for themselves allows for personal growth, team building, and increased awareness for the students. Should the principal promote such an atmosphere then the teachers would more readily follow suit. Outside of the required Parent and Teacher Conferences, the principal does not engage in scheduling community activities that involve the school. Therefore, it makes it difficult for the educators to teach culture and compassion within the classroom.
The third point was the most eye-opening area when I read the article. The encouragement for growth on the educator level is not fostered by the principal at my school. Unfortunately, this is an issue in many schools as researchers have noted that “competence and autonomy inspired and energized some of these teachers, it also made it unnecessary to be highly engaged. Their administrators reportedly paid little attention to their choices and did not intervene” (Kirkpatrick, 2014, pg. 231). It is a requirement of the state that teachers continue their education by a set number of in-service hours. However, the information that is received at these training programs are not regularly shared with those who did not attend that particular program. Often, the principal is unaware of who attended which meetings and who is behind on their training hours. If the principal would be more engaged in the educators at the school, it would encourage the teachers to be more engaged as well.
The fourth point, in my opinion, is very closely related to the previously stated second area of the reading. Again, in order to teach culture and compassion for the community, an educator must have access to these programs. The principal is the leader of the school and the teachers follow the leader. At some point, the novelty of attempting to make a difference runs thin when there is little encouragement to do so. Community leaders and cultural affiliations will respond more rapidly to a principal’s request than that of a teacher. Therefore, the responsibility to lead the school into a true function of the community falls upon the leader.
The fifth area is reflective of the third. There is a desire among teachers that suggests that they want to learn and grow. However, according to Kirkpatrick (2014), may teachers whose “efforts to improve their practice or contribute to their school had been ignored or discouraged, either said they would leave teaching or had disengaged as an alternative to leaving” (pg. 231). Sadly, I witness this in my own personal view of the school.
Encouragement and recognition is taught in the education field. We are all aware that this promotes a better learning environment for the students. What the principal is failing to see is that this would also promote a better teaching environment for the educators.
In general, on a professional and by-the-book aspect, my principal does his job. However, I realize that there is a lot of improvement that can be addressed to the by-the-book attitude. The reading did help me to see my areas of discouragement. Through that information I hope to be able to adjust my feelings in the following term and realize that this attitude is coming from my disappointment with the leadership and should not impact how I react within the classroom.
- Kirkpatrick, C. L., & Johnson, S. M. (2014). Ensuring the ongoing engagement of second-stage teachers. Journal of Educational Change, 15(3), 231+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA373657864&v=2.1&u=bluefld_mai n&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=199379b66ec79bb051cc7506e54cef6e.
