With technology always seeming to change everything around us, one thing still remains true: communication is at the heart of good leadership. Whether it be in person, through writing, via email, or online, a staff needs to understand who their leader is, what they expect, and when to expect it. Some of the learnings that I had from this chapter came from the sections titles, “Frame It!” and “Group Pitfalls”.
Our district is currently facing the challenges of change (building Professional Learning Communities) and the turmoil of the state budget crisis. Now more than ever, we are looking to our leaders to process these situations and guide us in positive directions. The way they react, frames the situation. As stated, “A hopeful administrator is likely to frame the situation as an opportunity, a challenge to be pursued; a cynical administrator may frame the situation as a disaster.” I feel that the same is true in our classrooms. Every year we ask our students to undertake the task of state testing. Our attitudes as the teachers influence theirs. Being aware of these opportunities to practice leadership skills is important.
As I mentioned before, our district is following the same suit as others and has jumped on the PLC bandwagon. Unfortunately, asking teachers to work more closely in groups/teams can lead to undesirable results. Attitudes are often contagious which can lead to laziness, apathy, and a lock of critical thinking. This year I am serving as the grade-level captain and I do hope to curtail these negative attributes of group dynamics. When effective communication is in place, team members feel valued and are more willing to work together. Honing leadership skills within these smaller groups will lead to a better understanding when in an administrative role.
I'm glad to hear that your district has taken the PLC direction. It has made a tremendous positive change within our district. The competitiveness within a grade level is no longer evident. Common goals and team planning has brought much success. I was very fortunate that when we began our journey I was part of a great 4th grade team. We shared a common vision and shared students. We flexed grouped and our students did a daily rotation in math, science, and social studies. We shared in the success of all of our 4th graders. It created a cohesive discipline, grading, classroom management, etc. within our grade level. The success relies on trust within your team and once that trust is evident then you will see the value in the PLC. I look forward to hearing about your success in this process.
ReplyDeletePLC's can definitely be difficult to implement with teachers who are used to working in isolation. Our grade level finally got through the storming stage and we are now finally seeing the benefits of a PLC.
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