fore you became an administrator . How did you navigate making changes ? Did you have a supportive leader who gave you a seat at the table ?
Reflection is a tool that allows us to ground ourselves in the work we ’ re doing by centering our personal and professional values . Without reflection , it becomes increasingly difficult to gather our own thoughts and center our work .
Lots of educational practitioners , authors , and researchers have shared how the power of reflection directly impacts our work as educators . For example , “ Cultures Built to Last : Systemic PLCs at Work ” by Richard DuFour and Michael Fullan , and “ Professional Capital : Transforming Teaching in Every School ” by Fullan are both books that intentionally guide readers through reflection and how reflection is key when thinking through school culture .
I am not saying that you need to share the depths of your soul until your heart bleeds your school colors . The type of reflection I ’ m referring to is both meaningful and structured to guide us to answer questions that remind us of our why . School transition is not fun – it ’ s draining , and there is a lot of uncertainty . However , reflection supports administrators in their efforts to build a staff culture that will help them refine this challenging work and humanize administrators to their teacher-leaders . Almost without noticing , this type of deep reflection , leads to the second R : resilience .
Resilience
While reading “ Resilient School Leaders : Strategies for Turning Adversity into Achievement ” by Jerry L . Patterson and Paul Kelleher , I realized that if administrators are clear about who they are , why they are in this work , and even why they chose to work at their school , they will develop a level of perseverance and self-efficacy that would not otherwise be reached had they not participated in reflection ( remember R1 ).
This book took an asset-based approach to the road to resilience , which ultimately begins with reflection . The authors used a research based approach to explaining the different stages of resilience and ultimately , the ways in which resilience seamlessly brings teams together . The book specifically focuses on multiple perspectives of reality ( given one ’ s positionality in the school-teacher vs . administrator paradigm ) and how an exploration of personal and professional core values leads to resilience .
The authors propose that resilience prepares schools for success through the use of reflection , open communication , and shared agreements that are the foundation for a collaborative school culture during the school year .
When leading a school through transition , reflection is paramount and the gift of building a culture of reflection is resilience . A culture of reflection that is both structured and meaningful lays the foundation for probably the most important R : relational trust .
Relational trust
While leading a school that is undergoing transition it is important to note that without the teacher-leaders on board , you ’ ve signed up for a ride full of chaos and turbulence – which no one wants .
Relational trust begins with feeling safe and vulnerable enough to share your story . This can take place through dyad activities , norm / agreement setting and many other socio-emotional activities .
On a lot of campuses across the country there is an “ us versus them ” mentality when it comes to the relationship between administrators and teacher-leaders . This distrust comes from many places : district politics , teacher burnout , power dynamics and underpaid teachers , to name a few .
A school without relational trust tends to have high turnover , low self-efficacy felt
Reflection is a tool that allows us to ground ourselves in the work we ’ re doing by centering our personal and professional values .
among staff and leaders , and most detrimental , students who are not being provided access to high quality educational experiences .
To foster relational trust , schools must engage in difficult conversations to develop a true understanding of each staff members ’ authentic self and how that directly relates to the ways in which they show up in the classroom and in their leadership .
For example , I ’ d like to think that relational trust begins with acknowledging that there are gaps in what you think you know and what you actually know about the teacher-leaders on your team . Do you know anything of substance about them ? Do they know anything of substance about you ? Do either of you know each other ’ s journey to the field of education ?
If the answer is no , you probably don ’ t trust your teacher-leaders and they probably don ’ t trust you . Harsh reality – yes , I know . Luckily there is a such thing as reflection ( remember R1 ) and resetting of adult culture .
Relational trust is not easy to gain , but also not impossible to earn . Relational trust is important to all school cultures , but especially to those undergoing some sort of transition because when times get difficult , at least you know you can count on the fact that your staff is willing to go the extra mile in service of the students . Once trust has been gained , your school is ready to move onto the fourth and final R : revisioning .
Revisioning sustainable systems and structures
The last R , brings the first three Rs together to really ensure a successful and sustainable school transition for all stakehold-
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