Entry # 37:
It's Time to Be
the Leaders We Seek
As I have been thinking over the change I seek at Turner Middle School,
my mind returns again and again to James Redfield's The Celestine Prophesy
and the first insight found in a fictional, mystical manuscript. In general
I do not embrace much of the new-age material out there, but I do like the
emphasis on concentrating on a higher consciousness. Who can argue with
a philosophy that extols the virtues of spirituality, being conscious of
the effects of our actions, and connecting with people, nature, and experiences
rather than getting caught up in material things?
In The Celestine Prophesy Redfield writes that the first insight
begins "as a profound sense of restlessness." People are looking
for more profound experiences and deeper meaning in what they do. He further
writes that although this has occurred throughout history, what makes it
different now is more people are experiencing this restlessness, reaching
a critical mass that will have an intense effect on the world and its culture.
I do not know how much of that I believe, but it did put me in mind of what
seems to be happening at Turner.
Earlier in the year I wrote about my frustration with staff members and
the general slow pace of change at Turner. At the time I decided to form
a reading group in an effort to begin a dialogue about effective teaching
and learning. Unfortunately, even with my very best intentions, the group
never even got close to getting off the ground. Initial queries received
at best lukewarm response, and my fear and outright dislike of being in
the firing line pretty much cemented the deal for this year at least.
Rumblings of discontent
In any case, it may have been wiser to wait. As I have talked with colleagues
I respect over the past few weeks, I hear the rumblings of discontent with
the status quo. I find that as I talk with one person, they have had the
same conversation with yet another staff member, and we all seem to be coming
to the same conclusion about what needs to happen at Turner at exactly same
time.
We have reached a critical mass.
My instructional coordinator and I were talking about our frustration with
a few of our staff members last week. Basically, some staff members have
shrugged off their professional responsibilities, claimed ignorance of expectations,
and have blatantly ignored directions from the principal and instructional
coordinator. As a teacher, I am tired of hearing colleagues whine when they
are called on something they are doing wrong, and my instructional coordinator
is frustrated that no real consequences have been administered to these
same teachers.
Other teachers are frustrated because they see how the actions of a very
few are making life difficult for the rest of us in terms of discipline
and instruction. We dream of a school where all of us are on the same page,
serious in our intentions and actions to create a school where order and
learning are prevalent. We have been waiting for our principal to take control,
to make the few teachers who are not about the business of teaching
children be serious teachers.
We were wrong.
It was either the Dalai Lama or Ghandi who said, "Be the change you
seek." While most of us are, in fact, following that idea in our classrooms,
we are not necessarily applying it to leadership. We have all been looking
to the principal to solve our problems while that may not even be possible.
After all, we cannot make anyone be or do anything they do not willingly
decide to do themselves.
Time to be professional
We have decided that on our staff of perhaps forty teachers, only five or
six are real problems. They are, however, responsible for a great deal of
unrest. We have griped to each other about them, tried to ignore their petty
or ignorant actions, and have essentially given our power up to them.
No more.
As we have talked to one another, we have come to the conclusion that since
we outnumber the troublemakers, we have the power to create the type of
school we want. We are guilty of standing idly by, waiting for our principal
to tell them they are wrong when they create problems or shirk responsibility.
When one of my team members began complaining to me about receiving a write-up
because his records were still a mess after two detailed explanations complete
with sticky-notes marking each error, I should have told him he was wrong
instead of keeping my mouth shut. When another teacher began spreading untrue
rumors about another staff member, the person she was talking to should
have told her she did not want to hear it and walk away.
I think we feel we do not have the right to call our colleagues on their
behavior, and I do not mean to suggest we should be hypercritical or seek
out opportunities to put our two cents in. Rather, I think when someone
says or does something we know to be wrong we should tell them the truth.
We have the responsibility to be professional.
The staff is participating in professional development all summer long,
and we have decided to meet to decide exactly what we want for our school.
We have reached a critical mass, and we have chosen to take on the responsibility
as a team which is a lot more effective than each person working alone.
After all, there is safety in numbers, right?
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