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-
May | June 2018 29
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?
Ref lection is a tool that allows us to
ground ourselves in the work we’re doing by
centering our personal and professional val-
ues. Without reflection, it becomes increas-
ingly difficult to gather our own thoughts
and center our work.
Lots of educational practitioners, authors,
and researchers have shared how the power
of ref lection directly impacts our work as
educators. For example, “Cultures Built to
Last: Systemic PLCs at Work” by Richard
DuFour and Michael Fullan, and “Profes-
sional Capital: Transforming Teaching in
Every School” by Fullan are both books that
intentionally guide readers through reflec-
tion 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 struc-
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