Relationships part 2

Relationship building among key people in a school community is the foundation of student achievement. In this blog post we will explore a bit more about how healthy relationships between and among students, teachers, and principals can mean a successful school experience for all.

To begin with, there must be a healthy relationship between principals and teachers. This relationship lays the foundation for the school culture and serves as the model for relationships between teachers and students. The teacher will be most effective when feeling valued, honored, and respected for the person he or she is and the work he or she does. Like any employee/employer relationship, the person in charge holds the most power. That power can take on many forms, including autocratic or collaborative. Studies indicate that collaborative leadership produces the most favorable outcomes. Ask yourself this. Is your school community collaborative?

To begin to answer that question, one must understand how a collaborative school looks and feels. One indicator is that the focus of the school is on the needs of the students. The person who best knows each student and his or her unique needs is the teacher. Every decision that is made must be seen through the perspective of the teacher-student relationship. Whether it is a decision about building, time, recess, homework, or lunchroom behavior for example, these topics must be discussed in the context of what is best for the students and teachers. Another indicator is a principal who creates an environment where collaboration with teachers is not only valued, but made to flourish. That is a collaborative school environment. An autocratic principalship does not work in this type of school.

The best example we have personally experienced was in an authorized International Baccalaureate elementary school where students were at the core of every decision that was made. In this environment, teachers created the standards-based curriculum that best met the needs of their students. The principal ensured that this model was successful in the school by allowing time, resources, and an action plan to make it happen.

Considering all of this, teachers must understand their responsibility in this process, which includes curriculum development, ownership of decisions, and intellectual engagement with their peers. Principals need to let go of some of their power and learn how to become more collaborative and less autocratic.

This is simply a snapshot of what collaboration looks like in a school and we encourage you, if you’re interested, to explore this topic further. Next time we will provide an insight into how district leadership and their relationships with principals and schools can help create a healthy environment.