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.

Relationships Part 1

“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.”  -Dr. James Comer

Teachers

We doubt ourselves, our professional worth, and societal value because we are constantly being judged by administrators, parents, colleagues, the media, and our students. These judgments make us feel as though what we are doing is always wrong.

Consider this…

A recent post that a teacher wrote about school supplies has been going around Facebook. This teacher shared a story about running into some of the families in his class doing their back to school shopping. His cart was full of supplies for the students in his classroom. A parent confronted him with the supply list and as her children watched, complained about having to buy so many things, oblivious to the fact that his cart was full of these same supplies. As the teacher went through the checkout lane and paid for his supplies, the family in front of him turned around, noticed his purchases and commented that he must be a teacher. This parent, with child watching, thanked the teacher for his important work and handed him a gift card. Reflecting on this later, the teacher realized how differently the children of those two families will think about school and education, based on the interactions their parents had with him. One child may think about the importance of investing in education and supporting the work of teachers. The other may think of school as a chore, as supplies to be crossed off a list, and question the value of teachers and education.

What does the teacher do to overcome the differing attitudes toward education as he or she begins to create the new year’s classroom culture of positive relationships?

Students

It’s a new school year. Each individual student has a different reaction to this annual rite. For some it’s about school supplies, new clothes, and a happy reunion with old friends. For others it’s the beginning of a new charade, when they again work to hide their realities at home (homelessness, poverty, violence) and be someone else at school. Still others come with apathy toward school which can result in conflict at school and at home.

Consider this…

Surprisingly to those who don’t work in schools, each new school year begins in a state of chaos.  Staff is yet to be settled because of enrollment and budget interdependencies; classroom and teacher assignments are potentially in flux until enrollment figures become more stable, which is usually in the second month of school; highly mobile families are yet to settle on which school their child will attend; and as always student transportation and all it entails can be a nightmare. And, most of the students can sense the chaos without an understanding of its source.  

How can we expect all children, with the complexity of their various needs, to successfully start school in a chaotic environment? What can teachers and other adults do to assist in calming the environment?

Parents/Guardians

Just as there are many differences in teachers and students, parents and guardians also represent a multitude of perspectives and attitudes toward schools. There are caregivers with a very narrow focus whose only priority is their own child and his or her success. Others may have a well-balanced perspective of their child as part of a diverse community of learners, within the larger school community. There are also some adults at home who for a variety of reasons are unable to be a support in their child’s education.

Consider this…

In any classroom we have parents who fit into all of these categories. It is not for us to judge, but to accept this reality. With this reality, all of us must band together and work to create equal and rich learning environments for all children. Do we think about parent involvement in a way that all children are represented? To be successful in school, all children must feel like a contributing member of their school community. It is imperative that teachers, students, and caregivers work together toward a goal of inclusivity.  

Relationship building among key people in a school community is what we are talking about.   In our next blog post we will explore a bit more about how healthy relationships between and among these groups of people can mean a successful school experience for all children, staff and families. This is truly the foundation of student achievement.