When reading about "The Buffer" I could not help thinking about one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons that I used to watch as kid. The episode where he took on The Crusher (pronounced "THE CRUSHA") who was a behemoth wrestler that had muscles on top of muscles and was an indestructable force, that is until he wrestled Bugs. This tiny little rabbit single handily took on and defeated The Crusher not by brute force but with guile and finesse. A new principal taking on the huge force of the Status-Quo reminds me of how Bugs Bunny defeated The Crusher and what it will take to make real change in schools.
The first quote I chose is from Prof. Bachenheimer's list- 1. D. We have created a system in which generations of talented, hard-working teachers have engaged in inferior practices without receiving feedback that would alert them to this fact.
The second two quotes are from Schmoker's book
2. "...non-interference is the best friend the status-quo could ever ask for. (Ch. 1)
3. "I'm impressed with how aware they are that isolation hides and protects ineffective practices and practitioners." (Ch. 2)
As a new principal, I will rely on some of my experiences as a leader and former company commander while in the Army. In many cases the answer to the problems we face is for the leaders to lead. The two problems I am covering are related with all three quotes I chose.
The problem with inferior practices being tolerated without any feedback is strictly a leadership problem. The practice of annual announced observations means that for the other 179 days teachers are allowed to slip into ruts or engage in practices that do not fully engage the students. A former Science supervisor I had told me that "The only work that gets done is the work that the checker checks." If supervisors only observe their teachers once per year it is only human nature for most people to stop challenging themselves and give in to the Status-Quo.
Leaders (supervisors & principals) must be willing to visit classrooms more often and give teachers feedback, even if it means telling the teacher something they do not want to hear. This leads into the second quote. Administrators need to get involved or "interfere" with their teachers daily operations. A leader that I have admired and have had the pleasure of meeting, Colin Powell, has a great quote when it comes to leadership. "Being a leader means that sometimes you have to piss people off." Leaders need to be willing to do and say things even if they are difficult and unwanted by the recipient. Good leaders do what is necessary even if it means having to take on the The Crusher. (otherwise known as the status-quo in this blog)
Schmoker mentions that teachers will admit that isolation hides and protects ineffective practices. I work with a few teachers who seem to contradict themselves in this area. They complain about the fact that our department office was turned into a classroom and we no longer have a place to collaborate. Yet when they are told that their tests and exams need to match with the teachers teaching the same subject they complain that they need to be left alone to teach how they see fit.
Many teachers seem afraid to step outside their comfort level and try new ideas. The only way to break this status-quo and defeat The Crusher is for leaders to confront ineffective teaching methods, push teachers to try new methods and then have them collaborate with their colleagues on what what works and what needs improvement.
As a new principal I plan to lead by example and make unannounced visits to classroom where I will give informal feedback to those teachers. If I were to see repeated poor practices than I would have the supervisor conduct additional formal announced observations. Getting involved is the only way to bring about true change in schools.
2 comments:
Being a movie buff, I love your "Crusher" analogy!
I agree that it is a leadership issue- a compelling leader who can manage to get out of his office, into the field, and to provide feedback to encourage change is a powerful force indeed.
Thank you. I truly beleive that the only way to bond with your employees is to get out of the office and establish a working relationship. A leader needs to prove that he is not afraid to get his hands dirty.
I did it as a company commander and again as a battalion operations officer, now I plan to do it eventually as a principal.
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