Building & Leveraging relationships with Staff & Colleagues
"Resonant leaders live and lead with hope and optimism. They capture passion- their own and that of others-and use emotion, relationships, and vision to move people towards a better future" (McKee, Boyatzis, & Johnston, 2008, p. 2).
“Great leaders do not create followers, they create more leaders.” ~ Tom Peters
Starting with Administration
My Relationship with Ms. Thompson and Ms. Bond
From my journal entry dated 10/13:
"It is now my second week at Palumbo and I am feeling at home. Ms. Thompson is very supportive. She is also bringing me into the fold by assigning me teachers to informally observe and whose lesson plans I will be reviewing and offering feedback. She also allowed me to make contacts within the district and learning network."
From my journal entry dated 10/27:
" Tuesday brought my first experience in instructional rounds with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Carrera and Friday brought with it the opportunity for me to present, ever so briefly, my Writing-to-Learn initiative to the school and ask for volunteers. "
From my journal entry dated 3/8/20:
"This week has been long and arduous like some weeks can be. I have much to prepare for in the upcoming week, but I did have some notable experiences. First, I was able to help in creating the school plan for next school year. Secondly, I was able to assist in a Youth Court case involving social media. Third, I had a chance to take the helm of the school - ever so briefly - while all other administrators were away at meetings. "
Not all Relationships Were Easy at First...
From journal dated 11/03/19:
"During our conversations I had asked you how I engage teachers that do not want to be engaged. I have been trying to sit in on the classes of teachers on my caseload but needed to get permission first. You had offered the suggestion of greeting the teacher while standing in their doorway and so I did. I was told to leave by the one English teacher because I was distracting him. Well, I left and looked his schedule up and returned during his prep period and apologized for distracting him. He also apologized for being short with me and explained that he wasn’t feeling well at the time. I asked him why he didn’t respond to my email and he responded with “no offense, but I don’t have to.” I told him that I was not offended and that was the reason why I stood at his door. I explained to him that I am not there as an administrator but as a teacher that is trying to become a principal so that I could work with teachers, not against them. We need more principals in the district that still remember what it’s like to be a teacher. He conceited those two points. I apologized again and left. I then emailed him asking if I may be a part of his formal observation, and pre- and post-observation meetings and explained that I would not talk, I would not offer input, I would just watch. He responded to my email, and agreed for me to observe his observation. That was a tough nut to crack, but with your help and suggestions, I was finally able to do it. [...] What really helped too was the fact that I stayed positive and took my time like a resonant leader, (McKee, 2008)."
Writing-to-Learn workshops
"In our work we find that bringing employees together in peer groups to discuss change initiatives can create accountability, mutual generosity, a judgement-free attitude, and increased pressure on reluctant employees to change" (Ferrazzi, 2014, p.24).
From journal dated 10/20/19:
"Although classes at Palumbo seem quiet, and students are behaving, it does not mean they are engaged. Yes – students are more compliant here, but that does not mean they are really thinking in class. This fact is also reflected in the school survey that was taken at the end of the last school year by 776 students. In the question that asked, “my teachers encourage me to work hard” 70% of students agreed. In the question, “my school meets my learning needs” 45% of students agreed. On the question, “my teacher really listens to what I have to say” 41% of students agreed. Clearly, there is room for improvement and Ms. Thompson’s initial insights seem to be validated by these survey results. Enter the writing-to-learn (WTL) initiative."
It got better...
Excerpt from Teacher Support Project
"It is incumbent on the principal of a school to ensure each teacher is supported so they do not feel as if they are alone in this work. A leader must strike a balance between being a critic and being a cheerleader all in the name of developing staff in a way to enhance student learning outcomes. In my experience until now, I have found that dialogue skills and empathy are invaluable tools in doing this. That is not to say that the principal should know all the answers. However, a principal should be adept at determining the needs of teachers and providing teachers with resources that fulfill those needs, all while building a support structure of teachers, for teachers, within the school community and beyond. I doubt that I would have come to these epiphanies about leadership if not for the work I did this year."
Leveraging Results
From journal entry 2/1/20:
"That being said, I could not let that bad news get me down. There is still work to do and there is still more I have to give Palumbo this school year. On Tuesday we had our instructional rounds. The problem of practice was getting students more genuinely engaged in lessons and fostering a learning environment of student voice. I took the lead of these instructional rounds and picked teachers that I have been working with and developing using Writing-to-Learn strategies. The first classroom was the math classroom which was the class Dr. Carrera really wanted to see. She was floored with the level of authentic engagement and student voice. Students were creating their own word problems, equations, graphs, drawings, and tables and then presenting all of this to the class after which they got feedback and questions from classmates. We then went to two English classrooms where there was a Socratic seminar with a veteran teacher and a figurative language jigsaw while reading a speech by Malala Yousafzai with a first-year teacher who I have been mentoring since my other mentee resigned. After the instructional rounds, Dr. Carrera said she was going to tell Dr. Hite about this and that she is going to shout us out, whatever that means. Maybe we will be asked to share this at BAM - we’ll see. I took this opportunity and asked Dr. Carrera to advocate for me and my application. Later that day, she called Mikiko Poy in Department of Recruitment & Staffing about me. The matter still pends but at least I am on her radar."
And then it "clicked"
From journal entry 2/23/20:
"While at work today I also had a chance to answer emails. One email was particularly exciting. Word of my work around math instruction is moving around the district and the professional learning specialist for our network reached out and asked if I could collaborate with a teacher at Constitution High School. Of course I said yes and so we are setting up a time to meet and the manner in which this collaboration will take place. The successes I have seen with this program are in part due to my ability to build relationships but also due to my persistence."
