ESSENTIAL QUESTION: As a school leader, how do I advocate for equitable instruction, culturally relevant communities of learning, and foster a mission that envelopes every member of our body in acceptance and understanding?
Authentic CommunicationIt is interesting to compare these two processes. When participating in the math debates, we as a team came up against some habits of poor communication. Until this point, our team had been collaborating, creating spaces for creativity and originality, and genuinely challenging one another to press the set parameters of our work. Then suddenly, we were with a group that struggled to take risks and shut down thoughts without providing other options. Eventually, what happened was that a few who were considered specialists in the field of mathematics began a side chat and began planning the group project. Upon reflection, the group was too large to make more nuanced decisions, but as a team, this decision should have been made in the community. Then we could determine how the work would be divided together. Eventually, this did happen, but I learned from this experience how easy it could be to lose team trust and proper communication with a single decision. Thankfully we were a team of good communicators, and we resolved the tension. The remaining team members moved on to placing our energy into the Issues in Science Presentation. These two projects answered my question: Can a leadership team be too big? Yes.
I was reminded of how better we were together at every team meeting. Our unique voices and experiences created a more prominent space full of diversity, struggle, courage, brilliance, and truth that alone we did not possess. The authenticity and transparency in which we worked and communicated created a microcosm of beauty that led us to thrive as a leadership team. |
Trust the TeamLeadership Team 7 has been a practice in trust and excellence. Each team member has their strength and exceptionality. As a team, we determined early what these were, but they evolved throughout the semester as we served, listened, and worked to create opportunities for learning and development. One assignment I felt we all shined was when we made a professional development opportunity connecting Mathematics and the Arts. Walter Myrick is an Art Teacher in Philadelphia, and he had seen an integrated art lesson that allowed for a cross-curricular, integrated math/art lesson. As we heard his idea, it was inspirational to watch as he and Joe Tabasco went back and forth collaborating on how this could be done authentically. As they began to head in that direction, the rest of us started working on the Memo and the presentation. We met weekly to establish where we were and reflect on our ideas and practice. I was almost brought to tears during the presentation watching the team seamlessly share our plan and developed concepts. This was not the only time this happened. However, it was an excellent example of how respect for one another's areas of expertise and a desire for collective thought something beautiful and creative was developed. I hope to provide opportunities such as this to those I lead in the coming years.
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Communication and collaboration are essential as schools move into spaces of inclusivity. A leader must be able to communicate the expectations and bring others alongside during the establishment of processes and development of mission/vision. This is especially true when modeling reflection and transparency, which are critical components in developing cultural relevance and equitable practices. Jentz states, "So, it's critical to your success at the outset that you commit yourself to learn how to communicate, as opposed to communicating simply to persuade, direct, or inform. You must learn with and through others about your practice; otherwise, you can't make needed adjustments on the authoritative-collaborative dimension of your leadership (Khalifa, 59)." When bringing someone along in their reflective practice, it is impossible to force the process on anyone. It must be a journey of inquiry and honesty. Coaching and evaluating someone with cultural relevance within their learning space must be done with gentle and kind guidance. It will require vulnerability, and that will not happen if there is no trust and relationship. Evans reiterates this when he says, "For school leaders to be effective and promote institutional change, they must be authentic. They must inspire trust based on their integrity, savvy, vision, and strategic biases. Becoming an authentic leader requires one to examine their personal beliefs and experiences. The qualities of authentic leaders are not achievable by all but can be cultivated and developed (134)." Not everyone is going to transform at the same pace. Patience and time are required (Schaaf).
The more one can get curious, open one's ears, mind, and heart, and walk through the familiar terrain as a visitor, the more likely one will be able to emerge with new insights and revelations that can lead to more clearly defined problems and new solutions.
Silver & Cohen
Silver & Cohen