By Julie Peterson, Principal, Woodford House, NZ
I have always seen education as the land of opportunity. The role of teacher is narrowly typecast by those who have passed through their classrooms and people don’t realize how varied teaching positions can be. I started out as an English teacher and have had the most diverse and fulfilling career. I don’t know why more don’t consider being a teacher. You can have numerous different academic roles, run productions, lead excursions and committees, spearhead initiatives that are important to you and follow your passions across academic, sports, and social issues. What we may consider to be a plethora of demands and challenges in education today are actually incredible career opportunities for those who lean in to be part of a dynamic, team-oriented environment.
There is also a mythology we are up against of that one teacher that makes a difference; but the truth is the really rich, powerful experiences and transformative moments students experience are not through one adult but through the combined effect of everyone having their eye on the ball and knowing where they are going as a collective. It is the cumulation of moments in a day, how things are done around here (or culture), and the pedagogy of space and place and team that defines the experience students have.
This concept that we are an ecosystem around a young person’s life where they enter it at a young age and then graduate several years later is humbling. Two thirds of our students at Woodford House are in boarding. For them, it is a big life experience to be living at school and highlights the importance of teachers engaging with students across experiences and contexts. We need to orient our collective actions, attitudes and values to help them understand they are not alone and have many sets of eyes on them. School can be lonely and isolating or a warm and supportive home environment. It is up to us as leaders to define that environment. A good teacher understands there is so much that is possible and so much benefit to both them and students when we seize the opportunities at hand.
We Are Holding Ourselves Back
If we are to create welcoming, connected environments for students, it must happen for teachers as well. We see the side effects of teachers taking on the world in their own classroom. There is burnout and, ultimately, a lost sense of purpose. Loneliness and too much time in your own head are the real detractors from good outcomes in people’s lives today. And the busier we tend to be as a society, the more loneliness pervades.
Something has happened in recent decades where teachers have created more boundaries and become more rigid around the definition of their role. I interpret it almost as a self-protective mode. A common response to stress and overwhelm is to retreat and become self-limiting and get locked in a mindset box of “I am here to teach chemistry”. Ironically, teachers put themselves more at risk by retreating.
What we need to thrive through challenges is, in fact, the opposite response. We need to be looking over the edge at what is coming next to shape what is possible. This is why I focus my energy and efforts as a leader on the early adopters that are at the edge of the frontier and trying new things, even if it has never been done before.
When teachers emulate the very things we want to instill in students we don’t need to teach them. It becomes part of the culture. When teachers move into leadership roles, formal or informal, we have that opportunity to be role models for students. The more you play different roles the more it fosters connection and belonging and frees you up to bring your authentic self to your role to reach your full potential. My advice to teachers is to do what energizes you and the opportunities will find you.
It’s as much for you as it is for them.
Taking a Unified Approach
As a leader, you need to set out the expectation that we are all aiming for the same flag on the hill. If schools are to create environments where students can thrive today, strategic planning must surmount an individualist approach in schools. To create environments where both teachers and students thrive takes a collaborative effort that supersedes individual contributions. None of this happens without leadership, a clear strategy, and a spirit of teamwork to bring it to life.
Healthy systems and structures help teachers to know they are not alone because they are designed in such a way that all stakeholders feel upheld and valued for their role. This includes not only students and teachers, but school leaders as well as they are in some ways most at risk of feeling alone and under it all. With the demands that are showing up inside and outside of school walls today, it is more important than ever to create cohesive team cultures with a clear sense of direction.
There is much research on the value of teams in organizations outside of education including the work of Patrick Lencioni, author of the now famous The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. While late to the party, we can begin to shift the lens on how schools have run. Building more robust teams in schools is becoming a necessity as we address the complexity of issues and needs at hand. Today’s teaching is a vocation where you don’t just teach knowledge and content but connect with and embrace the broader community and world. And teamwork is at the heart of community.
When people understand they are part of a larger organizational structure that is working collectively and collaboratively to support young people to be their best selves, they begin to realize what an impact they can have as a team. Burdens become shared responsibilities that don’t just reside on one person’s plate.
The Closest Thing to a Silver Bullet
One of the things I learned early on in my leadership is that there is no silver bullet. If I tried to be fountain of knowledge and solve every problem, I would have burnt out years ago. School leaders need to have boundaries. Leadership in schools today means having grace to carry the weight. It is the best job in the world with some of the worst days you can imagine. We can have the best day outwardly and behind the scenes be dealing with the worst of humanity – vulnerable students, challenging parents, unengaged staff.
As leaders, we sometimes need to create the illusion that we are moving through the world with ease and the most effective way to do that is by drawing out what is present in those around us. Coaching teachers and students alike to redirect their question or request back into themselves and asking them “What do you feel is the answer?” can be empowering and transformative. It not only ensures you are taking a collaborative approach but harnesses the untapped resources and potential of everyone around you.
Today’s educational leaders need to just pause and hold space for things rather than being in constant action – even though that may have been the very approach that got us where we are in our career. Be calm, listen. And don’t ever be under pressure to make a decision. Sleep on it. The world will wait another day for you to measure twice and cut once. The ripple effects of our actions as leaders help form an ecosystem where others can thrive.
We all are at the effect of an increased pace and heightened demands and must resist the compulsion to just get things off our desk. If we are to avoid burnout in ourselves and our teams, we are the once who must set the cadence. The ripple effects of our actions as leaders helps form an ecosystem where others can thrive.
Getting Out of Our Own Way
On the macro level we can see erosion in the school system today, curriculum, academic standards and rigor, teacher burnout, and the politicizing of education. None of these are advantageous to students. We have lost our ability to work in community and need to revitalize this from primary school on through. Waiting for the experts to tell us what to do leaves us helpless. The truth is, we need to get out of our own way. And what we do on the microcosmic level in education will inform the macrocosm over time.
Rather than trying to make the old systems work anymore, many schools are taking ownership of their journey and, in the process, seeding what education will look like for the next generation.
To do this we need to focus on where the energy is. For example, SHINE is a narrative mentoring program we developed that is now in its fifth year. It is incredible to see how many different things are in the portfolio from workshops to pop-ups to journalling to Shine in Action and a self-development program called Pathfinder. All through grassroots efforts. If something is growing and expanding and gaining momentum each year that is a true measure of success.
Creating a happy, thriving institution each day is critical to impart a healthy sense of well-being, belonging, and resilience in today’s world. A big part of this is empowering staff and students alike to contribute to that environment. What inspires me most is connecting with staff and students who want to take it to another level. As a leader, I focus on those who embrace change, are early adopters; and, I try to spark an innovative spirit in our teams. The followers will catch up as they become part of the new systems and cultures we create.
The message we try to imbue in students that we are already whole and complete, and we can solve our own problems needs to extend to staff. WE are all active agents in our school, our community, and the world. More than ever, students need to feel a sense of agency in an overwhelming world. We need to get out of students’ way. There are cohorts of students in our midst that could run a small country and we have them sitting alphabetically and raising their hand to speak when we give them permission. We are sitting on so much untapped potential.
When we empower those around us, we effect grassroots change. My fundamental philosophy is that people are inherently good and that the answers are within. You don’t have to buy a program or get a manual to solve issues in your school. If we quiet down and slow down enough to engage in quality reflection the resources are right in front of us.