1. I’m not in an admin preparation program, but have been plowing through administration-centered textbooks lately to prepare for January’s Powerful Learning Conference. (When in doubt, go to the library!) A lot of what I’m reading is excellent: deep discussions on building culture, morale, and how to create safe environments for learning in an increasingly-unsafe world. Most of the authors I’m reading weigh accountability against the many challenges our communities face with empathy and a visible belief that professionals are doing the best they can in less-than-ideal circumstances.

Most authors.

Though I’m not naming any names, I’ve noticed an intensely irritating habit in several texts so far. When sharing examples of how individuals can impact schools, these authors bring up teachers (fair) and specific situations (of course) in a way that paints these educators as unfailingly negative, entitled, and lazy* (what?!). The initial insult stings, but the deeper cut is that this is literal textbook material for our next generation of administrators. How does training the next generation of administrators to distrust their staff prepare them for success?

I’ve made myself a very big, bold note to share during my session at PLC: teachers are not the problem. For that matter, administrators are not the problem. I’ll go one further: people are not the problem. People are the only way to solve the problem.

Whatever the challenge in our schools might be — low attendance, flagging morale, or more urgent issues like unhoused students or school safety — it’s better to face it together. The people in our school & home communities are the ones who can come up with solutions and are the only ones who will be able to implement those solutions effectively. By casting any group in our schools in a consistently negative light, we cut ourselves off from all of their support and investment. Not a great look.

I’ll keep reading and give a shout-out to texts that don’t engage in this very frustrating habit. We need great administrators to support great students and teachers; they don’t need to be falsely pitted against their own staff before ever setting foot in an office. Argh.

 

*For example: in a section about school culture, the only examples shared about teachers were about tardy teachers influencing their peers to get to school late, harried teachers grousing about the lack of value in school assemblies, and jaded teachers “warning” new staff away from new initiatives. I get the need for positive and negative examples, and I’d never argue that any of us are perfect human beings! But when the only examples are negative,  deprofessionalization and distrust begin. As a leader, I want to hear about enthusiastic teachers cheering at football games, competitive teachers recruited to play life-sized Hungry Hungry Hippos at assemblies**, and generous teachers volunteering their time to mentor new staff. 

**This was one of the best things I’ve seen in my LIFE. I’ve never heard a roar of laughter like I heard from those 1,800 teenagers. Tell me they didn’t see the dedication in their teachers that day.