Creating a Culture of Growth
I've been inspired by a post from 2012 by Robert Evans speaking about creating a culture within a school. I've heard him speak a few times through webinars and have recently read his most recent book. However, this post was timely (when I read it), bringing together ideas I've been considering for the past few years regarding leadership. Specifically, Evans discusses how a leader might "install" a culture of growth (I define as a community that is free to, and eager to, question and reflect on both their own practices and those of others). While seemingly obvious that we, as educators, want to grow, it doesn't happen naturally. Why? There seem to be a few reasons:
Teachers are, by default, isolated. Observation is infrequent, and intentional discussion of practice is often "accidental" at a common gathering area or lunch table.
It is uncomfortable to focus on where we are weak. Teaching is a positive profession. For example, we try to always look for good in students. It is natural that evaluators, who are themselves often teachers or former teachers, also seek a positive outlook while evaluating.
We take things personally. This is natural, if not a default requirement for teachers. As Evans puts it, "No parents want their children taught by someone for whom it [education] isn’t personal" (Evans, 2012).
So how do we get better about creating a culture for growing? We start small and build from there:
Recognize the natural tendency to default to placation. "Collegiality depends on agreeing that the work of the school is about performance and development. This demands a sufficient level of open and honest communication, and so the commitment is also to apt and relevant candor with one another" (Evans, 2012).
As a leader, get to know people. Visit teachers. Have teachers visit each other. Repeat as often as possible. (I'll follow up with this soon in a future post about the research about building a culture.)
Avoid the third-time rule. Quite simply, don't be a third party to one person complaining about another for a third time. Suggest finding a solution or avoiding complaints.
Traditional conflict resolution. We know these: I statements, avoiding direct blame, finding the win-win(-win?) scenarios. While simple, these do work.
While some of the recommendations from Evans seem obvious, his article provides a nice reminder to leaders who claim to be striving for a culture of growth. By articulating the typical problems and providing solutions, this can be used as a roadmap within an institution to create a stronger culture of growth.
Citation
Evans, R. (2012). Getting to No: Building True Collegiality in Schools.Independent School, 71(2), n2. http://www.nais.org/Magazines-Newsletters/ISMagazine/Pages/Getting-To-No.aspx