As classroom teacher for the last ten years one of the biggest attributes of an administrator that I found to be a necessity, is their ability to support students, parents, teachers, support staff as well as the culture of the school. Support seems to be one of those characteristics that can be over looked when things start to get crazy on campus. However, as chapter 2 indicates, setting up the support structures for teachers, office and support staff is an efficient and effective way of avoiding unnecessary roadblocks and pitfalls. Asking question, walking around campus, talk to people about their needs and everyday goings on seems like a no brainer, and yet some leaders miss it entirely. A good leader builds genuine and authentic relationships with his/her staff, maintain constructive dialogue and know when to sweat the small stuff. Most effective leaders will tell you that it’s the small stuff that can make or break a campus.
I loved your comment, "...and know when to sweat the small stuff." I couldn't agree more. Instead of getting lost in the everyday details of our work, which are the really key, but small details that make a difference?
ReplyDeleteGreat insight!
Don
I think you are exactly right about support being an essential part of building trust and relationships.
ReplyDeleteSupport is so important, especially to new teachers that need feedback to know if they are doing things correctly.
ReplyDeleteI see your point about setting up the structure for support at the beginning so that when things do get crazy the structure is in place to keep things in order. It is crazy how you can have a normal day turn into chaos with just a few student or teacher issues all at once. Sorry so late on posts, just able to send comments this week.
ReplyDeleteSupport comes in many different ways. Valuing the opinions of others and listening to their needs is an essential part of our job.
ReplyDelete