Teacher Powered School

The teachers run the school

If you missed earlier episodes, the best way to binge-read Scrambling for Voice, Choice, and Agency is to use this Table of Contents link to previous posts.

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Episode 33

2 minutes of reading

From: Kerry
A New Leadership Model
To: Chance sent - Gmail 6:03 AM

Hi Chance—

I had a good night sleep….while it was not long enough, I woke up feeling refreshed….and I woke up thinking about leadership in schools. I realized that if I could take a few minutes to write about what is swirling in my mind about staffing and decision-making, maybe I would have more clarity….so here goes:

I am frequently over-the-top and overwhelmed, but I never feel like quitting.

I am juggling lots of balls, and I have become a very good juggler……but, sometimes I miss things, and the balls hit me in the head.

It usually is something minor, and I can fix it if I ask for help. Dropping a ball is particularly painful if it is filled with something toxic or extremely important….like an angry parent….or a child who needs my attention immediately….or a deadline that can’t be missed because it keeps everything humming along. That has only happened a couple of times, but those are the events that keep me up at night.

There are many successes…here are a few:

The superintendent wanted to make sure that the Board was up-to-date on our new leadership model. We worked as a team on a presentation. The Board asked all the right questions. We think that our entire time in front of the Board was an enormous success.

We explained how we were recalibrating resources and time.

We are going to hire some full-time substitute teachers, and we will not use any district subs. Our pledge to the district office is that this will not cost more money…We have a complex plan for covering classes. One of the biggest advantages when a teacher is out, is that a total stranger who does not know the kids or the curriculum will never be assigned to teach a class.

We are making good use of technology. We have reallocated some resources, and we have been able to hire more assistants.

We are sharing in the leadership responsibilities.

We are making sure that our decision-making thinks about the students.

I also want to tell you what we have done with leadership and staff decision-making at the school, but that will have to wait until I have more time to write….

I must close. I don’t want to be late for my first period class……They are discussing the institution of slavery in this country.

Everything you and I have discovered lurking between the lines in the history textbook is helping me navigate this unit of study…

More later…

Kerry

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From: Chance
A New Leadership Model
To: Kerry sent - Gmail at 4:32 PM

Hi Kerry—

I am really interested in hearing more about the leadership model you are building with your teachers….especially the part about reallocating resources to better serve the needs of an individual school……and I love the idea of having full time teachers hired at the school for substitute work and to support the teachers in the classrooms.

I look forward to hearing about your new decision-making process.

Chance