Leading the Charge

This last chapter developed some very sound points on the topic Leading the Change.
I agree with the focus on problems and them becoming distractors to progress and vision. I also understand the frustration of feeling like  you are stuck because of a particular area. the 'Yeah But' voice in ones head needs to be acknowledged but controlled.eg budget or govt compliance. I believe that generally at St Pats there is a solution based mentality amongst the teachers who are very capable of solving complex situations together. Sometimes it takes some time and some breathing space but as the text said if it is worth it it will happen.

I took particular note of the suggestion for moving from talk - rhetoric - action. When a leadership team works well together we can hold each other to account in this so that it is not just all talk. This is particularly challenging for leaders in the classroom. It is not expected that all practice is perfect as we are all on our own journey however a willingness to learn, to embrace challenges and to seek assistance allows others to do the same. The question posed in the text is very helpful here, "Do we hold ourselves accountable for implementing ideas and strategies learned through professional learning. Again it may not be in all aspects however this is expressed and made transparent. eg my focus is to learn to use data better to inform decisions I make. I recognise that I am not confident as yet in ....."

The questions on page 230 I think that there are still some practices that because of 'tradition' are still presented/ designed, eg homework. It is hoped that we are moving away from the 'old' format such as mental arithmetic, spelling lists, projects using cardboard project like supports etc. It is when the teachers understanding of learning begins to grow and change that they themselves start to question the effectiveness of what they are doing and why. This is wonderful to see. Parent education is key in this area.

One of the aspects of leadership I am continually mindful of is not to get caught in what is referred to in the text (pg234) as the alphabet soup of initiatives. It is so easy to become allured by what sound like wonderful ideas however the suggestion to keep a 'laser like focus on what evidence indicates  is required. One key question needs to be, "How does a particular policy[/strategy, focus] affect student learning? If it doesn't , then why is precious time spent developing it and enforcing it? and "Do our policies reflect our desired learning outcomes.

 A good chapter!

Leading the Charge

A recapping of our term's reading that reinforced the positive affects of change but also how difficult it can be in all places. The ideas that stood out for me during the reading of the chapter were the idea that it is a " process as opposed to an event." Which takes vision, planning, patience and perseverance - I know I ofter fall into the trap of wanting the change to occur yesterday - so reading these words again allowed me to see the importance of having patience and persevering with the changes, especially when we have a clear plan and deep pedagogical understanding of why the change needs to occur.
When working in such a strong team as out I think we balance each other and continually remind ourselves of the need to take time to reflect and reevaluate to improve the outcome rather than giving up on the ideas. This is an important dynamic to have in a leadership team as it allows us to clearly refer back to the reason behind the change rather than become reactive in our approach.
The elements presented on page 228 - are important when we are moving from talk to action and enable us to stay firm to the process and the focus we are wanting to achieve.
I also liked the section that referred to how change is uncomfortable as it helps me understand why there is at times a resistance against it - it is how we work through the resistance that is important in the journey so all can see the positive impact the change will make on the students in our care. Which really are and continue to be our driving force behind any change we are making.
May we continue to work together to empower students and staff to take risks and seek change. Not easy but important. 

Collaborating and Engaging with the Community

Yet another chapter that challenged and affirmed my thinking. Many of the elements of the article are reflected in a recent blog post by Greg Whitby especially around the area of changing the way we report to the parents. As was mentioned on page 203 and again on page 218 - the need to have 'brief communication on a regular basis' rather than a twice a year report session which is currently the practice in many of our schools. The challenge for me is how do you manage to do this on regular basis with all the other aspects to teacher pulling you in all the other directions as well. How can we move away from the paper work and move towards what is really going to have an impact on the learning of the students? This question remains unanswered.

Parent engagement beyond the " feel good community events' is such an important part of our role as teacher/ educators. Wanting our school to be a higher performing school brings us to the challenge of being able to - focus on building trust, collaborative relationships among teachers, families and community members.
recognise, respect and address families' needs, as well as class and cultural differences.
Embrace a philosophy of partnership in which power and responsibility are shared (pg 202) seems like a huge mountain to climb at the moment.

However keeping the points noted on page 208 - 209 should definitely lead us in the right directions especially if we use them to reflect on our current practice and drive us forward as suggested in BF post. Using them as an examination of conscience and being open and honest with ourselves as well as community members I believe is the way forward to true collaboration.

Collaborating and engaging with the community

I found this chapter had some very useful and important considerations. I found the topic on engagement moving toward collaboration very interesting as I reflected on the opportunities we provide parents at St Pats. In my opinion I believe that we are more in the engagement end than collaboration, especially in th learning agenda. I believe that this is a matter of practical consideration rather than ideological as I feel that we as a school understand the importance of parent involvement as discussed earlier in th chapter. The question is how t do this under the time constraints and life work balance needed for teachers/leaders.
A key statement to highlight is “if serving is below you, leadership is beyond you”  worth contemplation.

My favourite section however were the points made on Page 208 as it gave me a good platform to reflect on my leadership:
1. Do I make child-centred decisions daily?
2. Am I present to staff, parents and children?
3. Do I display competence?
4. Do I invest in people?
5. Do I create transparency?
6. Am I reliable and follow through?
7. Do I walk the talk?
8. Do I lead with integrity?

Wow this was like a professional examination of conscience. Worth doing at all ‘levels’ (for want of a better word) of leadership