This weeks' activities were very interesting and definitely showed a variety of benefits and struggles when placed in a leadership role. The simulation that we did in class was a difficult challenge because many of us haven't been put in that leadership role and don't know where we should be aiming our vision. I think it is important to understand that as a leader in an organization, there will be difficult individuals that will not conform to new ideas. Leaders can try and try to change that individuals mindset, but wasting too much time on that one person could be a downfall for the whole system. As a group we wasted a lot of time and resources to convince one person when that effort could have been spent better elsewhere. It is difficult to grasp this concept, but as a leader it is important to notice this to ensure a smooth implementation of change.
As for the other individual activity, it was fun to think about the morale of our school. Right now, we are finishing up the end of the year in which we are in negotiations for a contract that haven't went anywhere, just had a new schedule jammed down our throat which resulting with us teaching more classes, and the whole stress of finishing grading and packing as our school is getting remodeled. It is important as a leader to constantly praise the individuals involved to pick up their morale even in the hardest times. Great leaders offer praise whenever possible to keep everyone set on the vision of the school or organization.
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Nick I agree with your analysis of the simulation from class. This job was difficult for almost all of us and I think too that it is because we are not familiar with the leadership role. It obviously takes a lot more time and effort than I could ever imagine.
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteI think, that as teachers, we are great at micromanaging, but when it came to the game in class, we were forced to look at the big picture. When we make decisions for our classrooms, I doubt that we ever look beyond our students in the thought process. I suppose that the exercise showed how there are so many considerations with every decision, and it behooves us to look at the bigger picture when deciding what is right for our classroom. Part of the issue is probably the isolation factor in which many teachers exist. We kind of go through our educational lives doing what we want without truly linking to the school as a whole. By thinking from leadership perspective, it would be important for teachers to really think about decisions from every perspective, and by doing so, hopefully avoid a number of issues that could arise from a hasty decision.
I also found the simulation somewhat difficult but it was good because it exposed some things about leadership I had not previously thought of. I think you are right with your comments about good leaders having the ability to pick up morale in the hardest of times. It sounds like your school is going through what the majority of my district went through last summer.
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point a good leader needs to make sure they have a pulse on the morale of the staff and if so will be able to be supportive and not reactive.
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