Chapter 9: Harness the Power of Teams
Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. --John Maxwell
Chapter 9 takes the reader on a journey using the PLC framework. Shelley Burgess highlights how she built a Site Leadership Team, which was composed of one member from each grade level. She discusses how she gave each member of her team a voice. Her voice was no louder than anyone else's in this leadership community. TOGETHER this team made decisions about how they wanted their school to function. Shelley describes her role as a "summarizer and synthesizer" of their thoughts and ideas. Shelley shares in this chapter the "Ten Tips for Teams that Tick". Basically these are the basic tenets of a high performing PLC. She discusses this process as a turning point for her school. She also discusses how the leadership teams continued to grow in the second year and how more staff members wanted to take on leadership roles.Finally, in this chapter Shelley talks about the specific parameters that school leadership teams should use as their guide within to work effectively. Want to hear about them? (Read the book!)
If YOUR school is struggling with TRUE PLCs or effective leadership meetings, this chapter alone is worth the cost of the book. These clear ground rules will help teams to understand what their part in the process is and how they can be a asset to their teams. Leadership roles (again) do not have to come with a fancy title. Leadership roles are all around you. You just need a vision and a will to help your school succeed in something that will benefit your students. For example, I was new to a campus a few years ago. I saw that there was a core group of parents that volunteered within the school. However, I noticed that most parents only stepped within our doors when they had a conference or a program that their child was in. Getting programs such as Watch Dog Dads in place and our Reading Prize Posse became a goal for me. Reaching out to the community and going into the community as the "Prize Posse" that "caught" our kids reading in their own homes helped parents to connect with our school. This brought about a whole new group of parents joining the ranks of our volunteers. I did not have a fancy title, but I did have a passion for bringing our teachers, school, parents, and community closer together. It took some work, but the pay off was well worth it!
Chapter 10:Find the Magic in the People - Not the Programs
"Programs don't teach kids; teachers do, and teachers are capable of making magic happen for kids."
This chapter touches on the power of the teacher within our school system. While some programs claim to be THE key to helping your students achieve great levels of success, the only proven difference in highly effective schools are highly effective teachers. Districts spend a lot of money ensuring that "programs" are taught with fidelity. This sometimes works beautifully. It works when the teacher is given a tool that he/she is able to use as just that - a tool. Basically the authors contend that teachers alone make the difference not the programs. Teachers are the magic. Good teachers know they should be creating experiences for their students that help them to understand new information. Great teachers are allowing their students to go deeper into their understanding of the standards -more than any program is designed to do. Teaching is hard - no doubt. Classroom management, engagement techniques, depth of content knowledge, precise use of effective instructional practices, wise use of resources, an understanding of assessment and how to use it, long term planning and short term adjustments, are just a few of the daily duties of the average teacher. This is not an easy job! But the exceptional few make that daily duty an experience that our students hold onto and remember for the future.
Chapter 11:Get the Right People on the Ship
"Your crew is essential to the survival of your building and the success of your students."
Chapter 11 delves into how to find the right people to be a part of your crew. There are interview questions included in this chapter to ensure that the people you hire are able to think on their feet and have the passion to help carry your school to greatness. The last question that these pirate leaders ask in an interview is deceptively simple, and yet tells a lot about a new hire: "What is something that you've read recently that has influenced you as an educator?" How would you answer that question?
Chapter 12: If It's Important...
Make Time For It
"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days". --Zig Ziglar
As the authors discuss in this chapter, what you make time for gets done. Just setting goals and priorities does not mean that these goals will be accomplished. Building in time for teams to collaborate, will yield teams that DO collaborate. Building in time for professional learning communities, will guarantee that "time" is devoted to that endeavor. "If you have an initiative or a project you want to accomplish, it isn't enough to tell people what to do." You must show people why it is important enough to devote time to - and you must show them how they can fit it into their schedules.
Ask yourself this... Does your team invest time in what matters? Does everyone have a purpose on your team? What are you spending your time on that will bring about a positive change to your campus?
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