Capturing knowledge: a learning legacy: as lead learners, administrators can support each other's development by sharing what they have learned on the job.Roland Barth popularized the notion that the school administrator's primary job is to be the lead learner. And, by design or happenstance hap·pen·stance n. A chance circumstance: "Marriage loomed only as an outgrowth of happenstance; you met a person" Bruce Weber. , it may indeed be the principal, superintendent or director that learns the most. Scanning the group at various ACSA ACSA Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture ACSA Association of California School Administrators ACSA Airports Company South Africa ACSA Apple Certified System Administrator ACSA Australian Curriculum Studies Association meetings, I've noticed that many of these leaders, who have spent a lifetime of being on-the-job learners, may soon be retiring. I've developed a fear that much of what they have learned may be lost. In an attempt to capture some of that knowledge, a colleague and I have been collecting the letters of advice that current school leaders might leave for their successors. Listen in to excerpts of some of the results of this small attempt at "knowledge ecology ecology, study of the relationships of organisms to their physical environment and to one another. The study of an individual organism or a single species is termed autecology; the study of groups of organisms is called synecology. ." Terry Quinn of New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of State writes: "If you want your school community--teachers, parents, students, staff--to accept you and buy into your educational vision, they must first trust you. That simple five-letter word is the essential ingredient in school reform. So how can you get them to trust you? Here it is all about building relationships. If you are involved in the daily life of your school and are not chained to your office pushing paper, they will trust you. "If you are visible in the halls, in the classrooms and in the community, they will trust you. If you allow teachers to take risks and you support them even when they fail, they will trust you. If you have an open door and communicate with all the stakeholders Stakeholders All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government. , they will trust you. If you keep confidences, they will trust you. "If your decision-making process asks what is in the best interests of your students, they will trust you. If you display personal qualities of honesty Honesty See also Righteousness, Virtuousness. Alethia ancient Greek personification of truth. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 18] Better Business Bureau nationwide system of organizations investigating dishonest business practices. [Am. , integrity, dedication and a good work ethic work ethic n. A set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. work ethic Noun a belief in the moral value of work , they will trust you. If you celebrate the successes of your students and your staff, they will trust you. If you know the names of your students, they will trust you. Get the point?" Neil MacNelll of Western Australia Western Australia, state (1991 pop. 1,409,965), 975,920 sq mi (2,527,633 sq km), Australia, comprising the entire western part of the continent. It is bounded on the N, W, and S by the Indian Ocean. Perth is the capital. created a list of "Maxims maxims n. a collection of legal truisms which are used as "rules of thumb" by both judges and lawyers. They are listed in the codified statutes of most states, and include: "When the reason of a rule ceases, so should the rule itself" for the Modern School Leader" that include: "The prime role of schools is to improve students' learning. This must guide all of your actions because it is the moral purpose of education. In bringing about change in a school with a difficult staff, I told them that they could legitimately complain about a change that didn't have the students' best interests at heart. None of my changes were opposed openly. "This point gets scant scant adj. scant·er, scant·est 1. Barely sufficient: paid scant attention to the lecture. 2. Falling short of a specific measure: a scant cup of sugar. reference in the literature, but the principal's role needs to change as the school context changes. Principals need to develop a repertoire Repertoire may mean Repertory but may also refer to:
"We are the products of our experiences. Principals, like golfers, need the knowledge and skills to practice problem-solving that requires using all of the sticks in the bag....I argue that we must all learn from the problem-solving that principals do on a daily basis and it is important to reflect and to transfer the knowledge and skills to colleagues and the next generation of school leaders." California's own Larry Nauzey of Placentia created a list of do's and don'ts, including: * Surround yourself with quality, compassion, and knowledgeable and dedicated people. Tell them what you want, then get out of the way and let them do their job. * Learn and use technology in all aspects of the educational environment. * Have a clear vision and mission that you have clearly articulated to the staff and community * Be researched based. * Love what you are doing. If not, do something else. Although this issue of Leadership is dedicated to how student learning can be supported, sharing one of the ways the leaders of learning can support each other's development seems an appropriate side trip. Your thoughts can be added to this learning legacy if you write a letter to your successor and send it to me at gmanthey@acsa.org. George Manthey is a professional learning executive for ACSA. |
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