The other day, I overheard a conversation about another teacher’s shortcomings. Their chief complaint was that they had “zero classroom management skills.” This made me wonder what they meant. The “duh” answer is that they meant to imply that this teacher’s students simply run around the room, cause chaos, and don’t get anything done. Another part of me thinks that maybe, just maybe, their classroom is extremely productive and that it just doesn’t look like a
“traditional” classroom: quiet, orderly children working diligently to fill in a series of blanks on a page.
Let’s assume they meant the previous. How do you fix that? Clearly, the answer does not lie in simply letting someone make the same mistakes, particularly in an era of high-stakes testing, social promotion, and vertical alignment. Back in November, I wrote a short reflection on the difference between
Leadership and Management, an idea that still rolls around in my brain on a daily basis. The problem is two-fold: the students need a
leader and, incidentally, so does the teacher. A strong campus leader will not be enough to turn around the teacher’s woes in the classroom, but without one, it is very difficult to create a campus culture that is open and prepared for such leadership. Let’s look at each dynamic in turn: today the student/teacher relationship and tomorrow the teacher/administrator relationship.
Most teachers find themselves a Level 1 Leader (see
John Maxwell). That is, they expect/hope students to obey and follow the rules simply because of the relationship that has traditionally existed between that of a student and a teacher. The students are expected to be subordinate and follow the rules, but nobody really knows why. Something about the future? Learning? Clearly, that doesn’t matter in light of the newest movie or the shoes that everyone HAS to buy, lest they be shunned. A child developmental state (and particularly the home life) have a great influence over a student’s opinion of a teacher. To put it bluntly:
students don’t automatically see intrinsic value in what you have to say. Teachers need to inspire, motivate, encourage, and (dare I say it) love their students. This is why teachers will never be replaced by robots. Even the success online learning programs largely depends on the facilitator/instructor and the way the course is designed.
Teachers (or anyone who is in charge of a group of people that don’t necessarily always do what they’re told) must find ways to move themselves to a different level. They need to find ways to get their people on-board with what’s going on. Many teachers have chosen a command-and-control style. They believe that an autocracy (or some variation therein) is the most effective/efficient way to run an educational system. Students have no voice, no opinion, no suggestions. Their only job is to absorb knowledge. When executed well, you will hear the praises of this teacher. They will be hailed as a great educator and will be used as a model for new teachers to emulate. They are, in fact, a phenomenal manager. The systems run well under their control and things happen on schedule. Innovation, however, will be lacking. Students will not be content creators, but instead great form-fillers. They will be great at following the rules, but paralyzed when the rules don’t apply or don’t exist anymore. Another option, then, is that of a flat democracy. Everyone has the same opportunity to do something unique. Everyone has the opportunity to create, participate, and invent. Democracies work well if the people are informed (thus, the teacher). The people/constituents make decisions under the guidance and wisdom of the leader. The leader is in charge, but not in control. Decisions and circumstances can be crafted and designed, but not selected. Selection is up to the constituents.
This is the crux of the difference and the ultimate turning point for any teacher struggling in their classroom. These two types of information presentation/acquisition hold the most potential for struggling teachers. The choice, then, will be left to the teacher: do they want manage their classroom? Or lead it?
