Yesterday, I presented two choices for running a classroom. The scenario was that of a teacher deemed ineffective by their peer(s) with the explanation that they had “zero classroom management skills.” My proposal, ultimately, was for the teacher to create an environment in their classroom where they
aren’t in control (leveraging a hands-off approach with which they seem to already be comfortable) but have spent the time and effort investing into the kids and the curriculum to create a learning environment that is student-centered, empowering, and even a little dangerous (anything new or creative is, by its very nature, rebellious against that which already exists).
Today, I want to know what happens if administrators take the same approach. If teachers take a leadership (rather than management) role in their classroom, what would happen if administrators adopted the same approach? I posit that this is far more appropriate than a classroom settings, since teachers are all college-educated adults. Simultaneously, it is far more dangerous, as I’m sure your brain immediately started screaming when I suggested that administrators give their faculty so much latitude.
Think briefly about what this would look like. It means accepting that other people have different workflows and productivity cycles than you. It means acknowledging that teachers are professionals and don’t (or at least shouldn’t) need to be managed, they need ideas and vision. A common goal, a shared vision can move teachers forward. Leading your teachers means accepting that not every jot and tittle will be in the right place because sometimes learning is messy. Things don’t always go as planned and that is why a leader is far more important than a manager.
Teachers that feel managed are worried about their appraisal, not their performance. Teachers being managed are concerned with their appearance in the classroom, not with student outcomes. They feel like they should appear to have control. After all, if their manager walks in and it seems like chaos, learning can’t possibly be taking place, can it? Teachers that feel led, however, are empowered. They are inspired to come up with new ways to present information. They are free to create interdisciplinary projects, confident to collaborate with their peers, daring enough to do something not done before.
This comes at a price, however. Many teachers are used to having managers. They’re used to check lists. They’re used to someone looking over their shoulder. They’re used to command and control. Many teachers will not be ready to be empowered…. What do you do with those teachers?
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Greg Garner
