20 Years Later: Relationships and Being a Champion
by Tom Martellone • • 0 Comments
Last week I was preparing for the first day of school and I realized that this year is my 20th year in education. I spent the first five years of my career in the classroom and I’ve spent the next 15 years as a school administrator. Since that first time I stepped into a classroom 20 years ago, some things have not changed much in education. Parents continue to want their children to be safe at school, they continue to want their children to get a great education, and lastly, I still walk into school as excited about teaching and learning as I was when I first started.
What has changed in education, specifically for me, is my understanding of relationships, and who/what I need to be a champion for as I lead a school. As a teacher, I always knew that the relationships with my students and parents were paramount. Regular communications with families, really getting to know my students, and providing high levels of engagement were all things I did that helped me be successful as a teacher. In addition to those things, I was reflective about my work and always wanted to improve, learn more, and do better than I had done previously. I loved teaching and never thought that I would some day lead an entire school.
Shared from Teachmag.com
Over the past few years, what I have learned about leading a school and my own reflections have continued to help me become a better leader. Despite all the things I did well as a teacher, and having a pretty good EQ (emotional quotient), my daily observations and reflections have made it apparent that relationships among staff and between staff and school leaders greatly impact what happens in the school house. Building trust, being visible, having open and honest communications, fostering creativity, sharing a common vision and mission, and collaborating at high levels are all threaded throughout the work of a school and greatly impact how adults do their work and ultimately affect outcomes for children. Twenty years ago, collaboration was not a focus in schools, leaving me to work primarily alone, and not being able to engage in some of the other high leverage behaviors I mentioned previously.
As a contemporary school leader, my job is to build relationships for the benefit of children. I’m relied upon by staff and parents to create a vision and mission around which our school is focused that will lead to greater outcomes for children, both socially and emotionally. My job is to provide opportunities for teachers to collaborate, and to experiment and take creative risks, without fear. While providing those opportunities, my other job is to cheer people on and visibly see the good work they are doing. As all of this is taking place, communication is a common thread through 20 Years Later: Relationships and Being a Champion | Connected Principals: