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Thank you everyone for taking part in the discussion. Although there was an acknowledgement of the guarded, edubabble speech we often hear, there was also the recognition that many leaders continue to speak clearly and inspire us with their words. Part of that can be their sharing of personal experiences that trigger interest.

A major theme was to speak from your heart, with moral purpose, and with careful planning. We can be passionate and diplomatic.

We all seem very aware of leaders being under the microscope, and the necessity of choosing one’s battles, and yet Frank speaks of times he regrets being too cautious. I know my own tendency is to be outspoken, so I’ll try to be sure I know my audience before I become too forthright. Good luck to all in being true to their hearts and in inspiring others.

I recognize that as a white, suburban, middle class man I do not understand the Black experience of the GTA. I like to think I’m sympathetic, open-minded and supportive, but what am I doing to really find out and address the needs of my Black students? Does my lack of action on this, and my belief that I am treating everyone fairly, really speak to my own ignorance?

I’m going to suggest we address the issue of race to effect positive change in our schools, the same way we address all our learning goals: as a collaborative staff. This means sharing lessons and resources, running groups (hip hop dance team, Harmony, jazz choir), practicing equality on the sports field, and promoting diversity in student leadership. Using the example of Black students, we must make sure opportunities are there for study that reflects the Black cultural experience. Black History Month, a multicultural night, and a diversity week are good, but we must move towards a school system where Black students can see themselves in the curriculum and staff of the school.

My school has great challenges. We have maybe 25% Black students in my school, but not one of the 100 teachers is Black, and only three are brown. All through my teaching career I’ve told my Black students we need them to become teachers, and no doubt our Board will reflect this new diversity in time.

Perhaps we are doing something right as there are not more accusations of unfairness. As much as I believe in making Black cultural visible in my school, what I really want students to believe is how I treat them has nothing to do with their race. I’m not sure having Black cultural more visible will have any impact on that.

My Board is also trying to use data to direct change in our schools. It is, after all, the only way we can truly monitor student learning. The elementary schools have more tools and are ahead of the secondary schools on this, but secondary is working with what we have. The reason I’ve focussed so clearly on this in the big world of change is because I think this is where the principal has to be. Among everything else, the principal must be the instructional leader, and lead improvements in student learning.

The model we introduced three years ago was SMART goals: specific, measurable (data), attainable, realistic, and timely. This is where the principal must be in the lead with his/her staff. A clear and sensible focus is the right place to start.

This seems to me to be a question of balance. I was highly involved in extracurriculars before becoming an administrator, but of course I tried to make sure it didn’t interfere with my classroom teaching. Having said that, I can see now that it often does interfere with teachers’ classroom teaching. In my high school we have several teachers for whom their coaching or other extracurricular activities are more important than their classrooms. Obviously this needs to be addressed.

Another reality is teacher absenteeism does effect student learning, and coaching can dramatically effect the number of days teachers are out of the classroom. Sometimes, we have to tell teachers they can’t be out of the class anymore, and they must choose between the activities they are involved in.

In Durham Catholic we lived through no extracurriculars for three years when teaching seven courses was imposed on us during the Harris years. It was ugly, and really hurt the students and staff. As a little sidenote, it was then that the Board began to use the term cocurricular, suggesting these activities were part of the curriculum, rather than extracurricular. They are extracurricular activities, and thank God teachers offer these valuable opportunities to their students.

As an administrator, one of the very attractive things about knowledge sharing, which is epitomized by a growth in professional learning communities, is that you are no longer solely responsible for helping or hindering the growth of your teachers. In the best possible way, PLCs are a democratic process. If two heads are better than one, than how much more four or five heads?

In the high school situation ten chairs can help lead PLCs. Currently in my school we have a literacy coach to assist with this. There is no doubt in my mind that teachers learn best working directly on their lessons with each other, and by asking tough questions as they modify their assessment tools. The principal can lead all this, but it is a shared responsibility.

One factor not mentioned yet is keeping the scope of the change manageable. If the school becomes a constant onslaught of change the staff will inevitably tire of change and revolt. How long does it take for change to truly become established? A major literacy initiative may take years to properly establish. While that is happening, are you going to keep pushing new initiatives on your staff? One of my colleagues was always keen on speaking about the principal as gatekeeper. With the endless ministry and board initiatives coming forward, how can you manage them for your school and staff?

I would suggest that we have always been doing character education and always will do character education. The recent push just means there is an upswing in the societal concern for children’s behaviour. People believe the family unit is falling apart and that schools are needed to fill the gap. People believe children behave more poorly than in the past, so the schools better do something about it. But schools have always been trying to do something about it, and I don’t buy the argument that a push to standardized education has made us forget about it. There is a cyclical nature to what is emphasized at any particular moment, and character education will be less spoken about in five to ten years, but it will be back again after that. In fact, it will have been there all along.

I’ve been in several very good schools, but in only one of them was a mantra of excellence becoming part of the dialogue before I was transferred out (that doesn’t sound good). It seems that being good schools was something most of the staff in all of the schools was comfortable with, but seeking greatness is something else altogether. There were definitely a few teachers here and there that strived for excellence, or even programs such as the arts and co-op programs in my current school, but I’ve never seen that on a school-wide basis.

I have seen school mission statements that staff have participated in, but I’m comfortable saying they have not translated into school-wide quests for greatness. I think part of the reason why I haven’t seen this is because some type of modesty stops us from saying we want to be great schools, better than all those around us. That should be an easy thing to change.

A quick thought on sustaining change: My current principal, just over three years at the school, is in a bit of a panic about possibly being moved in June. She has done some things, especially with instructional leadership, which seem to be making some positive changes. Her possible departure has made it more urgent for her to see that other individuals in the school have stepped into leadership positions on committees, at staff meetings, and during professional development days. She is trying to practice distributive leadership, although it does not come naturally to her. I think she is on the right track. If we could make everyone leaders imagine what we could achieve.

Although I recognize the benefit of having teachers who are knowledgeable about student culture to relate to students and help inspire them, I believe that is only one of many factors that contributes to a teacher’s ability to inspire his or her students. Many students do not see themselves in their teachers: race and ethnicity, socioeconomic group, sexual orientation, physical handicaps, gender, religious practice or personal history. My own school is staffed largely by white, middle-class, university-educated, Canadian-born individuals (and Catholic). In one way or another that is not most of the student body. And not too surprisingly, most teachers do not have the same music, movie, and other cultural interests as their students. I remember I was about ten years into teaching when I realized I had lost track of my students’ culture, despite the fact that I was discussing all sorts of things with them in English class.

I don’t despair. I think inspiration is elsewhere. Teachers inspire students by engaging them in excellent lessons and presenting them with opportunities. Teachers inspire by praising and rewarding good work. Teachers inspire by sharing their own love of teaching and the subject matter. Our own sense of hope and belief in the possibilities in life and in our students can inspire. I think a big part of of inspiration is love and respect. I think the teachers who inspired me the most were those that showed me they valued me and my work. Maybe that’s the best gift we can offer students.

I believe those teachers are out there.

I’ve been a secondary vice-principal for five years and I’m very happy in the role, but still miss the collegiality of my fellow teachers. Good relations is not the same as comraderie. Your position creates barriers with even those who are friends of yours. Previously I was on the union executive as both chief negotiator and treasurer. I very happily complained about my school’s administration at different times, but in the end chose to leave a school that was too negative because it was getting me down. As a teacher, two of my principals told me you can’t please everyone all the time, and they were right.

That’s a preamble to my answer to your question. How you handle the responsibilities and stresses has to do with balancing your life and enjoying your time off. I think your question was really about how you get along with negative staff or try to bring them on side. The first thing is watch yourself: be respectful, listen, be fair, explain yourself, and above all don’t take it personally or make it personal. Work with those who are on board. For those who aren’t doing the job often only respectful sharing of clear expectations will work. When you challenge a staff member who isn’t doing a good job, the other staff appreciate it. It indirectly shows respect to them for the good job they are doing. If you make a mistake, make amends. Never underestimate the value of being positive. One closing thought is you should develop a bit of a thick skin: there inevitably will be staff and parents who do not like you. If you remain true to yourself you will prevail, and go home most nights feeling you are doing a good job.