What servant leadership means to me

The traditional idea of leadership was power. Leaders were expected to control and coerce. To make sure that followers were productive and efficient. To enforce policies and procedures. Principals and teachers were praised for 'running a tight ship' or 'keeping their ducks in a row.' A quiet classroom and stern educators were considered signs of leadership. Even today, when people I encounter discover I'm a high school principal, it's often followed by comments related to compliance, discipline, or control.


But I have very different ideas about what it truly means to be a leader. I don't believe a person needs positional authority to lead. It can come from anyone who has a desire to serve and the capacity to do two things: challenge and inspire. Leaders use their influence to empower others, to help them be the best version of themselves. As a result, leaders create more leaders.

To me this is servant leadership. The servant-leader may not have positional authority. In fact, he or she may be uncommonly lacking positional authority. But through an attitude of service gains influence that helps others "dream more, learn more, do more, and become more." Leaders challenge and inspire.

A few years ago I was driving to school and finishing off an apple that was my breakfast. As I finished, I rolled down the window to toss the apple core out the window. When I let it go, I could feel my doctoral ring fly off my finger. My gut sank, and I swear I even heard the ping as it struck the pavement. I instantly pulled my truck to the side of the road to begin searching, but in the morning darkness there was no use.

Several times I returned to the spot to comb the side of the highway for the lost ring. A few friends offered to help. I even used a metal detector to assist the search. But the ring was gone, presumably forever.

Months later I received a phone call on a Sunday afternoon. A man's voice asked if my name was David Geurin. "Yes," I replied wondering what this was about.

"Did you happen to lose a class ring?" he continued. I was stunned by the question. Surely this couldn't be what it seemed.

Sure enough, the ring had been found.

The man on the phone explained he hadn't found the ring. A friend of his found it. His name was Lane.

Lane walks all over town, usually while sipping a large fountain drink as he scans the ground looking for loose change. Lane is mentally handicapped and unable to live on his own. He lives in a group home but spends most of his time walking and looking for treasure. And boy did he find something interesting when he picked up the gold ring!

He carried it in his pocket for a while, not realizing there was a name inscribed on the inside, thinking there was no way to find who it belonged to. When he showed it to a friend, he noticed my name and asked if Lane would like to see it returned to its owner. They found my number listed in the phone book.

Lane was so proud that he had returned the ring. He truly was a hero in this story. He could've bought sodas for years if he had selfishly used the ring for his gain. But his actions were noble and through his selflessness and his big heart he did something only a leader can do. He challenged me and inspired me. He caused me to "dream more, learn more, do more, and become more."

Lane's actions helped me learn about gratitude, empathy, and unselfishness. I was humbled by his spirit of wanting to help me, a stranger who he didn't even know. I immediately recognized that I was the follower and he was the leader, in this chain of events

Robert Greenleaf coined the term servant-leader in 1970. His ideas in many ways repeated ones from ancient texts, and yet in modern leadership practice, the idea of being a servant was far from what leaders were expected to be. The following are a few quotes from Greenleaf:

"The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

"The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?"

A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
Robert Greenleaf recognized that organizations as well as individuals could be servant-leaders. Indeed, he had great faith that servant-leader organizations could change the world. In his second major essay, The Institution as Servant, Greenleaf articulated what is often called the “credo.” There he said:

“This is my thesis: caring for persons, the more able and the less able serving each other, is the rock upon which a good society is built. Whereas, until recently, caring was largely person to person, now most of it is mediated through institutions – often large, complex, powerful, impersonal; not always competent; sometimes corrupt. If a better society is to be built, one that is more just and more loving, one that provides greater creative opportunity for its people, then the most open course is to raise both the capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new regenerative forces operating within them.”

Teacher appreciation shouldn't be reserved for just one week a year

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Each year we do our very best to show our appreciation to teachers during the official time for doing so, Teacher Appreciation Week. This official time of recognition is celebrated the first full week in May. This year the dates are May 4-8. But my thought to ponder is why should we wait until the first week of May to show teachers how much they are appreciated?

We actually try to build staff morale and celebrate our teachers throughout the school year. However, I realize we can always do better. Any success experienced by a school administrator is owed directly to the staff and students in the school. And nothing can harm motivation like feeling unappreciated. In fact, I've read numerous lists and surveys that show not feeling appreciated is a bigger concern for employees than tangible rewards like salary (although these can go hand in hand).

This past week our conference principals met here in Bolivar for one of our regular meetings to collaborate and conduct the business of the conference (Central Ozarks). As part of the agenda, the COC president, Chip Arnette from Branson HS, asked each principal to share a couple of ideas for showing appreciation to staff and raising morale. This time of collaboration proved invaluable for challenging and inspiring me as I consider ways to show appreciation in ongoing ways.


Todd Whitaker writes that one of the most important jobs of a principal is to make sure that teachers are more excited about teaching tomorrow than they are today. Clearly, a positive school climate with happy, motivated teachers is going to result in a much better experience for students. I'm sure there are studies that would support this idea. It is practically self-evident.

So what are a few of the ideas shared in our meeting?
1. Everyone agreed our teachers love 'jeans days,' especially when it is a surprise.
2. Handwritten notes of appreciation are powerful, from the principal, students, or other teachers. One of our counselors led a school-wide activity during the holiday season that asked students to write notes of appreciation to staff members (teachers and support staff) on paper Christmas ornaments. The ornaments were then collected and given to the individuals before leaving for break.

3. Play games with staff to keep things light and have fun together. A healthy school takes time to play, laugh, and  have fun.

4. Several ideas involved food. Teachers enjoy eating and socializing. It's been said "be sure to feed the teachers so they won't eat the students!" Cook breakfast, order in snacks, have a barbeque. One school shared they have a barbeque once a quarter. In the past, our school had Payday Breakfasts. Every payday we would eat together to celebrate. Even though the Payday Breakfasts were great, over time, they became so routine that they have gone away for a while. Sometimes even good ideas need a break.

5. Staff member of the month. Showcase your staff, their background, and interests. Share this on the school website so your community can know your teachers and support staff better.

6. Have events off-site. Several schools reported having Christmas parties, but there are lots of ways to do an off-site event that will be enjoyed by all.

7. Several schools reported having social committees who help to plan events, celebrate birthdays, and find ways to make teachers feel appreciated.

8. Praise staff members publicly and/or privately. A word of encouragement makes one feel noticed and one's efforts appreciated. We discussed briefly if praise was better in public or private. I've come to prefer private praise or public praise that is anonymous. The teacher knows he or she is the one being complimented. But some teachers might be embarrassed by public praise.

So these are just a few of the ideas that were discussed. There were many more. I was very proud to see a group of administrators coming together to share ways to help teachers feel more excited about the profession and making a difference for students.

But the most important take-away for me is the reminder that we should always be looking for ways to provide a better experience for our teachers. When teachers feel appreciated, so many things will fall into place. So I would encourage you to celebrate teachers and all staff in your building throughout the school year and not just in the 'official' appreciation weeks!

Help students with challenging behaviors without 'fixing'

I am often tempted to want to fix a situation, or worse yet an individual, when I am suffering the consequences of reckless behaviors, irresponsible actions, or disrespectful attitudes. As educators we work with many students each day and want them all to be successful. Moreover, we need them to be successful. We cannot succeed in our teaching mission if our students are not cooperative learners.

But too often students are dealing with issues in their lives that complicate their efforts to learn. It's been said, hurt people hurt people. So as students enter the classroom, so do all of the imperfections we share as humans. Students aren't always going to be kind, cooperative, and focused. Sometimes they will act in ways that completely contradict what the teacher needs for a successful classroom.

As a young teacher, all too often I would become terribly frustrated by negative student behaviors and fail to see the unmet needs, buried under the surface, that were triggering the harmful actions. I would focus my attention on addressing the undesirable behavior with 'increasing consequences' and protect at all costs my 'authority' in the classroom. The result of course was torn relationships and even greater feelings of hurt and rejection on the part of both teacher and student. Not good!

So it's never productive to try to 'fix' our student's behavior. It is our job to address non-learning behaviors by simply stating our observation of the behavior and how it is impacting the classroom. Sometimes, we must take further actions to protect the learning climate. But when we create a classroom of acceptance and caring, students are more likely to feel safe enough to actually address their own issues. This ownership is actually the only way to achieve lasting change.

Here are a few ideas for being a helper and not a fixer:
1. Care more about who your students are becoming than how they are acting in the moment.
2. Know when to put aside a conversation and pick it up later.
3. Believe the best of your students (most people are doing the best they know how).
4. Teach positive behaviors.
5. Approach a difficult conversation side-by-side and not from behind a desk or nose-to-nose.
6. Listen to your students.
7. Don't try to prove you're in charge. You have a teaching contract that establishes that.
8. Worry more about acting with character than losing face in front of your students.

9 ideas for teacher growth that are more effective than performance ratings

Teacher evaluation has been a reform topic of late as policies at the state and national levels further require schools to rate teachers and even include student achievement data in evaluations. These efforts seem to be the result of the perception that there are many poor teachers who are allowed to continue in the profession with no recourse. I think this perception is greatly exaggerated, although like in any profession, there are certainly individuals who are under-performing.

As a principal, it is part of my job to evaluate teachers. And, in alignment with state requirements for this process, part of my job is to rate teachers against “research-based, proven performance targets.” Our district created a system to align to the state requirements, and I am doing my best to implement it in a way that can be as effective as possible. When it comes time to actually ‘rate’ a teacher, I explain that while the rating process is imperfect, it is an opportunity for reflection and only represents my perspective in collaboration with the teacher being evaluated.

But when I consider all of the strategies that are available for teacher growth, performance ratings are not at the top of my list. I believe there are so many other ways teachers can learn and grow. Most importantly, teachers with greater ownership of their own professional learning will seek the kind of feedback that leads to growth. In this type of environment, teachers would be empowered and inspired to achieve, and even expand, their own potential.

1. Collaboration- Teachers meet with other teachers, especially ones who teach the same curriculum to discuss student learning, plan for instruction, and review student work.

2. Classroom visits- Since becoming a principal, the opportunity to frequently visit classrooms and observe great teachers doing their work has been perhaps the most powerful learning experience I've had as an educator. We need to do more to give teachers the opportunities to visit other teacher’s classrooms.

3. Student feedback surveys- These surveys would be used to inform the teacher’s own practice and not for evaluation. Great teachers have the ability to see the classroom through students’ eyes. Surveys can be another way to inform teachers about what students’ are experiencing. This example survey is just one possibility. Ideas for surveys can be readily found online.

4. Video- Every high school football game (and other sports for that matter) is videotaped and examined for every possible opportunity to improve. And yet it is rare that teachers use video to reflect on their own teaching. I would challenge teachers to occasionally record a lesson.

5. Goal setting- When teachers set their own goals it has far greater power to impact learning than goals that are set at the building or district level.

6. Reading- We can stay current and evaluate new ideas in the profession by reading books, articles, blogs, etc.

7. Develop your PLN- Establishing a PLN (personal learning network) allows every educator to have a team of educators from whom to learn and grow. My PLN rocks and has been a source of excellent professional learning.

8. Peer Coaching- We are blessed to have instructional coaches in our building who provide feedback to teachers, facilitating the efforts of other teachers as they move towards a goal. Consulting and mentoring can also be helpful.

9. Teacher-led professional development- Instead of bringing an outside consultant to lead professional development, this method has teachers develop learning experiences for their colleagues. When possible, it’s best to offer teachers choices for the sessions most relevant to their goals.

Help wanted: Educators who give that little extra

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One of the things I look for when hiring a teacher is what extra efforts a candidate has done either in previous employment or as a preservice teacher. What did the applicant do to extend or enrich learning opportunities that he or she didn't have to do? Maybe it was volunteering to tutor, helping with a club or organization, or assisting with an athletic team, school play, or service project.

The reason this is important to me is that it shows how the individual is passionate about working with kids and not just looking for a job. To be effective, any professional has to go above and beyond in ways that aren't always rewarded in the pay check. This extra effort demonstrates a strong work ethic and a desire to contribute and leave a lasting legacy. A school is faced with many challenges day-by-day and to be successful we need team members who are willing to pitch in and pick up the slack.

Here is an illustration of the power of that extra effort. At 211° water is only hot. But at 212° water boils, and boiling water creates steam. With steam you can power a locomotive. Amazing! The extra degree makes all the difference between just hot water and a powerful force than can send a train down the tracks. Just that little extra.

Digital leadership requires setting an example

In a recent survey of our students, over 90% indicated they believed technology would be increasingly important to their future. We all know the internet isn’t going away anytime soon, and if we are paying attention, it’s easy to see more and more ways technology, and those who can use it effectively, add value to life and work.

But we still have many educators who are not recognizing the importance of using technology effectively in our schools. We need leaders to model the use of technology and find ways to use technology to support learning goals. It’s hard for us to expect students to use technology for learning if we aren’t modeling it.

I’m very proud of teachers in our building who, even when feeling less than 100% confident, have taken risks to try new things and be learners themselves. This willingness to change and to adapt is admirable.

Here are 10 ways teachers and principals can demonstrate digital leadership:

1. Set up and use Remind app to communicate with stakeholders.
2. Use S’More to create classroom or school newsletters.
3. Use technology for formative assessment.
4. Start a blog.
5. Have students demonstrate learning using a digital tool.
6. Video a lesson or provide information to parents through a screencast.
7. Try Google classroom with your students.
8. Advocate for greater access to digital tools for your students.
9. Approach your principal about developing and online course.
10. Use Twitter to share information and engage your community.
    
    

Why technology won't replace teachers

As important as I feel technology is in the classroom, I want to make very clear that I don’t believe technology can ever fully replace an effective teacher. Learning is more than content delivery. It is about a sacred relationship between teacher and student. It requires a real person to develop the nuances of relationship and develop a culture of learning in the classroom.

So technology won’t replace teachers. However, teachers who use technology will eventually replace those who don’t. Our world is becoming increasingly digital (for better or worse some might argue), so the future demands that digital tools are used now for learning experiences to help students become savvy digital citizens. Teachers who don’t embrace digital opportunities for learning will become more irrelevant with each passing day.

If you don’t feel your classroom or school is digitally relevant, it’s never too late to start even with small steps. It’s most important to acknowledge with students just how important technology will be in their future. It’s also important to be a learner yourself and show your students you want to learn. They will admire your willingness to increase your digital skills.