What makes a good leader worth following? In my last post, we explored the classroom implications of the first five points in an article by Forbes contributor Mike Myatt: 10 Reasons Your Top Talent Will Leave You. bit.ly/leadthem Today we will explore numbers 6-10.
6. Show your students you care about them: Take the time to get to know your students, and let them get to know you. If you have a great relationship with your students, they will be eager to follow your lead, do what you ask, and rise to your high expectations. If you don't, they won't.
7. Be the leader your students need: Sometimes teachers get the idea that creating a "shared environment" or providing for student-centered learning means taking a back seat or behind-the-scenes approach. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your students are going to get guidance and feedback from someone--the class clown, the drama queen, or even the bully. As the teacher, you need to be more worthy of attention and consultation than your competition. Be the leader in your classroom, and your students will look to you to meet their needs.
8. Recognize the successes and contributions of others: Celebrations of learning are powerful and meaningful to students. Take advantage of every opportunity to recognize academic successes, but don't stop there. Be determined to recognize the kindness, helpfulness, preparedness, and other quality traits your students exhibit as well. Also, don't forget to recognize the contributions of the other adults who help make the school day all that it can be. If you have folks helping in your classroom, thank them in front of your students and encourage your students to do the same. Show the students that you value the contributions of the custodians and cafeteria workers, the secretaries and your principal. Your students will take their cue from you and learn an attitude of gratitude. Challenge your students to recognize the contributions of their peers and others--either in writing or verbally. When your students recognize you as someone who appreciates others, they will appreciate you as their leader.
9. Don't stagnate your students: I once heard a pastor say, "If you're not growing, you're dead." This is true in many arenas of life, and school is definitely done of them. I remember being so bored in school, and the teacher's only answer for those who finished their boring work early was to go do more boring work. Like all people, our students want to be recognized as having the capability to do challenging and meaningful work, so it's our job to assign it to them. Be sure that your formative assessments keep you informed as to each student's next step for learning, and strive to keep all of your students moving forward. When you work together with your students on continuous improvement, they will count on you as a leader who will give them wings to fly.
10. Keep your promises: Okay, so I know that unexpected and unplanned-for things come up: fire drills, assemblies, lock-ins, vomit, students getting excited and taking off with a project, students not finishing work as quickly as you had anticipated... Sometimes you really do intend to give your students a longer recess or time in class to work on homework, but things just don't work out they way you hope. Be honest and apologize for those times, but strive to make that the exception and not the rule. My eighteen-year-old daughter still remembers her third grade teacher promising her and a few other kids a king-sized candy bar and never delivering, and it colors her opinion of that teacher to this day. Let your word be good as gold, and your students will see you as a leader worth your weight in king-sized candy bars.
Here is the quote from the end of Mike Myatt's article:
Bottom line, if leaders spent less time trying to retain people, and more time trying to understand them, care for them, invest in them, and lead them well, the retention thing would take care of itself.
Here's my re-write for all of us teachers: Bottom line, if teachers spent more time trying to understand their students, care for them, invest in them, and lead them well, then learning, the environment, and classroom management would take care of itself.
