p. 68
“…but his true power derives from his ability to make other
people powerful.”
The quotation above was the most valuable part of this
week’s reading. I think it embodies everything a teacher is and should be.
There were several stories in the sixth chapter that had to do with one person
making others more powerful, but I think the statement itself is extremely
powerful.
I have witnessed teachers and principals who are so self
interested and self-righteous that they seem to forget that it is those they
lead who make them great. Unfortunately for both they and the led, there is
generally a swift fall from grace and tremendous disappointment for everyone
involved.
I think this is of particular interest as the discussions
surrounding teacher evaluation continue in both the political forum and the
teachers’ lounge. There are some evaluation models that solely score the
teacher’s lesson design – that model doesn’t even require children! There are
others based more on student performance, which really doesn’t even require the
teacher! Obviously this is a tremendous debate and one that I’m fairly
interested in, but just like many teachers evaluate their students
holistically, so should teachers be evaluated. It’s almost impossible to
measure what a great teacher is because the true power of the teacher lies in
the hearts of their students. The seed of possibility that teachers offer
students makes them powerful.
The last couple chapters of the reading sort of
lost me. I liked the “let it be” portion that highlighted a difference between
being resigned and aware. I think that is an important piece for many educators
because although we might not like the way things are, there is always an
opportunity to succeed in the face of challenges
Michael,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job opening and closing this summary. Starting with the quote, that I agree with as a powerful statement about valuing a teacher’s purpose. We can all share the experiences of things that have left us feeling less than involved in a classroom or out of a classroom. The most important part being left feeling that others didn’t care about our opinion. Measurement of any kind always revolves around the people involved in the creation of the measurement and the delivery of the measurement. I have found myself in the position of having to give some very difficult news to people about performance and found it to not be as bad as I thought. Although I have delivered positive reviews as well and found that it meant little to the person because they did not share the value of the measurement tool. I guess the conversation is the best place to begin in any process of administration. Your post had great reflections and thoughtful insights.
great reflection on the reading and on leadership as empowerment. So sad how few administrators and decision-makers seem to see that as one of the most important parts of their jobs. Sad.
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