Teacher Leaders #4

I really enjoyed the "Systems Thinking - Systems Changing Simulation" game we played in class on Wednesday. My group really got into the game, and I think we learned a lot from it. We found out, the hard way, that you really need to communicate often with your staff when a change is happening. There is also a definite order of priorities that needs to be implemented if you want a change to be successful. We were surprised and frustrated by how long it took us to move our reluctant staff members along on the path. That was reality though because we were all able to identify those people within our schools.

Chapter 5 made a lot of sense. I think we all like to be recognized for the things we accomplish. Since we are getting a new principal this year, things will obviously change in this area. Our principal last year did use some of these techniques. She started doing walk-throughs, and she did try to come to our classrooms as often as possible. In our building, however, this is difficult because our principal is our entire "administration." She has a multitude of responsibilities that take up most of her day. It doesn't leave a lot of time to spend in the classrooms. She was good at giving us little "gifts" for holidays and recognizing our birthdays, etc. It will be interesting to see how things change this year. Ironically, our new principal just got her leadership degree... from Stritch!