Change is a scary process. Moving to Washington, DC from a little farm town in Southwest Michigan was a significant change in my life and I was very apprehensive about it. To me, moving 13 hours across the country took me away from everything I knew and was comfortable with and the idea of reestablishing myself and adapting to a “new way of life” was very daunting. However, the one thing that got me through this entire process was a positive relationship with my family. The strength these relationships gave me allowed me to take on this change with full force and helped me understand how to properly survive in my new surroundings.
This story reveals that change is hard for most people to take on. Without proper leadership and positive relationships that facilitate support and collaboration, change is not going to be accepted or incorporated. Peterson (2002) states, “a school culture influences the ways people think, feel, and act” (p.10). If your school culture is not one that supports progressive thinking, does not place student achievement first, and creates a feeling of solitude within the staff then implementing the complexities of the change process is going to be very difficult. Before any change takes place, the leader must check the cultural pulse of the school and determine what aspects of the culture are positive and should be reinforced and what aspects of the culture are negative and harmful and should be changed (Peterson, 2002). By creating a positive school culture, individuals will be able to develop a learning community that fosters professional development that continues the process of teacher learning.
If teachers enjoy discussing new ways of thinking, are reflective on their daily practices, are open to other opinions, and support both professional development and student achievement then implementing change will most likely be accepted by the staff. As a leader, it is our job to support positive school cultures because without it we will not be able to perform our job, as the SEDL: facilitative leadership, (2002) describes, “leaders, then, are change makers and transformers, guiding the organization to a new and more compelling vision, a demanding role expectation” (p.1). Without the aid of a positive school culture that supports innovation, respect, trust, and shared leadership that balances continuity and improvement any school reform model will surely fail. Much of the school culture is derived from the leadership, if leaders trust the strength of others and value their efforts and see the people in the organization as its greatest resource not only will change take place but it will be supported with an enriched school culture (SEDL: leadership characteristics that facilitate school change, 2002).
References
Peterson, K. D. (2002). Positive. At issue culture, 10-15.
SEDL: facilitative leadership (2002). Retrieved August 20, 2010, from http://www.sedl.org/change/facilitate
/leaders.html
SEDL: leadership characteristics that facilitate school change (2002). Retrieved August 20, 2010, from
http://www.sedl.org/change/leadership/character.html
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