It Takes a Village

Collaboration amongst the administrative team is crucial in leading Highland Middle School

BY MATT BRADLEY

It takes a village. Certainly this applies to raising a child, but I also believe it rings true in regards to leading a school building. The job of building leader or administrator is complex and heavy; it simply cannot be a one-person job. Thankfully, at Highland Middle School, I have a wonderful office team that help create the learning environment where all students are known and can be successful.

At HMS, our office staff consists of a secretary, school counselor, dean of students, and principal. We are extremely fortunate that our curriculum director is housed in the middle school office as well. Few, if any, decisions are made without the input of our team. As the saying goes, “The smartest person in the room is the room.” I rely heavily on their experiences and opinions to make important decisions.

There are countless ways and reasons that our office staff culture is so strong, but three stand out: Relationships, Alignment, and Shared Responsibility.

RELATIONSHIPS “It is clear you care about each other a great deal.” - Interview candidate

Positive, trusting relationships do not just happen. They are created through work, time, and compassion. When I moved into the role of principal at HMS in 2015, I was new to the building. I relied heavily on our secretary and dean of students to learn about the school. I

asked questions. I listened. I learned. When a new counselor joined our team in 2017, he relied on our team in the same way.

Our team meets daily to discuss all things happening in the school. The layout of the office allows the counselor, dean of students, and myself to move between offices. On many occasions, the doors to all of our offices are open to the others. When this happens, ideas are bounced back and forth, conversations with students are a collaborative effort, and communication is a constant stream.

Over time we established a relationship amongst our team of genuine care and concern for each other, our staff, and our students. Emotions and feelings are contagious, and I believe that our positive outlook toward each other and our students “rubs off ” on those that enter the office.

In his moving and powerful speech, former basketball coach Jim Valvano said “There are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think—spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you laugh, think, and cry, that’s a heck of a day.” Collectively, this describes nearly every day in our office!

ALIGNMENT “You know more about students than other administrators I’ve worked with!” - New school counselor

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK (above): The administrative team at Highland Middle School works together to make things run seamlessly for students. Pictured left to right: Matt Bradley, principal; Lynn Thompson, Dean of Students; Amber Clay-Mowry, curriculum director; Shawn Morgan, School Counselor. Photo courtesy of Matt Bradley.

In his book Above the Line, former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer states that “in order to achieve elite performance, alignment is essential. When a team is aligned, everyone understands and is fully committed to the team’s purpose, culture, and strategy.”

At HMS, four core beliefs guide everything we do, and every action or decision is made with these beliefs in mind. Our office staff believes in and is fully committed to carrying out these beliefs. We will certainly discuss what these beliefs look like; but because we know our core beliefs, we confidently move toward the common goals.

There are times when we disagree and have difficult conversations. However, because of our solid relationship foundation, we are able to have them. These conversations always take place behind closed doors, and “in public” we are a united front. As a result, the entire office team is confident that our decision making is consistent because of our shared common goals.

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

“I think very highly of your school. Your students are lucky to have such caring office staff!” -Parent When I began my administration journey, I was an assistant principal. Family and friends would make comments like, “Oh, you get to be the bad guy, and you’ll only see the kids that are in trouble,” or “Do you only deal with discipline and attendance?” Fortunately, my building principal was a believer in shared responsibilities, and I was able to be a part of all aspects of building leadership. This belief is how we operate at HMS as well.

The decisions made in our building are nearly always collaborative, whether about instructional practices, disciplinary action, counseling, or managerial items. Because we value each other so highly, we would be crazy not to utilize the input and expertise of one another! We hope to model what a true team can look like.

Woody Hayes famously said, “You win with people.” Because of the people in our office, we are winning at Highland Middle School!

Matt Bradley is the principal at Highland Middle School in Morrow County. Prior to his principal position, Matt was the assistant principal at Highland Elementary School for two years and taught middle level language arts with Wapakoneta City Schools and Mount Vernon City Schools, respectively, for nine years. You can contact the author via email at matt_b@hlsd.us and via Twitter at @MrBradleyHMS.