Shifting Our Lens

A school leader’s power comes from developing the magic in others.

BY MARIA GOODMAN AND MIKE JANATOVICH OAESA PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE PRESENTERS

As educational leaders, we can feel it. It is that feeling when we walk into a building and it is empty. There is an echo with each step, and the sound of dripping water in a nearby restroom reverberates throughout the hallways. As we navigate the halls, we realize that we are just in a building. No matter what your physical building may look like, a building alone has no magic.

So where does the magic come from? As building leaders, some feel that we need to “work our magic” in order to make all of the wonderful things take place in our schools. As we reflect, we realize it has nothing to do with our personal magic that makes our school magical. It is the magic that the staff and students pump into our empty building that is the catalyst for all great things.

THE MAGIC OF THE STUDENTS

Students come flooding into the school with smiles on their faces, crisp new clothes, and backpacks filled with all sorts of supplies. It becomes crystal clear that children are excited to step foot into another year filled with learning and growth. However, as building leaders, we quickly refocus our attention once again on the important work of helping our young children discover that learning is all around and not just within the walls of our school building. We create an environment that fosters leadership, responsibility, and personal awareness that learning is in the hands of the child and not just something that happens to them when they enter school.

Our students are an integral part of the school puzzle that cannot be complete until they enter the building. They enter the classrooms of our many teachers and into the hands of remarkable adults that comprise our school staff. We help students thrive in our learning environments by providing them a culture of collaboration, rich dialogue, and problem-solving. This space is safe to make mistakes, celebrate progress, and learn by doing. They quickly realize that the staff all around are facilitators of the learning path that the children are designing throughout each passing day and week.

THE MAGIC OF THE STAFF

While we understand that kids come first and foremost, as leaders we must be focused on the fact that our most valuable resource in education is the staff that works with our kids on a daily basis. These educators inspire, motivate, create, challenge, love, and support our students with each interaction. When we recognize this as leaders, we can shift the magic away from us and onto one of the many treasures in our buildings.

The collective magic of a school’s staff is much more powerful

than any single building administrator’s magic. A single administrator can make changes. Changes are small. Changes can change. We need to think bigger. We need a collective staff. A collective staff can be magical. A collective staff can empower learners. DEVELOPING TEACHER LEADERS When we shift our lens and think of magic as a collective vision, we as leaders can then narrow our focus. As leaders, our true power is simply bringing out the magic in others. When we see the power of the collective magic of our staff, we can see the impact that we can have if we focus on bringing out the wondrous gifts that others may possess. If we continue to create a culture of supportive leadership, we can continually spread our magic to others. When do administrators really work their magic? It is when they develop teacher leaders. Teacher leaders are the catalyst for educational change. This change is not easy. It can be a struggle, but when it happens, it is truly magical. Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is not struggle, there is no progress.” Reflecting on Frederick Douglass’s quote, it is easy to become drawn to the word struggle. A struggle is simply defined as “to make forceful or violent efforts to get free of restraint or constriction.” While the definition stated above might not be suited for education, if you use a thesaurus to change the words forceful and violent, we believe you have an educationally sound definition that can define struggle. A more suitable definition of a struggle for purposes of teacher leadership can be; to make assertive (forceful) or passionate (violent) efforts to get free of restraint or constriction. True change that comes as a result of a struggle must be driven with passion. Educational leadership, whether on the teacher or administrative level, is challenging. That is why many initiatives fail. Many educators either do not have the passion for embracing the struggle, or they receive so much opposition that the effort needed to make that change is greater than the passion. As a school administrator, this is the most critical thing to remember if your teachers are stepping up to be leaders: Do not provide so much opposition to their passion that they feel the effort is not worth it. Create those magical opportunities to support and grow their passions. We must foster an environment that all educators can break free of traditional thinking and allow everyone to be involved in the decision-making and leadership process. If we have the courage to embrace the struggle and invite others to be a part of it, we can grow and transform our schools to a place where learning never ends. When you watch this happen, it is magical. IT IS THEIR MAGIC While we are both building administrators, we truly see ourselves as teachers. We both loved being classroom teachers and making the decision to enter administration was not an easy one. For us, the best way we can work our magic is by bringing out the magic in others, whether it be the students who enter our buildings or the many teachers and staff members who walk through our doors. We want our students to grow as learners in today’s world. We want teachers to be empowered to make instructional decisions that will have the most impact on the individual needs of each of our students. We need to continually remember that our personal magic as building leaders is small, but those around us have the real magic. As we observe, listen, interact, and question, we are looking for opportunities to help teachers and students grow. This is our most important work, and this work is MAGICAL. Mike Janatovich and Maria Goodman are instructional leaders at Leighton Elementary School in the Aurora City School district. They are passionate about growing leaders and creating a culture of learning for not only students but educators. While they both have administrative positions, they will always be teachers first. Contact Mike via email at mjanatovich@aurora-schools.org or via Twitter at @mjanatovich. You can contact Maria via email at mgoodman@aurora-schools.org or via Twitter at @MrsMariaGoodman. They will be presenting “Developing Leaders and Learnings in Our Schools” as a clinic topic at the 62nd Annual Professional Conference and Trade Show on Thursday, June 13, from 12:45–1:30pm. For us, the best way we can work our magic is by bringing out the magic in others, whether it be the students who enter our buildings or the many teachers and staff members who walk through our doors.

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Build foundational reading skills for students of all abilities in grades pre-K–5 in Ohio.

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Women and men are invited to attend OAESA’s first conference celebrating, developing, and elevating women in educational leadership. Watch for announcements regarding event details and clinic sessions in the coming weeks, and prepare for an evening and a day of connection, inspiration, strategy, and learning!

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CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

$249 for members $349 for non-members

Register online at oaesa.org/events/elevate2020 or by phone at 614.547.8087

TENTATIVE AGENDA

March 4, 2020 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Welcome Reception 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Dinner and Programming

March 5, 2020 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM A full day of professional development: Keynote speakers, breakout sessions, panels, conversations, and more!

Out & about this spring with OAESA

EVENTS ARE SPRINGING UP EVERYWHERE: Just like in schools, spring is a busy time for OAESA! Since the start of March we have held regional meetings (Zone 6 featured here), professional learning events (Rigorous Reading with Nancy Frey and Preparing to Lead), and numerous school visits to our nominees and candidates for our annual awards program. Thank you to all of our Service Teams and leadership who spend time planning events, connecting with colleagues at said events, and giving feedback after they occur. We are always looking to intentionally connect our members!

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Horace Mann Insurance Company and its affiliates underwrite Horace Mann auto insurance. The benefits and discounts listed are only general descriptions of coverage and do not constitute a statement of contract, are subject to terms and conditions and may vary by state.