Who Should Drive Change? With Frederick

The Assistant Principal Podcast

Show title and release date: Who Should Drive Change? With Frederick

Power quote: Lighter = faster and easier with less risk of injury

Show Description:

In a few weeks you will hear my discussion with Dr. Chad Dumas in which we dig into PLCs. We begin by noting the “PLC” is one of the most despised buzzwords by teachers and dig into the why. In my conversation with Chad, we move from 40,000 feet to ground level multiple times. I don’t think the episode is confusing, it’s more that there are so many powerful ideas in the one episode that some of them will get lost. One of the parts I’m afraid will get overlooked is our discussion on implementation, which is fleeting and incomplete. So, I’ve recorded a follow-up – a sequel in TV jargon – that uses PLC implementation as an example of how we should – and should not – implement change. That takes us to today, the prequel to main episode in a few weeks. I want to frontload some thoughts about change, so when you hear my discussion with Chad, you will better follow what we are talking about. I also want some key ideas bouncing around in your head as you begin discussions in your leadership teams (hopefully) on what next years will look like.

Celebrations: As I record this, I’ve just been hired for the first time to lead a book study of A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose with 20 assistant principals in the western region of North Carolina. I’m so excited and want to give a big shout out to Candie Sellers at WRESA. Candie, it has been a pleasure working with you and your passion for education throughout WNC inspires me to keep growing and becoming better.

Disclaimer: You don’t have to agree with me, if you don’t agree with me, that doesn’t mean you are wrong. There are different ways t approach things. What I describe here is well-documented in the research and is my loved experience, but different people create different outcomes. If some of what I say does create dissonance, I ask that you analyze why and then make a conscious decision to disregard what I’ve said, withhold judgement and continue evaluating, or embrace it.

The Big Idea

Backpack:

· Lighter = faster and easier with less risk of injury

· I must pack my own pack and decide on my own gear

· Sharing some gear makes things easier for everyone

Corollaries:

· Fewer initiatives mean better implementation with less burnout (every yes is a no to something else)

· Teachers should drive the focus of PD. Three examples:

o ECT struggling with CR management

o Mid-career teacher who wants more student participation

o Late career teacher who is overwhelmed caring for aging parents

· It is a collaborative effort

When someone attempts to implement something new, there two critical variables:

· Can they grow?

· Will they be supported?

· Growth:

· Support: Four dimensions: align to the practice

· Example: Restorative practices

Challenges

· Teachers choose the wrong thing:

o Change requires trust

§ Trust builds when we listen

§ Trust builds when we help people decrease pain

o We aren’t very good at identifying “the thing”

o M=V/E

o If the house is burning down we put out the fire

o We can plant seeds!

· Teachers don’t want to grow:

o Acknowledge the trauma

o Acknowledge the stigma of coaching and “improvement plans”

o Acknowledge the lack of resources

o Acknowledge the flavor-of-the-month

o Ask, “If you could get your students to do one thing differently, what would it be?” Getting them to do “the thing” is where they want and need to grow.

· Mandates and new things

o Four approaches: ignore, delay, deny, find the overlap

o Leading edge versus bleeding edge

· Our reading scores suck

o Every teacher’s students’ scores don’t suck for the same reason

o Fidelity matters, if you can’t implement with fidelity you won’t get results. Resistance and overload undermine fidelity.

o A teacher who can’t manage their classroom will not be successful, no matter how good the strategies are

o If a teacher wants to get better at teaching students to read, the teacher needs this training! If the teacher is more concerned with math or classroom culture, the training will be less effective.

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

· Change requires support (aligning purpose, structures, and resources)

· And growth (knowledge, skills, dispositions and health)

· The less alignment, the less effective the PD

· M=V/E

· Small changes, driven by teachers’ needs and desires, are more likely to have an effective implementation that has a positive impact

Close

· Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.

· You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/

· I love hearing from you so consider email me at [e-mail] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.

· My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html

· Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

· Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.

· Cheers!

Frederick’s Links:

Email: [e-mail]

Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting

Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520