In his book “The Greatest Generation”, Tom Brokaw speaks of an overwhelming driving force that provided an opportunity for ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary tasks. This force was a sense of common purpose. Brokaw remembers from when he was five, “Looking back, I can recall that the grown-ups all seemed to have a sense of purpose...there was something greater connecting all of us, in large ways and small”(Brokaw, 1998, p.11). The theme is revisited throughout the book in the many stories he shares. This sense of common purpose for Americans to defeat the Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, and Italy), the driving force at the time, provided them the opportunity to rise to the occasion. I can think of no more powerful example of the value of a shared vision or common purpose. The power behind a common purpose can be easily carried over into our school culture and it was this concept I found myself explaining while in a dialog with three different groups of teachers this week.
“For any culture to cohere, its members need a common purpose. Such a purpose gives the culture meaning and direction, and it is what its members’ behavior is organized to accomplish.” (from Larry Geni ’s on-line book “A Teacher’s Handbook” ). Simon Sinek describes this common purpose as the “Why” in his TED talk “Start with Why”. The point here is that in order to meet the needs of our young people, everyone in our schools should have an idea of the common purpose of our schools. It is the vision which is communicated through our words and supported through our actions. However, in order to have that shared communication and support, such a vision first has to be articulated and that is where I have found myself falling short as the Director of Curriculum & Instruction in our district.
After meeting with the three aforementioned groups of teachers, what is clear to me is that a common purpose or vision has not been clearly articulated in our district as there is still a concern and belief that the “administration is most worried about the test scores”. This fear of the repercussions from the test scores still seem to be the driving force or common purpose of schools be it a conscience or subliminal decision.. Until that fear is addressed within our school culture, we are not going to be able to take the necessary steps to move forward. I have referenced “Adopting a Greenhouse Philosophy for Schools” many times in this blog post and have continually brought up the importance of “nurturing our students roots”. They are two concepts that are not radical or new as many educators, both within our district and around the world, share similar beliefs on where the focus of schools should fall. This leads to the importance of considering the structure and function of the brain and how it physiologically functions and the heart and how it metaphorically functions. I will start with the brain.
“There are two fundamental things that brains want: to be safe and happy” (Zull, 2002, p.49). If there is a perceived fear, such as repercussions from low test scores, that exists than one of those two fundamental requirements of the brain are not being met. Often it is the feeling of loss of control that provides the fear for our brains to not feel safe. So, whether it is our young people in the classroom or ourselves in the schools, it is important to feel in control. “The brain evolved to detect and resist exactly this type of thing (loss of control) for over five million years. It is not going to give in now” (Zull, 2002, p. 53), so it is best to take this into account when supporting a culture of learning. .A second rule, besides being in control, for our brain and therefore ourselves to be ready to learn/grow is that we have to see how it matters in our lives. This is were a common vision comes into play in schools. The third and final piece of the puzzle is that “we must expect to encounter emotion and we must take it seriously” (Zull, 2002, p.52). These emotions lead to, metaphorically speaking, the heart of the matter.
Almost 15 years ago, when making the shift from being a teacher in the classroom to being a teacher outside of the classroom, I came across an impactful book titled “Moral Leadership: Getting to the Heart of School Improvement” by Thomas Sergiovanni. In this book, Sergiovanni discuss how the “heart of leadership has to do with what a person believes, values, dreams about, and is committed to” (Sergiovanni, 1992, p.7). It is similar to the vision, but goes beyond as it is more foundational to a person’s actions which he refers to as the “hand of leadership”. Sergiovanni adds that the “head of leadership” is not the brain but rather the philosophical and pedagogical approaches that leaders develop over time. When put together, “the head of leadership is shaped by the heart and driven by the hand” (Sergiovanni, 1992, p.7). Add in the fact that all leadership should be dispositional (see The Power of Dispositional Leadership) and not just positional and you have the beginnings of a culture with a common purpose.
It is this common purpose or vision that can drive a culture and can help ordinary people to do extraordinary tasks. Rick DuFour & Michael Fullan’s observed, “If there is one consistent lesson that emerges from studies of the change process, it is that no one leader has all the energy and expertise to reform...a district, improve a school, or meet the needs of students in the classroom each day” (DuFour & Fullan, 2013, p. 24). Having a common vision for our schools will give all educators the latitude to contribute based on each of their expertise. Each district will have its own vision as it applies to their specific community, culture, and young people within it. Do you know the vision of your district? If not, find out and share it with others as it should be the driving force for all of our decisions for time, money, and pedagogy. In the end, the value of a shared vision will create a culture that nurtures all of the people within it and will lead to places we could never get to on our own.
References
Brokaw, Tom. (1998). The Greatest Generation. New York, NY.: Random House.
DuFour, R. & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last: Systemic PLCs at work. Bloomington, IN:
Solution Tree Press.
Sergiovanni, Thomas. (1992). Moral Leadership: Getting To The Heart Of School Improvement.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Zull, James (2002). The Art of Changing the Brain. Sterling VA: Solution Tree Press.Stylus
Publishing.
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