PIRATE leaders infuse enthusiasm into their work. They bring it every day, and they are committed to being on. They are the champions and cheerleaders of their schools and champions and cheerleaders of those who work and learn there.Lead Like a PIRATE
In my first years as a principal, I was afraid of the teachers who were so good and innovativeâthe kinds of teachers we all wish our kids had. These teachers had established a culture where everyone knew their class was the place to be. They always did that âsomething extraâ that made their class special and made kids excited about being in school. They consistently performed with both uniqueness and excellence with little regard for what their peers were doing or thinking. I was afraid of them because they had a reputation for greatness.
Let me explain.
Each year as it came time to place students for the next year, I worried about who would get the âstarâ teacherâs students and how those parents would react to a new teacher who may be less innovative, communicative, and stellar. I worried about whom I would place in the âstarâ teacherâs classroom for the upcoming year, and often I based my decisions on the parentsâ visibility and involvement. In some ways, I despised how good these teachers were because of the anxiety these decisions caused me, not to mention the task of explaining my reasoning to parents. As we all know, parents talk, and everyone wanted their kids in those teachersâ classes.
It later occurred to me that I needed to create a buzz about my other teachers. More than that, I needed them to step up their games and create a culture of excitement and possibility about their classes the way my âstarâ teachers had done. It wasnât my job to hide the success of the schoolâs best teachers; my job was to celebrate their greatness and help others find their own greatness. This is the culture that I wanted for my school, and to get it, I needed to be a better leader.
Understanding that I needed to create a culture where excellence was the norm and where people felt challenged and encouraged to constantly improve, I watched and learned from my best teachers. In talking with them, I encouraged them to lead by sharing their best ideas. I also learned about others who were doing great things, and I shared their stories. The ultimate goal, of course, was to help all our teachers get better and in doing so, make our school amazing.
Learning, listening, sharing, and leading started the change that was necessary for our school to be a place of learning and excitement. I changed as a leader as I sought to empower greatness in my staff. No longer was I worried about where I was going to place the students from the âstarâ teacherâs classroom, because I had many star teachers. Each had built a culture of growth and learning and love in their classrooms. They were unique and different, and they all had their specific skills. By cultivating greatness within the individual teachers, our schoolâs culture changed. It became the place everyoneâour staff, students, and their familiesâwanted to be.
Culture, in its most basic sense, is âthe way we do things around here.â A schoolâs culture, which leads to the climate, determines âthe way it feelsâ when anyone walks into the building or the classroom. Culture exists whether we are intentional about creating it or not, but itâs a positive culture that is essential to making the necessary changes within our schools. Change is a constant factor in our schools, and because thatâs true, culture is never stagnant. Each decision that is made, each new staff member who joins an organization, each mandate from the state brings a slight shift in culture. As leaders, our responsibility to the children in our schools is to give them the best education possible, and that happens when we drive a culture of learning and positive strength.
We should all strive to create schools where, as, Beth Houf and Shelley Burgess say,â...students and staff are knocking doors down to get in rather than out.â1 We want schools to be a feel-good place where everyone feels safe to be themselves and where learning is a priority for all. We want a climate of excitement and enthusiasm. We want to be the place that people talk about and remember. We want to be the place where everyone in the community wants their kids and grandkids to be. Thatâs the culture we strive for.
Pass It On
In this book, I will be sharing things that I used or have seen used to make classrooms and schools great places. As I tell my teachers, âEvery recommendation I give, Iâve learned from someone else or somewhere else.â I didnât make this stuff up; Iâve learned from so many people. Iâm simply sharing ideas with the hope of helping youâand school leaders everywhereâdevelop the kind of culture that brings out the best in staff and students.
At the end of each chapter, youâll find some activity questions to get you thinking deeper about this amazing profession we are in. Please share what youâve learned and experienced at #LeadLAP.
Leadership Treasure Hunt (Find This)
- What would you say is the current culture of your school or your classroom? How do you know?
Navigating the Seas (Think about This)
- What would be the first thing you changed in your school to change the culture in a positive way?
Charting the Course (Take Action)
- Make it a point to smile more and say hello to each student and staff member who walks in; in fact, be more welcoming in all ways.