Blog 8.1 Response to Marcelo Contextualizing
Thank you Marcelo for your reflective post on contextualizing. You start off by asking a very good question “How can these leadership strategies relate to me in a third world country, working as a principal in one of the most impoverished states in Paraguay?” (Warkentin, 2018).
Marcelo, I found this background information very interesting but also quite challenging to wrap my head around. You stated “By the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Paraguay is today in the 111th place from 187 nations in human development (“Human Development Reports,” 2013, p. 1). In a similar study done by UNDP in Spanish, the Departamento de Caaguazu (or the State of Caaguazu) is considered to be even thirty years behind the capital Asunción in human development (“Evaluación del desarrollo,” 2012, p. 25). The state of Caaguazu is considered to have the lowest income per capita in the country and consequently has the highest percentage of people living in poverty” (Warkentin, 2018).
Marcelo you also wrote “Poverty lays in stark contrast with those that have greater economic stability. Even though we live in an impoverished state, our city is considered to be the industrial capital of Paraguay. Living and working in a region with both poverty and wealth has its challenges” (Warkentin, 2018). Certainly our working environments could not be any different but at the same time we do have some similarities. Living in the most expensive province in Canada, British Columbia, and working in a suburban middle class neighbourhood where the average single family home on a lot starts at 1 million dollars, I might seem apathetic to your circumstances. This is certainly not the most expensive city in the Lower Mainland, but kids at my school do not have to struggle too much when most students keep busy with pricey extracurricular activities like hockey, soccer, basketball, dance and swim team. At my school students can afford $4000 Spring Break trips to Europe and easily obtain part time jobs to pay for their cars by grade 10 and 11. What would happen though if we looked at this dichotomy from a different perspective? If we changed GPS locations just slightly, I could show you that there is one very low income area in BC that might be very comparable to your environment if not, even worse. If you drive 40 km’s west of Langley you will arrive in the heart of Vancouver’s infamous Downtown Eastside where an opioid crisis has wreaked havoc on its citizens for decades. Gee (2018) points out “In the heart of one of the world’s most livable cities, just next to the boutiques and bistros of Gastown, shocking scenes of human degradation unfold every day” where countless men and women are shooting to get high (Para 5). Gee (2018) goes on to say “Scores are being killed by the poison in their drugs” and notes “130 suspected overdose calls occurred on just one single day this past July” (Para 5). The article goes on to highlight our new mayor in Vancouver and the tough job he has to take over the reins and tackle this problem. I point this out simply because I do believe our course material on strategic leadership applies not only to us in our respective fields but also to our politicians who work to make our communities a safer place to live and raise families.
You wrote “Similarly, we have at our school children from wealthy and low-income families attending and participating in the same classes” (Warkentin, 2018). I can only imagine how difficult this must make it for you in a position of leadership with few funds available to make your have-not students not feel ostracized by those students who have it easy. This makes me think back to some teacher-on call work I was doing a few years ago at an inner city school in Langley which had a number of Syrian refugee students. Even amongst these students who had nothing, some were given bicycles as a donation from a church or sponsor family while others did not have anything. Fighting amongst these kids happened frequently and I recall having to sit all the students down in a circle and dialogue as best we could to find a resolution to the problem and to teach them appropriate behavior in Canadian schools.
I do appreciate your reliance on God to take care and provide wisdom and guidance as you lead “The reality of our region and how we try to transform children through education encourages us to work by faith” (Warkentin, 2018). Our journey whether we teach or administer must be balanced not only by what the latest leadership textbooks suggest but also heavily from God’s Word which is the ultimate resource for living and leading others. According to Psalm 119:105 it says “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
“We are God´s creation, and the Creator eagerly wants to lead us when we are paying attention to His leading. When we are in a personal relationship with God, He will lead us through insight and imagination” (Warkentin, 2018). I agree with your point and might add it is always wise to step back and take a look at the bigger picture surrounding our circumstances. Our God sees and knows everything. The Bible assures us Christians that God will guide us in all of our ways “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
Recently, I have been reminded of God’s word that encourages me not to fear anything “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). I often need to take a large step backwards to have a much better view of issues that play out at work and in life. Some teachers at my school are quite territorial and can be very unfriendly. Sometimes I feel like David hiding out in caves when God is calling me to step out and lead in confidence because His word reassures me that he has my back. Do you have these feelings too when the circumstances that you are dealing with seem too overwhelming?
I found your observations here about the social dynamics something I could relate to as you write about people in Paraguay and their mentality and lack of drive “People are generally very relaxed. As a result, they will work on their own pace. People also have low expectations of themselves which leads to underperformance. Most do not understand their capacity” (Warkentin, 2018). This makes me think of one boy in my class who is one of the very privileged Venezuelans to be able to move to Canada. He is an international student who is now in his second year at the school. We just had an ELL department meeting where his name came up. Apparently, his teacher last year also struggled to motivate this boy who just does not try very hard. He lacks effort and drive which perhaps have more to do with his upbringing and cultural DNA as you seem to struggle with the same lack of drive in your students. Ungerer, Ungerer and Herholdt (2016) posit how important it is for leaders to “model the way-showing others what to do, rather than just talking about it” (p.46). I wonder how we can model to our students, in particular the ones from South America, how to have a different mindset? Thanks again for sharing!
References
Gee, M. (2018, November 10). What I saw in a day on the Downtown Eastside shocked me. Retrieved November 22, 2018, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-what-i-saw-in-a-day-on-the-downtown-eastside-shocked-me/
Holy Bible: New International Version. (2001). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Ungerer, M., Ungerer, G., & Herholdt, J. (2016). Navigating strategic possibilities. [Kindle]. Retrieved from www.kr.co.za
Warkentin, M. (2018, November 22). Contextualizing. Retrieved November 22, 2018, from https://create.twu.ca/marcelowarkentin/2018/11/22/contextualizing/