Blog 4 Response to Sadie
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reflections on the Catholic School system and the struggles you face.
“In my experience, the most Catholic students that I have had in my class in one year is 6/26 students. In other years, the numbers have been lower. This problem poses a threat to our public identity. I wonder if this is a problem that the school and the church need to work together on to try and solve.” I definitely believe the Catholic and Christian schools need to work together to help resolve this issue. When I worked in Ontario, there was a Catholic Public school board as well. It had a very strict policy in place as a friend of mine had her boys in that system. Her husband was Catholic and the Catholic school board mandate was at least one parent had to be a practicing Catholic who attended mass. They also needed a letter from the priest for the application. The Catholic school board, even though it was public, still had some tight controls on who could attend. One thing that set them apart from the regular public system was its uniform policy. Anyone who attended the Catholic school system got to wear a uniform unlike the regular public school. That was one thing that made it attractive and I’m sure some parents found a way around the barriers if they were determined to have their children attend the school in the neighborhood. Perhaps some were sold on the idea of uniform. At the end of the day, I think your situation is a reflection of the administration and their leniency in allowing anyone to attend rather than true devout believers and their children. Perhaps it is also their hope that students’ hear the Good News of the Gospel message and become spiritual once they attend the school for a while.
“If I had the ‘chance to change this,’ I would. In Canada, there is a threat to Catholic education. I would like to see this changed as I truly believe in the values taught in our school system.” I wonder if there are other Catholic school educators who feel the same way you do. Maybe by voicing your concerns with like-minded people, you can start a grass roots movement to implement positive change.
“At times it can be shocking how some people conduct themselves.” What has shocked you exactly? “I have tried many different techniques in hopes of improving the culture in our organization, however I have not experienced a lot of success.” Can you elaborate a little more? What kind of techniques have you tried specifically?
“They usually exhibit negative attitudes about policies, procedures and updates in the education system.” This sounds like you work with a lot of disgruntled older teachers who maybe should have already retired? This make some wonder what can be done to keep all educators at their peak right until they retire? Why do so many become complacent? I think an important aspect could have to do with the school vision. Sergiovanni (2007) states “When a school vision embodies the sharing of ideals, a covenant is created that bonds together leader and led in a common cause” (p.75). Perhaps this is the bridge which deteriorates the longer teachers teach.
They view the ‘old’ way as the ‘right’ way and are resistant to change. For the newer staff, this can be draining. For example, I took it upon myself in my first two years to try and start a social committee.” I used to be the social committee liason when I taught at a Christian school in Ontario. That was a lot of fun! I planned a fondue party at our home for the staff and organized tickets to the Broadway musical the Lion King. We would go to dinner at a Chinese buffet restaurant every Christmas (that was tradition) and our staff were very engaged in the activities of the mother church which sponsored our school even though some of us came from different Christian denominations. Our staff was quite young and all of the young teachers did not yet have children when I was teaching, so it was easy to engage everyone in social activities. Harris (2014) talks at length about the importance of building social capital. She asserts “relationships matter” …”it is what those relationships actually achieve that matters most of all” (p.80). Furthermore, she goes on to add “relationship building with purpose is far more likely to secure productive and positive change” (p.81).
I find it takes strength and courage to be patient, and not have resentful feelings towards people on staff with such attitudes. I find that too, but in different ways. One older teacher librarian, close to retirement, is causing me some pushback, which I know is simply because she has a different worldview than me. I am learning to practice boundaries with this particular teacher and I have learned to keep my distance from her and to limit what I share. One example was a conversation we were casually having about the up-coming municipal election and the topic of school trustees was up for discussion. I shared who I was planning on supporting when this teacher said I should not vote for “her” because she did not outright say she was supporting (a hot topic issue). This “issue” goes against my Christian values. She then went on to inform me that she listens to the Langley Teachers Association (LTA) recommendations when she goes to vote. This is just a reminder that my theistic worldview will clash with those who have a different worldview than me. Sire (2009) writes “God has revealed his standard in the various laws and principles in the Bible…There is thus a standard of right and wrong, and people who want to know it can know it” (p.42). People who have negative attitudes or who are rough and abrasive and living outside the love of Christ need to be brought into the light in order for them to see the bigger picture.
“I have noticed in our organization that the only staff that is recognized for excellence is the staff that go above and beyond their daily duties. However, I believe that everyone can relate to the famous words, “it’s the little things in life that matter or the little things that count.” Perhaps these little things need to be recognized as well.” I agree with you one hundred percent. Certainly, as we have been learning about building culture in our schools and reflecting on what it means to be a transformational leader, everything we say and do has ripple effects. Sergiovanni (2014) writes “the purpose of purposing is to build within the school a center of shared values that transforms it from a mere organization into a covenantal community” (p.54).
I spoke with a staff member who was feeling particularly unhappy in our team last year and she told me that she feels like she never gets recognized for her work in the school. Although her work may not be as noticeable as some of the other staff members work, it is still significant, takes time out of her personal life and perhaps she would feel a part of the team if she were recognized.” Sadie you have a valid point here. I know it is important to feel part of a team. Once you have this feeling of belonging you naturally start looking for ways to advance the whole. At one of my old Christian schools in Ontario, they had some really great ideas to bond as a staff. Not only did this school always make a point of going away as an entire school in September for camp (grade 9, 10’s and 11’s one week and grade 12’s a different week) this school also encouraged staff to notice what others are doing and to write notes of encouragement to each other. This was so positive and uplifting, receiving such thoughtful words of encouragement from my colleagues. It also made me more cognitive to recognize special things others were doing around me. This school was overflowing in the love of the Holy Spirit. It was bar none the best formative spiritual growth for me as a new believer back in the day and will always hold a dear spot in my heart. I really received a strong foundation of faith from my colleagues and administrative staff. The administrators were my first examples of transformational servant leaders and that goes back to 2000-2003.
“If an employee does demonstrate defensiveness, don’t let his attitude “push your buttons” and cause you to become angry or more strident in your efforts to convince him that he should take responsibility and own the problem” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 74).”
“Disorganization in time management. Although I hold myself accountable for completing tasks, I am sometimes disorganized in my time management. I often feel that I have time for everything and will commit to far too many things. This often leaves me up at all hours of the night in order to complete tasks on time. Lepsinger (2010) writes, “select the potential problems that should be addressed, starting, of course, with those that are high probability and high impact and working your way down to lower levels of probability and impact” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 44). Prioritizing and organizing will help me to make more efficient use of my time.” I like your thoughts here and share similar concerns. I find it difficult to say “no” to anything when I am really interested. I know I have too many things on my plate but rather than disappointing people I just have to learn how to juggle more and more balls. Hughes et al., (2014) call it strategic acting which “requires attending to both short-term and long-term objectives” (p.107). Prioritizing and organizing your tasks while keeping your short and long term goals in mind will not only help you achieve your goals but also help you feel more in control.
References
Harris, A. (2014). Distributed leadership matters: Perspectives, Practicalities and Potential.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Hughes R., Colarelli-Beatty K. & Dinwoodie D. (2014) Becoming a strategic leader. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Second Edition.
Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Sergiovanni, T. (2007). Rethinking leadership (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: CA: Corwin Press.