School/Educational Leadership Scenario
I think one of the key points of focus in adequately handling this situation revolves around making sure the rest of the faculty does not feel alienated or feel like they are under a microscope. I need to convey that I am not there to judge or criticize them but to work with them (and obviously not against them). One of the things that I would highlight is that I have confidence that everyone in the room is there because they genuinely love teaching and they love making a positive impact on the lives of children. I would stress how some of the children at our school come from difficult families: divorce, or have two parents who are married to their jobs and just aren’t available to their children. Many of the children at our school come from all the privilege in the world, however, they don’t feel like they have the unconditional love of their parents. This is how we can be tremendously influential as educators: we can give these students the sense of support and attention that indicates that they matter, that they don’t receive at home. This support and sense of caring, can be life-changing and can ensure that they all realize their potential. I know that you all decided to pursue a career in education not because you wanted your summers off and lots of paid vacation time. You did it because you genuinely cared about children and about the artistry of teaching and for that I commend you.
I would also like to stress that I know how difficult your jobs are. You all are faced with a host of challenges each day, which is why working in education is such a demanding and draining job. This is why there’s such a high drop out rate when it comes to working in schools. So many faculty members of times past weren’t able to take the noise, the incessant discipline problems, the rude students, the barrage of questions and the constant burden of finding a way to make the same material new and exciting. Please understand that...
This is common in any demanding profession, particularly in one where the people have been working at the same job for many years—and I know that many people in this room have been at this school for ten years or more. Everyone in this room needs to reengage in their sense of discipline and creativity, and in the very passions that drew them to this profession in the first place. If we are lax on ourselves and our own work ethic and standards of excellence, it simply won’t be possible for us to take these students to a higher level of excellence. Thus, from this point on, we are establishing a zero-tolerance policy for members of faculty who make a habit of engaging in subpar work practices. Any member of faculty who is late to faculty meetings, who leaves school early for any reason, who does not turn in lesson plans and who does not maximize instructional time, will be have to deal with the consequences of their actions. This school has too much of a background of excellence and hard work behind it and has a reputation that lights up the community. It will not be sullied by bad habits. Bad habits such as the ones just described, lowers the overall standard of excellence at this school: there is no room for it, it will not be tolerated. Anyone who has a problem with that, is definitely not suited to collect a paycheck here and should perhaps leave the entire profession of education completely. Thus, if anyone engages in any of the bad habits described will be forced to stay an hour after school everyday for a week or two, to supervise the detention hall. This consequence is not meant to be a punishment: rather it is meant to be highlight that we expect more from you and that there is no place in this school for subpar…
