One of the academic departments at my school went through a bit of a rough patch earlier this year. Some of the teachers were unhappy with the HOD, some of the students were unhappy with one of the teachers. Academic performance was not what it could be, given that all the teachers involved were highly skilled and competent. During the mediation process one common theme emerged: The teachers who felt aggrieved said the the HOD was not accessible enough. The pupils claimed that their teacher "did not know their names". The relationships needed mending.
I was reminded of this when I read Anne Knock's pointers on becoming an innovative school: http://anneknock.com/2012/08/05/becoming-an-innovative-school-my-top-10-ideas/ Point seven on her list confirms a universal truth: Good teaching happens when there is an authentic relationship between teachers and students. In his book "Visible Learning", John Hattie looks at the results of more than 800 studies of achievement in schools. One of the very few really positive predictors of success is the relationship between teacher and pupil. ( http://www.amazon.com/Visible-Learning-Synthesis-Meta-Analyses-Achievement/dp/0415476186 )
Regardless of infrastructure or official policies, the teacher as person can and should create positive, authentic, professional relationships with his or her students. It has been proven to lead to success. But the best part of creating these relationships is that it becomes mutually motivational. When you invest of yourself in an authentic way, you are also energised by the relationship. We so easily become victims of the "fake pearls before real swine" syndrome (as one of my more cynical colleagues calls it) - that sense of draining yourself through having to give, give, give all the time. Dare to have real educational relationships and both you and the students will benefit.
(I just came across this insightful article about what authentic leadership is: http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/2012/08/what-makes-a-leader-authentic/ )
I was reminded of this when I read Anne Knock's pointers on becoming an innovative school: http://anneknock.com/2012/08/05/becoming-an-innovative-school-my-top-10-ideas/ Point seven on her list confirms a universal truth: Good teaching happens when there is an authentic relationship between teachers and students. In his book "Visible Learning", John Hattie looks at the results of more than 800 studies of achievement in schools. One of the very few really positive predictors of success is the relationship between teacher and pupil. ( http://www.amazon.com/Visible-Learning-Synthesis-Meta-Analyses-Achievement/dp/0415476186 )
Regardless of infrastructure or official policies, the teacher as person can and should create positive, authentic, professional relationships with his or her students. It has been proven to lead to success. But the best part of creating these relationships is that it becomes mutually motivational. When you invest of yourself in an authentic way, you are also energised by the relationship. We so easily become victims of the "fake pearls before real swine" syndrome (as one of my more cynical colleagues calls it) - that sense of draining yourself through having to give, give, give all the time. Dare to have real educational relationships and both you and the students will benefit.
(I just came across this insightful article about what authentic leadership is: http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/2012/08/what-makes-a-leader-authentic/ )
