Day 5 Leadership Reflection

Leadership Reflection

Today's session was about moral issues and dilemmas. We have started to discuss Kidder's 9 checkpoints for Ethical Decision Making. 

The first step is to recognize that there is a moral issue. It was interesting to see the graph about all right vs all wrong. We might think that everything is black or white or that everything is grey. It is really important to think about what would we fight for, and what we stand up for. We would also think that evil is intentional, but we need to consider what is the effect and if we are causing harm. 

We also talked about how there is a moral implication of doing nothing. We often say at school "There is nothing I can do, it is the system." As leaders, we can not transfer the school's structures entirely but we have to think clearly about what we are able to do (instead of blaming the system). 

I noted down the  following quote: 

"It is not evil doers who are the problem in education organizations, it is others tolerating or even obeying those who commit evils."

My understanding of this quote is that the main issue at a school might not be the presence of individuals who engage in unethical decision-making, but the tolerance and compliance of others within the school who allow unethical decisions to happen. So in this regard ethical decision-making should be a collective accountability, every member of the school community has an obligation for ethical actions.

We need to be mindful that ethics is part of our decisions. We are all capable of evil but if we make sure that the system is in place and identify what is the moral issue, we are able to make an ethical decision. 

We also talked about who the actors are in a dilemma, who is responsible for the problem or dilemma, and whose dilemma really is. Sometimes we have dilemmas when there are two right decisions and two right answers. The question we need to ask is "Am I responsible for this decision?"

I have also learned that we need to determine who the actors are and most and foremost identify and deal with the main actor. 

Day 3 Leadership Reflection

Leadership Reflection

As we started to deeper our learning about different decision-making models, I found a lot of new and interesting information during the session today. The participatory decision-making versus autocratic approach was very interesting for me. I would put myself more on the participatory side, however, I do believe that there are times when leaders need to be more autocratic. 

The idea that running a school is not democracy was really interesting. There is time for participatory decision making and there are times when this approach doesn't work. It was eye-opening to think about how much participation and power should be involved in decision-making. If I think about my team leader role and decision making practice, the school's management does emphasize to collaborate and take the decisions together. However, there were times last year, when I really had to stand up and say, guys this is what we are going to do and period. Either because it was really hard to agree on something or the teachers just didn't want to change something (just because it wasn't the way they were used to do it).  

We also talked about each decision having a cost. The cost of lots of participants but no decision power is that the decision will be slow and it can result in paralysis by analysis and it can also create conflicts. We need to consider how much the participants understand the problem and are experts involved in decision-making. On the other side, if there is no participation and no power then means the decision is autocratic. 

Another important discussion was about the vision and mission of the schools, and how everything we do at school should be tied to the vision. We talked about what a good vision looks like, and that it should start with the outcome: What do we want our students to be? What really matters? We said that great visions are inspiring, concise (catchy), and clear to everyone (including the students). When creating the vision of a school we should avoid vague phrases like "we want to have life-long learners". It was very interesting to think about the admission process through the lens of the vision of the school. I have never thought of this before, that the two should be connected, that vision should be the core of everything we are doing at school. I've learnt that we have to bring our vision and mission statement alive every single day. 

Day 2 Leadership Reflection

Leadership Reflection

The first activity about "The Circle Way" was very beneficial for me. I really liked that we had to bring in a tangible artifact that we put in the middle of the circle. It was very informative to listen to the participants' short presentation about an effective leader. I liked the idea of not interrupting anyone, not asking questions, and just actively listening to each other. Oftentimes we jump in with questions when we are sharing and how this circle way worked was really helpful. It made us focus all our attention on the person speaking. Handing around a talking stick was very helpful as well, it seemed like a ritual, where the person with the stick was empowered to speak and was at the center of attention.

The other thing that stayed with me today was the discussion about decision-making dilemmas.  I had the opportunity to reflect on my decision-making practice and to think about what areas I struggle with the most when making decisions. I definitely struggle when relationships are involved (eg. friends). I have learned that there are no perfect choices and we need to identify the cost of our decision and try to figure out ways to reduce the cost as much as possible. I have also learned that I will never be able to make a good decision if I am always looking at all factors. 

Lastly, I would mention the quote by Margaret Atwood. Whatever decision we might take, there will always be someone who feels it is unfair.  

Day 1 Leadership Reflection

Problems of Leadership Reflection

The group activity about the loss of cargo was the most exciting activity for me today. I have learned the importance of framing, something I was not aware of till today. I have learned how important the way we categorize things is in our decision-making. Categorization has a huge effect on how we deal with problems.

The discussion about framing made me realize how framing affects our choices and decisions day by day. Often times the available or presented options are framed in a way that can get us into traps. I also learned from the activity that we as leaders are not required to accept the presented options, we can think outside the box, not being afraid of asking for more options, different solutions, and different perspectives. I can use this in my daily practice as well, and I feel I am more aware now of how I will look into the problems or options presented to me. 

Another thing that stayed with me from today's session is that good leaders embrace problems. I too find myself avoiding problems or conflicts sometimes, just to stay out of "trouble". Often times I find it challenging to have difficult conversations. Reflecting on the conversation today, I feel more empowered to embrace problems, and to find and deal with problems instead of avoiding or postponing them. 

It was also great to reflect on our primary and most important goal and focus: LEARNING! Thinking and reflecting on why are we doing what we are doing, looking into what learning is going on in Year 1 classes, asking myself day by day what can I do as a teacher and team leader to help learning at school today. 

We also talked about Areas of Practice. In my notes I jotted down what areas I feel are stronger and what areas need improvement in my practice. 

As a year-level team leader, I think I am doing much better in regard to building relationships, leading a learning community, developing people, and setting directions. I have experienced dealing with a variety of teaching colleagues, school staff, students, and parents from different cultures, countries, and religions. However, I would need improvement in ensuring accountability and leading the organization. As a team leader, I do not have the authority or role to lead the organization. However, I can increase the Year 1 teaching team's accountability by making sure that each team member knows exactly what the expectations are and that we tie the planning (teaching and learning in our classrooms) to the vision and mission of the school. 

Day 5 Daily Action

Daily Action

The daily action I need to really consider every day from now on is favoritism in the classroom. Thinking and reflecting on an ethical dilemma we have had, made me realize that I am still showing small favoritism in my classroom even if I know that it is not right. 

I feel I am more conscious about this ethical dilemma now and I will work on it daily to eliminate all kinds of favoritism in my classroom. One thing I can do to really stick with my classroom rules, and be consistent with them.