Page 8 - EdViewptsSpring2017

Courageous Leadership

By Dr. Tracey Severns, Director of Student Performance, Mount Olive
Public Schools

I was in North Plainfield Everyone wanted, needed, to tell their ways of working together that ensures
attending my first Administrators’ Ed story and hear the stories of others. the success of every single student in
Camp when the request was made for “Tell the person sitting next to you our care.
topics for the day’s sessions. Unsure of about a time you had to use courage Yes, but how? One courageous conver-
how it would be received, I decided to in your role as a school leader.” The sation at a time. Robinson (2009) refers
toss out the idea that had been follow- room erupted in conversation. After 30 to this as “engaging in constructive
ing me around for weeks — the role of minutes, I tried to shift from one-to-one problem talk,” defined as the ability to
courage in instructional leadership. Still dialogues to group discussion. They name, describe and analyze problems
uncertain about whether it made onto continued to talk. I relented. in ways that reveal possibilities for
the board as a session due to genuine Finally, with 10 minutes remaining, I was change. Roland Barth characterizes
interest or lack of other options, I was able to pull the group together. I ended this as discussing the “nondiscuss-
curious to see what would happen. with this: The role of a school leader is ables,” the truths that everyone knows
I got to the assigned room a few min- to improve what researcher John Hattie but no one will talk about. To change
utes early. Three people were already refers to as “the learning lives of kids.” the culture, we must be willing to drag
there. For the next 10 minutes a steady This requires more than certifications these truths out of the darkness into the
stream of people flowed into the room and good intentions. It requires courage: light, to name and address the nondis-
and spilled into the large circle of desks. the willingness and ability to act on cussables that are infecting the culture
More chairs were dragged in. The antici- behalf of the students we serve. Above and impeding learning.
pation in the room was palpable. all else, the greatest responsibility Initiating the conversation is the role
of the school leader is to take on the
I knew the one-person-speaks-at-a- status quo, to challenge the beliefs and of the leader. Many, however, lack
time format I had experienced in the practices that are influencing student either the skill or the will to risk the
other sessions wasn’t going to work. outcomes, and to replace them with new repercussions. Why are so many
leaders unwilling or unprepared to

Educational Viewpoints -6- Spring 2017