平衡“传授”和“影响”:从课堂教师到管理者的转变是什么样的?
September 21, 2023
September 21, 2023
By Sarah Tanner-Anderson
从很小的时候起，我就习惯于寻找领导的机会. 你可能也曾经是:“做一个领导者，而不是一个追随者，”他们会说. If you’re like me, 你把它当作一个号召，为那些不愿为之说话的人说话，为那些不能为之说话的人说话. 我是一个不怕逆流而上的孩子，只要这意味着我能有所作为——这一点我一直带到了成年.
也就是说，我从来没有想过我长大后会成为今天这样的教育领袖. When I was a kid, all I ever wanted to be was a waitress, 直到当了服务员，我才很快意识到这不是我的生活在召唤我. 然后，我想我应该引导我内心的演员，探索戏剧的世界! That, unfortunately, didn’t quite work out either. So, I went into teaching, 这基本上是一种服务工作，每天都有适量的舞台表演, right? 如果你问我以前的老师，他们的学生中有谁会继续获得博士学位, take on the principalship, or become a college professor or school board member, I wouldn’t have made the list—not even close. Yet, 多年来，时间和经验赋予了我许多机会，既提高了我自己的领导力，也支持了他人的领导力发展.
When I was a middle- and high-school English teacher, department chair, and coach, I always worked to develop and maintain strong, positive relationships with my students, parents, and colleagues. After a decade of teaching, 我开始考虑如何将我的影响力延伸到课堂之外，在更广泛的学校社区中发挥领导作用. I worked diligently to earn administration credentials, and my doctoral degree, 为了支持我未来在教育领导方面的努力，只要有机会. 我的机会很快就来了，接下来发生的事情既令人惊讶又令人沮丧.
我清楚地记得，当我的第一个行政职位被宣布时，我的兴奋之情. I would be an assistant principal at a local middle school, and I was thrilled to accept the challenge.
My excitement took a gut-punch, though, when a reporter from the community newspaper commented, “That’s what’s wrong with the field of education. 他们把好老师从教室里拿出来，然后让他们当校长. And what good does the principal do?” It was a compliment, 我被认为是一个“好”老师，受到大家的尊敬，但我不会那么好，这是一种令人刺痛的暗示, if not better, as an administrator made me pause. 这也让我思考管理者的影响:有什么好处 does the principal do?
在我们的领域，我们经常发现自己在冲突:我该如何继续用我的经验来支持学生的学业, social, behavioral, 和情感成长，而不是直接在教室里与学生互动? Or, more directly, how do I (can I?) still make a difference when I leave the classroom? The answer, my friends, hangs in the balance between impart and impact. Ask yourself: what good can you impart to positively impact your school community? 我认为管理者的广泛影响力可以对学生的成功产生巨大而持久的影响.
也就是说，从教育者到管理者的转变不应该是一种牺牲. You aren’t “leaving” the classroom; rather, 你正在扩大你的机会，以更大的能力传递影响. 一个有抱负的管理者可以通过考虑有效教育领导的三个相互关联的方面来实现这一目标:可见性, availability, and vitality.
The interconnected aspects of leadership–visibility, availability, and vitality–combine to impart impact.
If you’re concerned about losing direct contact with students, make it a priority to stay connected with them. Bus arrivals and dismissals, cafeteria duty, class changes, and club, arts, 体育赛事都为你提供了与年轻人互动的机会. 然而，如果你担心那种“离开”教室的感觉，那就不要这样做! Find a way every day to pop into classrooms, sit with students, and talk with them about their learning. 研究表明，作为一名管理人员，了解你所在建筑的文化和氛围对学生的成功至关重要. These visits can serve a dual purpose, 另外:你可以在与学生交流的同时与老师建立支持性的联系. You might even learn a thing or two! Be engaged in your building’s classrooms, 如此之多，以至于当你参观时，它不会显得尴尬或强加. 养成在学生的学习空间里观察和被观察的习惯.
Similarly, just being available to your students, faculty, staff, parents, 社区在维持关系和积极影响方面有很长的路要走, as John Lambersky writes in the journal Leadership and Policy in Schools. 这可能很困难，因为你的时间和随后的时间表可能并不总是你自己的. 然而，优先考虑你的学生和员工的需求通常是从帮助他们开始的. Set aside office hours in your calendar, if possible, 或者协调非正式的活动，让你的学生与你联系, such as breakfasts, snacks, advisory committees, etc. Your presence (visibility) is important, 但有意提高你的参与度(可用性)会产生更大的影响.
Finally, your vitality (and sanity!) rests in your ability to manage the balance. Of course, data won’t analyze itself, emails will continue to land in your inbox, and referrals will still need processing; however, prioritizing student interaction, you might find, may alleviate the stress of so many other areas. 研究表明，如果学生感到被投入、被授权、被关注、被倾听，学业上的成长就会随之而来. Likewise, 如果管理者努力与学生建立牢固的关系, staff, and parents, they create sustainable, 互惠互利的关系注入了对学生成功的道德承诺, says Michael Fullan in his book, Leading in a Culture of Change. 其他研究表明，建立这种类型的联系可以减少消极行为, attendance increasing, and more opportunities for positive engagement. 通常情况下，管理人员对工作的其他组成部分感到不堪重负，他们无意中忽视了他们被召唤服务的人. It may feel counterproductive, 但是，以人为本——尤其是你的学生——将大大有助于确保你作为领导者的活力.
So, 献给那些曾经想要深入研究的优秀教育工作者, into leadership–do it. 你们在课堂上发挥了不可思议的作用, across your grade levels and content areas, and in your communities. And, if you’re like me, someone along the way has probably seen, and likely encouraged, your leadership capacity. 我鼓励你敞开胸怀，去放大你作为教育领导者的特殊才能, cultivating greatness in your faculty, staff, and students, 并将你的积极影响传播到更广泛的教育界. 一个敬业的管理者愿意传授积极的影响, purposeful experience cannot be underestimated.
Sarah Tanner-Anderson, EdD, 是朗伍德大学研究生和专业研究学院的副院长, 以及教育领导的副教授和项目主任. She’s a former principal, assistant principal, middle- and high-school English teacher, department and grade-level chair, high-school coach, and club sponsor.
Teacher shortages are a serious issue across the country. Here in Virginia, there are currently over 3,648 unfilled teaching positions. (FY23)
Learn More
