The "how I see you see me" philosophy...

The leader creates the environment. True. Any leader, teacher, administrator, superintendents, etc. In order to run a well oiled machine, there needs to be the essential tools: communication and trust. There has to be expectations on both ends. As we discussed in class, when a teacher has established rapport, including communication and trust, there are specific results we get. We get participation, excitement, connectivity, willingness and motivation. This is critical in any type of relationship. One of the topics that I have been exploring for my personal research has been counselor-principal working relationships. In this type of relationship, we can also explore the idea of the "relationship triangle". How am I perceived by them and how did I perceive them. Then, we think about what do they think I thought about them and vice versa. We are always hung up on how we are being perceived whether it's positive or negative. We make changes as needed but we also expect changes as needed. When a student is feeling safe and connected they are ready to learn. Students feel invested in their learning when they feel that someone is invested in them. The topic tonight took me back to graduate school in the field of social work. One of the counseling styles that stuck with me and still does is using a Strengths Based Theory. The focus of this theory being using strengths rather than deficits. When leading academically, emotionally or socially if we focus on strengths we can get better results. I think this all goes along with what we discussed tonight. We have to focus on strengths so that we are motivated and connected, invested and appreciated no matter who we are or what type of relationship we are discussing. I was recently introduced to a video that shows the power of educators and the effect that we can all have on our students and ourselves. Please find time to watch the video on the left that I've titled "education at it's best". It's almost like a rejuvenation for all educational leaders. Enjoy!