Module B: Building Relationships
All slides were taking from PQP Module #2 : Building Relationships and People
Personal Reflection: The process of building relationships overseas can be difficult because it is a very transient lifestyle. In my early years I was more interested in living in a country and exploring the country. Now, I want to build relationships and make a difference and have an "impact" with my career. I have benefitted by being a "anointed teacher" but at the same time if I had disagreements (often over policies) with a principal I felt the relationship suffered. Also, there was little in the way of "mutual respect" because in a number of international schools principals did not have any training and as a result they were very ineffective and they also did not develop or maintain a staff, even if the staff was highly paid. It was during this school environment in Singapore -where I vowed, if I was going to go through this, I would take the training.
This slide was chosen because of the humour and also the truth of how a number of principals view their position, "do as I say" kind of mentality.
Personal Reflection: I believe principals have not been in the past effective with including staff in decision and also have been poor communicators or have not taken the time to deal with the problems teachers may encounter when dealing with new policies. Also, in overseas schools there is a very real fear of non renewal and as a result there is even more resistance to speak up. If teachers do speak up, they are usually the teachers who already know they are leaving (either because they have decided or the school has decided) and their comments are not taken seriously or ignored because they have been labelled "troublemakers".
This slide was chosen in part because Fullan's work has been cited so often in the course. His contributions and messages have been in a lot of ways practical and easy to understand and articulate because it has been free of jargon.
Personal Reflection: A principal I have worked with has been one of these individuals described by Fullan, however, his age and also the demands placed upon him with having to deal with declining enrolment has made him become somewhat less effective. I think that dealing with emotions as listed on the setting directions and building relationships are very much interlinked. His early work at the school was very inspiring.
Personal Reflection: I was in a group with Blair, Hillary and myself and I found this served as very beneficial exercise. All of us used real problems. Watching the person telling their problem and seeing how different people deal with stress was helpful. Also the common problem we all had was we did not want to in some sort of way say, "No, we can't do that" or "We did not want to disappoint the person who was causing the problem." It was useful to watch the language and body language how they deal with stress. Do we suppress it, squeeze it out or vocal or robust with it?
Personal Reflection: Russell Simmons is an important figure in the rap and hip hop community and he is currently embarking on a program to bring mediation into schools as a way to decrease violence in schools. I think his journey and his connection to social media and intergenerational use of technology have implications to educators everywhere and strong message about religions and meditation. In terms of whole school approaches I believe Ontario schools could adopt this type of program.
Integration of meditation and using public spaces for Religious Purposes:
I went to public school in the 1980 and for a really long time we said the "Lord's Prayer" on the left. It was chanted after we sang "Oh,Canada". I don't remember the politics and when we stopped reciting the prayer, but I remember doing it for a couple of years. I would have to say, I think there is some benefit to having some form or silence, as Russell Simmons proposes, but more importantly I found it as a nice silent time in the morning. I cannot say this simple task influenced my religious well being but it did serve as a quiet, reflective time in the morning. I also sang Christmas Carols and Folk Danced in public school,which I would argue would have a community and connected effect which I believe has a benefit to any larges school community.
Jim (TDSB) relays a story to use about the use of a cafeteria for local Muslim students and the case went to the Supreme Court about the use of public spaces for religious reasons and a lot of public media went to covering a controversial story.
I think we are at a cross roads in Toronto. Space in Toronto in expensive and I have to admit, seeing old factories converted into Muslim schools while large public lots are being sold to developers is saddening. Some schools in Toronto have huge lots, like my public school, it is huge. The school has a healthy enrolment but other schools a few blocks away are under low enrolment conditions and I reckon, may also be sold off. In Toronto, I would like to work on working on being able to better meet the needs of community and better use of facilities. In Canada it is expensive to build, heat and run a school. I would like to work on being more progressive with being more inclusive with such sensitive and controversial issues.
The book below "Lean In" and her Ted Talk on "Why we have too few women leaders" have been two very important resources that have inspired me to seek and also take leadership positions serious and to make an impact and be involved in important decisions at the current organisation I am currently working in.
Personal Reflection: The issue of equality and equity and in particular women's issues has always been of interest to me. This might seem ironic considering I grew up a quintessential "tomboy", as it turns out these girls have often grown up to be first generational leaders. Also, there were no girls on my street! Where I grew up there were 12 boys to 3 girls. I also grew up with 2 brothers and 2 uncles (who were just like my brothers because they were 6 and 8 years older than me). So needless to say I spent a lot more time with boys. Often, when I spent time with girls I found they were very different from boys, in one word they are a lot more "complicated". They often accused me as being too, "direct" and at times "too blunt". I was the one who actually said, "Yes, your butt looks huge in those jeans!". As a result, I found myself speaking up less around women but found it easier to speak with men because I found they appreciated my "bluntness" and I found that I could have more direct conversations.
Now that I have gotten older I have made it a point to be aware of my words around women but also I have still worked to stand up for women's rights mainly because I watched my grandmother and mother work very hard but were not in positions to make a lot of financial decisions for themselves and the men, my father and grandfather made those decisions.
Sheryl Sandberg says that the word "bossy" is one of the issues standing in the way of women in major leadership positions. This was a name I was called while growing up and in a lot of ways I have silenced my voice and have definitely not lived up to my potential, even though, I have worked hard to achieve a lot of academic success. Now I would like to work on the practice of leadership and be involved in making the decisions to help change occur.
To the left is the follow up video to her first 2014 Ted Talk and she talks about her book which followed the Ted Talk and also her argument that the word "feminist" needs to replace the word "bossy". Sheryl argues all over the world "bossy" has a negative connotation and is a stereotype that dissuades women from taking leadership roles. This book influenced me and also take on a mentorship role with student teachers who were completing their alternative practicum in Malaysia.
In this case reading the book and also taking a leap of faith of sharing my experiences and also being vulnerable was a rewarding experience for me. I think it was the start of me really being the change that I wanted to see. I felt this same in meeting Kevin, he was saying a lot and exemplifying a lot of the leadership changes that I think is required in the 21st century. I really like the way the whole school approach was modelled in the class. Emotions, well being have a valid and important place in the school environment. I wonder if this was also influenced by the events that took place in his board?
To the left is another influential women and why I have continued to work in Asia. Being part Asian I do feel a connection with this part of the world. I do feel that I have an influence on the girls in this region by being an example and also having the opportunity to expand education of female education.
Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas D. Kristof wrote a book "Half the Sky" which argues that educating women and fighting against the oppression of women is the modern day moral challenge. After working over here, educating women has a significant impact on the family and community structure.
At the end of the day, part of reluctance to move back to Canada, is the belief I hold, I make a greater contribution and can have a significant impact in Asia rather than stand in a long line of unemployed teachers in Ontario.
Part of my leadership dream is creating a more direct line with OISE/UT for early teachers to move to Asia for part of the time to build programs and run them. Overall, the experience is invaluable, important and impactful.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_the_Sky
