Some wonder if politically charged questions should be asked on a blog. Maybe truthful questions would be better. . .if they are politically charged, one has but to remember that truth is what it is…we cloak it with our fears, hopes and joys. Blogging is just for sharing what you’re learning, reflecting about, right? It’s also a safe place where educators can wonder what life would be like if politics had NOT invaded the situation. In an entry on Leadertalk.org, the blog for leaders, the blogger wonders…

I may be asking a politically incorrect question on an educational blog, but as a new administrator who must look at the data and figure out how to get all students proficient on the state mandated tests, I bet I am not the only administrator to be asked this question from teachers or community members.
Can All Students Learn?

If only more administrators had bothered to ask the question and then done something political about the situation early on. This past weekend, I found myself delivering Blog Your World and Podcast Panopoly in Fort Worth ISD. It was a fun experience, one I enjoyed tremendously, even though after a day of standing–unusual for me these days, unlike when I was in the classroom–I was grateful to sit down in the airplane that would take me back home and doze off. I love visiting places and providing staff development. Like the Lone Ranger, I can solve a problem–facilitating a professional learning opportunity, say what others cannot say but that all know to be true–then return home. Of course, I’ve increasingly felt the pressure–from my team–to give some of these talks at work. But my fear holds me back…it holds me back for several reasons, none of them worth much. They include:

1. No good deed goes unpunished. That is, as soon as I outlined the changes that needed to happen, I might be expected to step up and make the change happen. This is unfounded fear…in my role as a leader, one thing I do know is that change does not happen in an organization without stakeholders working collaboratively. Perhaps it’s my fear of that closeness, my old shyness rearing its head. As such, it is but a child’s fear to be acknowledged then reassured by the reality.
2. Aligning the internal truth and external truth may put me in an untenable position from which I won’t be able to recover. “That guy is really crazy, a fake when it comes to doing what needs to be done. We need to hire someone else who’ll do what we want.” The truth is, I AM a fake. I am not a one-stop, 24/7 anytime/anywhere get-your-success here all-mart where you can find everything you need. In truth, I am useful for an organization who is willing to embrace change as a friend, not an enemy…but I wouldn’t dream of trying to be all things to all people. What I must do is simply align myself realities and show that it can be done, that being who one is, IS the simplest course and that the resilience, the strength that flows from such understanding can endure and thrive in change.

When I think about how change is brought about in schools, and how apathetic educators often are in the face of legislative change, I wondered how long before other administrators step up and take charge, take ownership for achieving change in their schools. When I reflect on this in my own work, I realize that I find myself facing the insurmountable mountain of accumulated poor decision-making on the part of previous “leaders,” all a part of a culture of schools that is like clutter in a garage that hasn’t been cleaned. To reflect on my own practice, how could I better plan initiatives to ensure that the culture created by the change will endure AFTER I’m gone?

Yet, the clutter, ever-present, in terms of failed initiatives, a metal mattress spring that prevents movement of any sort, immobilizing in its proximity and nature, must be dealt with. The job of sorting out what’s worth keeping, what’s not is mind-numbing, so much so that it’s easier to just throw it all out, to clean house and start over. I’m reminded of Tammy’s (Conflict Zen) recent blog entry where she shares this story:

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era, received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
Source: Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

Part of the problems that occur in some school districts is that roles and jobs are not clearly defined. In a dysfunctional organization, people work in silos, separated from one another. Animosity builds, competition and fighting over scarce resources begins. . .and, each silo’d department builds capacity. They want to accomplish tasks that would best be done by another group but refuse to cooperate with the other group for a variety of reasons…those reasons eventually may boil down to lack of trust.

• “I don’t trust you’ll get this done the way I want it done.”
• “I don’t trust that you’ll give me credit for the idea, instead take credit for yourself.”
• “I refuse to have open conversations with you because I don’t trust you’ll be honest with me and use it against me.”

I’ve had the opportunity to observe lack of trust firsthand, to experience it myself. So, in the spirit of Fierce Conversations, I’ve decided to not do the dance of mis-trust. Instead, I’ve decided to lay it on the table, remembering that a managed conversation is a failed conversation…and invite others to jump in. As I reflect on my decision made months ago, being an open and transparent is tremendously liberating. Suddenly, I’m the only in the room that has nothing to fear. Speaking the truth that others don’t want to share or allow to come out or admit is incredibly liberating.

When I read the story shared about the overflowing teacup, I realized that letting go of my own opinions and speculations also means letting go of the mis-trust. We’re school professionals working in K-12 education to improve teaching, learning and leading environments. If our goal is to impact children, I don’t have to play mind-numbing, spirit-dampening games of mis-trust that can dominate in a dysfunctional school district environment. Instead, I can move freely through clutter that doesn’t exist but in my perception, act without the past’s encumbrance.

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