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The importance of communication in schools
The importance of communication in schools
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Chapter one of Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals opens with one of the most influential traits of what an effective principal should possess, the communication trait. To be successful in any venue in life, you must be able to communicate with people; this is especially true in the education world. Principals are responsible for communicating with people in all walks of life, parents, students, teacher, administrative office personnel and the general public, as an administrator, you must make each of these individuals feel a sense of trust and belonging while communicating with them. Principals use conversations and gesture to build confidence and open lines of communication for learning and growth. McEwan begins the chapter with a quote from Convey (1990), “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” This quote speaks to the importance of communication because it describes the importance of …show more content…
Henson, the assistant principal, lacks the communicator trait. Henson has not taken any opportunities to communicate with the parents, students, staff, or community this year. Due to his lack of communication skills he has not fostered any relationships with individuals who he will interact with next year as the head principal. Henson has been assigned the head principal job for the 2016-17 school; I believe his lack of communication skills will cause problems in his principalship. Parents want their children to attend schools where the teachers and administrators are relatable and can effectively communicate his expectations for them and their children. Of the ten traits, I believe the communicator trait is one of the most influential traits to possess. The communicator trait influences your ability to build relationships, which are necessary to build positive and engaging schools. Being able to connect with parents, students, and teachers in a productive, helping, and healing way should be a goal for any leader or
I had the pleasure of being able to shadow Superintendent Shirley Hall of the Maplewood School District. Ms. Hall took the reins of the district over in 2012 from a very popular superintendent who was credited with making great strides within the district. Although Ms. Hall had very large shoes to fill, she seems to be doing it with grace and enthusiasm. She credits the previous superintendent with making systemic changes and establishing the overall forward momentum of the district, but recognizes that she cannot rest on past success. Her goal is to take the district to the next level of educational excellence by focusing her and her administrative team's efforts on the P.E.L.P. coherence model from Harvard University.
Leading organizations of school administrators offer educators various opportunities to encourage educators to become leaders. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has mandated that leaders be better prepared for the task of providing quality education to all. NCLB “… is forcing all educational stakeholders to face the weakness of contemporary school leadership and is making it impossible to ignore the need for higher quality principals” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.1). It is believed that all educators can be and are leaders in their own right. A leader is a visionary and has the ability to inspire others to aspire to greatness. Of the numerous opportunities that are offered, those that are most beneficial include but are not limited to leadership training programs, professional development, and creating shared leadership opportunities for teachers to become leaders. The systems “…that produce our nation’s principals are complex and interrelated – and governed by the states. Each state establishes licensing, certification and re-certification” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.1). States use the ISLLC standards “…as the framework for preparation programs and in service professional development of school superintendents, principals, and other leaders” (Hale & Moorman, 2003, p.3).
The goal in this case is to be a conscientious leader. An evaluation was done to determine the strengths and weaknesses of an individual regarding their ability to communicate in a leadership capacity. The areas reviewed were:
Effective communication is a key principle for developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults. By ensuring that communication is effective it provides clarity on what behaviour is expected and a clear understanding of the tasks. In providing this children and young people will feel they are able to join in and it also provides positive experiences in variety of situations. The result is children will feel more at ease within the school setting and with those around them. By listening to what a child, young person or adult has to say a sense of value and self-worth can be achieved, which forms another factor in developing positive relationships, trust.
Students need to be able to come to school, feel welcome, and receive the best education that their teacher can provide. To be able to do this the principal needs to make the decisions that supports his/her school. Principals need to be role models and responsible decision makers. Policies and procedures need to be updated regularly and should be reviewed by multiple parties.
Communication is essential in education, training and everyday life. It's a means by which a thought is transferred from one person to another. Effective communication occurs when the intended meaning of the source and the perceived meaning of the receiver are virtually the same, Schemerhorn (2005).
Gorton and Alston (2012) pointed out in Chapter One that effective leaders “provide direction and meaning, generate and sustain trust, display an eagerness to take action, and spread hope”, through motivating and empowering others to reach the desired goals (pp. 7-9). Thus administrators must be skilled communicators, attentive and responsive listeners. Meanwhile they must also be able to build relationships with others, multitask, prioritize, delegate wisely, relate to, and motivate others. Reading that both the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the American Association of School Administrators have noted the importance of communication to the school system's success (p. 101), has affirmed for this student that the need for outside assistance with communication is indeed a serious concern for administrators.
Successful is a simple word, however, the meaning of this word changes quite often. Each person has a different definition of success and that definition can change depending on the situation. Bob Dylan once wrote, “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” This a very broad definition of success and should not be used. The definition of success should be “the pursued goals have been adequately accomplished.”
Thomas Sergiovanni (2015) describes three essential dimensions of leadership as “the heart, head, and hand of leadership.” The heart describes those characteristics within the school leader that reflect personal “beliefs, values, and dreams.” The head of leadership refers to the practice of teaching and educating. The hand of leadership reflects actions taken by school leaders with respect to management behaviors. (p. 5) Within these elements, there is room for personal choice in how leadership is practiced and it is incumbent on new principals to find an individual leadership style that responds to the uniqueness of each school.
Is based on perception and how people perceive a leader and how well the person is able to communicate and inspire others will greatly affect how successful they can become. For example, a principal in a school has to have a certain amount of charisma, being able to communicate to the staff, parents, and student to about the vision of school. Much like a politician, the principal has to exude confidence in their vision but also must open up to others so that can align themselves with their followers. The principal can reward their followers by mentoring, training, and sharing leadership roles so that their followers can grow and becomes administrators
...inction between the roles and actions of leaders and managers. Principals are capable of adopting each approach and proper implementation would benefit staff and ultimately, student performance. As found in the case study and literature, currently most principals undertake a managerial role, but neglect to be leaders. Therefore, most principals should emphasize leadership behaviour to bring balance to the position.
What is a teacher? A teacher is someone who students rely on for further knowledge and comprehension. Often, a teacher is viewed as a role model towards their students. In many times, teachers can help guide students into a better future. Characteristics like preparation, compassion, having and showing respect to students can make a teacher more effective.
What is leadership? Leadership is defined as a process by which a individual will influence others to obtain goals. Leaders will guide, direct motivate, or inspire others. Leadership is defined by not only traits but actions as well. Leaders are inspirational, trustworthy and charismatic. Many people may think a manger is leader. Although leadership and management go hand in hand, they are not the same. Everyone has their own beliefs about what characteristics an effective leader should have. To me, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and having a vision are few characteristics of becoming an effective leader. A leader is not only born, but made. Some are born as leaders or some are made to be leaders.
What it means to be an effective educator is that you are able to reach all of your learners and teach them in a way they can understand. This means planning for different kinds of learners for each lesson, and making time for small group instruction for those students who are not quite grasping the instructional content. It also means that the educator is patient and understanding. It is important, especially in early childhood, that the educator is patient because this is a whole new world to these kids, most of them are not used to being in school all day. So we have to take that into consideration, and make adjustments. Effective educators put their students needs first.
As mentioned before, leadership styles take an important role in running a school. Unfortunately, many principals have not yet defined their leadership style and struggle to administrate their school. They are responsible not only of teachers and students, but of every employee in the school. They have the power to control all the resources available to improve and meet academic goals. Despite their power, principals need to identify appropriate leadership styles to succeed as