The 'why' of leading on learning and teaching and teacher development

At #TLAB15 Mark Steed (@independenthead) spoke about his performance appraisal system which is founded on an emphasis on the 'why' prior to developing the how and the what.  He urged us, if we had not already done so, to watch the TEDtalk by Simon Sinek on 'Starting with why - how great leaders inspire action' and so I did (the talk can be found here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VdO7LuoBzM) and it got me thinking about my current role and my next steps.

For those of you who don't know, I moved schools in January and have moved from a very challenging context to an incredibly successful school where I found myself at times wondering what it is that I could do that could possibly make something so good any better.  Having watched the talk, I feel as though I have had a little bit of an epiphany - I have been thinking far too much about the what - what should I be doing? What action should I be taking? I have lost sight of the why I do what I do,  It therefore seemed timely to take a step back and remind myself of what it is that I believe in and why I do what I do.  For it is this that should direct me in my role next term.

For me, teacher development is at the heart of everything we should be focused on in schools.  I believe that we need to look after the whole child but in order to do that you have to look after your teachers because if we look after our staff they will look after our children.  I fiercely support what Dylan Wiliam said about investing in staff.  I was a terrible NQT and found the whole process of learning to be a teacher really difficult but I was lucky to be surrounded by people who invested their time and efforts in me until I got better.  If a teacher is struggling, you have two choices - you can move them on to another school and pass the problem on or you can fix the problem yourself.  And it starts from the very first day you become a teacher.  We need to ensure that our new teachers have appropriate structures and support, we need to nurture and coach and mentor our 'baby' teachers from their first day of training throughout their NQT year and maintain that support through their early years in teaching so as to resolve the issue of teacher retention through the first five years.  The training has be practical and supportive ensuring teachers know how systems work, where they can get support but also that they feel able to ask for help and develop the resilience to cope with all that teaching has to throw at them.  And if it is the case that occasionally someone is not right for teaching, then we need to be brave enough to have that conversation with them and help them to find their path.  We need to commit to lifelong development ensuring that teachers who want to be teachers have the same professional development opportunities as those who choose to pursue a promotional route, ensuring that all staff feel valued regardless of their career choices.  We need to continue to address the work-life balance issue to ensure that people don't have to choose between being a person and being a teacher, trying to find ways to make it all possible. 

Alongside this investment in teacher professional development comes an expectation that all teachers will strive to improve their practice and continue to become better at what they do.  Because we can be better.  Always.  And in my opinion, systems of lesson observation need to structure this.  I have very little interest in observing the one off lesson in which someone showcases what they can do when they spend hours of time (which they frankly do not have) planning and preparing for one lesson.  I am far more interested in capturing what happens in a typical lesson and developing the quality of the typical day-to-day lesson.  I am more interested in teachers asking me to come into a class where they are 'stuck' than the favourite class on their timetable.  I want to work in a school where staff are not scared to say they are struggling and are open to support and coaching, most of which is provided by classroom teachers rather than school leaders.  The support is rooted in dialogue and coaching not feedback and dictation and it focuses on the little tweaks and changes that are achievable, not broad bush targets that are hard to address.  

I do what I do because I believe in teachers and I trust the teachers in my school and I believe that the children that go to my school are darn lucky to have our teachers teaching them.  But I also believe that they can be better.  Just like I can be better.  And I want to provide the professional development opportunities and professional respect that enable them to improve in a supportive and sustainable way.  I believe in nurturing the talents and enthusiasm of the baby teachers entering our profession and I believe in championing teachers - providing support to them when they need support, acknowledging everything that they do so well, preparing them for the next steps when they are ready and empowering them to take the opportunities that come their way.  I had a champion at every stage of my career and if I hadn't then I wouldn't have had the experiences and opportunities that I have had. So that's the final bit.  I want every one of my staff to have a champion - someone who believes in them and provides just the right mix of challenge, tough love, praise, support, coaching and recognition.  It might all sound a bit idealistic but surely the 'why' should be idealistic.  It is a vision and a philosophy and if my hows and my whats stay true to my why, I hope that I will make the right decisions in my role.