… true power in classroom teaching and school leadership comes from recognizing that power is cultivated when shared.
Relationships in our schools are often defined by who is in charge. The majority of people observing a typical classroom setting would likely conclude that a teacher is in charge. The majority of people walking into a faculty meeting where the principal is speaking would likely conclude that the principal is in charge. The majority of people watching a coach address her team before a game would assume the coach is in charge.
These statements do not come from any place of hard research. I do not have a ton of data to back them up. While I cannot swear by them, I am all but sure they are true.
But what happens in a classroom when the students decide that the teacher’s expectations are out of line or that the teacher does not know what he is talking about or that the teacher can be readily taken off track of his lesson? What happens when the faculty grades during the principal’s address or checks Twitter (I cannot bring myself to call it “X”) while she is talking or all but completely disregards what the principal has to say? What happens when the players determine that they are going to ignore what the coach is saying or that they are going to run their own plays or that they are barely feigning interest in what the coach has to say?
What happens?
What happens is pretty simple. What happens is a transfer of power. In all the cases above, the person in charge, the person in front of the team or the faculty or the class is supposed to have the power. That person is supposed to be the authority, to wield influence, to be the center of attention. But, in each of these cases, power has been usurped. Sometimes this usurpation of power is unconscious by those doing the usurping.
The student who thinks his teacher is a moron is not saying to himself “Hey, I’m not paying active (or any) attention to the teacher right now so I’ve really taken away his power” any more than the faculty member or student-athlete is. Regardless, in all three of these situations, the expected balance of power has been short-circuited. The question is: who is to blame?
When we are in positions of leadership as teachers and administrators, we can become accustomed to the idea that our word is law, our authority is ironclad, and our way is THE way. We can forget that power is, like most everything else in our work as educators, a function of relationship. While a grade book, a meeting agenda, or a playbook may hold the intended audience’s attention for a time, they do not grant the bearer power
Power, true power in classroom teaching and school leadership comes from recognizing that power is cultivated when shared. Power is, dare I write, powerful, only when it is a function of community.
If your students want to take charge, they can. There are more of them than you. The fact that you remain empowered by them is because they allow it. If your faculty wants to take over your meeting, they can. The fact that you are given their attention is out of politeness or because they respect you. If your players want to run their own show, they can. The fact that they truly listen to you is because you connect with them.
As coaches, teachers, and administrators, we must be wary of being too comfortable with our power and must always understand that power is a covenant to be respected, nurtured, and cared about. It is never to be taken for granted.
When we forget this dynamic, we may find that we are not actually wielding the power we thought we had. That can be a very scary place to be.