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"Indeed, virtually every other profession in modern life has transitioned to various forms of teamwork, yet most educators still work alone."

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Step Back Consulting. I really took to this process. I could see this, or an adaptation of this, working with different principals and teachers too. As always, time is an issue. There may be other practical hurdles to overcome, but the benefit, I believe, would be tremendous. It would be very difficult for me to stay quiet and listen to other people work through my problem.

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A quote that caught me this week was "Engagement means creating a culture where working together to address problems becomes the norm at every level in the organization."

In thinking more about this quote, there might many times be situations where the "problems" within our schools are the way in which we do things, or how an X amount of teachers do things.  This means that someone will need to bring these topics to the table.  It also means that some folks, no matter what you say will not want to hear a word of it.  How do we, as leaders, break that barrier that people have in regards to admitting that the way in which they do something may not be the best practice?  How do we get a fully engaged staff?  One that is willing to admit their weaknesses and want to grow, rather than feel other staff members are taking a jab at them?

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About PLCs, "For these teacher communities of practice to be effective, they must have real student data to inform the conversation" (76). As I reflect on our own PLCs and their disasterous nature, I can think of why they are not effective. They are usually just more PD or just time where we stare at each other and wonder what we are supposed to be doing. How do we organize effective PLCs while walking the balance between allowing teachers the liberty to collaborate on what they feel is important (setting agendas) while at the same time making sure that they are productive? In other words, who should set the agendas and how do we hold teachers accountable, while not making them feel like we are babysitting them?

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"The isolation of adults at all levels in the education system actively discourages their learning and capacity to improve their practice." - I had never though about this, but I have noticed that some teachers/educators tend to work alone. I'm not sure if it is because they are afraid that people might judge them or if they don't want others to take their ideas. So how do we make teachers see the importance of collaboration? How do we break out of this mentality?

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This page talks about how important it is to be able to speak at meetings, while feeling safe. I find this incredibly important. Throughout my ten years teaching there have been many times that I was scared to speak my thoughts. I understand we need to speak them as grown adults and with respect, but some people are just plain scary. If you differ from them at all, they seem "out" for you. I like the term "intellectual engagement" I feel that it builds a successful climate if you are able to speak comfortably with those you work with. Personality and people skills are KEY in this field. oh, and also if you do not agree with someone you can still listen, and don't let your facial expressions speak for you. It gets annoying! Maybe I just

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The quote reading "...IF you can see how and why you are preventing yourself from changing, you will have a better chance to change." I believe reflection is important...but I have a question, what can I do as a future leader to not end up in the "status quo mix" after being a building leader for 5+ years? (I don't think I will, but I want to 'make sure' I don't

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Ellen Blair
Second paragraph talks about "improving adult performance at every level in schools and districts require teamwork and collaboration that produces new learning..."  Collaborative professionals are able to ask questions, request help, share their practice, and receive input from colleagues." I love this quote, being a special ed teacher, I know this is HOW I LIVE...I don't know it all, but I find it out, figure out how to teach it and rely on the "master of their fields" to help me out. The book points out  "professional competence suggests not that educators must be completely knowledgeable, right, and in control, but instead that we are sufficiently knowledgeable and aware of what we do and do not know." As a future building leader, I believe building relationships with people and collaboration are the way to go. The question I have is, if collaboration is the best learning tool, why do teachers have such a hard time asking others for help? Another question is, why don't we have time built into our week for "teacher coffee talks" where we can sit down and talk as professionals?

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I wrote "Know Thy Self" on a few pages.  Why is it so important to know yourself when leading others?  What are the actions that an individual can take to promote system change?  What are actions an individual can take to impede systems change?

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Tami Martin
Page 65 - 2nd to last paragraph -
The demands of an administrator are multifaceted and often a day can be unpredictable. "Disruptive students, angry parents, .... can all serve to distract and dilute the focus of leaders. Many of these demands and the reactions they provoke have no relationship to instructional improvement." So how can you balance these unpredictable time consuming moments and what truly impacts student achievement?

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So as I read the book for the review I feel that there should be a set of standards that ALL educational leaders should have to to before graduating, like reading certain books. This being one of them. It is clear to me that most, if not all of my leaders, have not read this book. I will be honest I am not always a huge reader (math background), but OMG this book rocks. Basically, get out of your office, be present, be seen, take time and listen to everyone around you. Just my hump day thoughts, oh and I am only on page 40!