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Perspectives
Philosophy of Teaching and Leadership
Teaching is an art. It is a reflection of who you are. Not all people are teachers but it is the job that has been assigned through circumstances or others. This does not mean that you cannot be a good teacher. Rather it can be seen as a job and a bore, making money to survive. Or, it can be seen as a challenge to develop yourself and your dream through different avenues.
Teaching is also hard work. It takes time to prepare the mind to teach. Off the cuff teaching is often done in Korea. This is due to a lack of program development. But many programs are too slow and others too fast. One person, when approached about an American program, asked only one question, “How long can we stretch this program out to maximise the profit? “ Sadly, this is often the way education is looked at. But is doesn't need to be that way. Teaching is the giving of oneself to another for their empowerment. You may also call this mentoring. But, mentoring is not done in large groups.
Teaching is also a continuous moving line. It is continually changing in methods and in technology. Teachers need to be moving and developing themselves to make use of the new ideas.
What is teaching. Teaching is leadership. As a leader you give vision to those under you. You are the stable foundation which gives freedom and confidence to the teacher. You are the one to run to. The one who has all the answers. At the same time you are not the dictator who ignores the world. You are the teacher's mentor.
As a leader I have the ideas but I need people to take the ideas and put them into their classroom. Each class is different in dynamics. As a leader you need to give the teacher the freedom to teach so that the ideas and ideals can fit the students best. Who knows the student better than the teacher, who is on the front line.
But there are always outside stressors. Mothers who can not understand problems with their child's lack of progression, personal problems, or special students who just do not have a mind to study. Leadership is about finding these stressors and sharing the load, making a plan of action together. Leadership is about listening and responding through mutual interaction, finding a solution to each problem as separate not general. Leadership is about understanding the individuality of both student and teacher.
In the past the response from many leaders has been so general it missed the problem. Many times leadership overreacts causing hardship. Those were past theories which often had poor results. Leadership needs to be balanced. The balance coming from discussion with the people involved. Balance that comes from stable emotions is not always instant reactions. There are times when instant decisions need to be taken, but they are few and far between. Most often a short discussion and delayed reaction is better.
Leaders need to be close but often stand outside of the circle. This means that because they are held responsible they need to keep their perspective. They need to maintain clarity and not get involved in the emotions of the situation. This gives the balance for the teacher. A place to go when there needs to be discussion without the emotion.
Leadership is also about trust. Many leaders keep their job and position even though they have lost the trust of those under them. This means that what is said is held in confidence and not told to anyone. When a leader has crossed this threshold they have achieved a role of mentor. Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Therefore, as a leader one must no succumb and react to everything but prove the value of everything they hear. Without trust leadership is just a power trip, and teamwork though performed loses its effectiveness.
Good teachers are not always good leaders. Good leaders are not always good teachers. But together in harmony are a formidable power to change the lives in their care.