I came across my copy of Pat Riley’s Book “The Winner Within-A Life Plan for Team Players” the other day. In Chapter 3 he discusses the “Core Covenant”.
A Covenant is an agreement that binds people together. He goes on to describe the characteristics of a “Constructive Covenant”.
- -binds people together
- -creates an equal footing
- -helps people shoulder their own responsibilities
- -prescribes terms for the help and support of others
- -and creates a foundation of teamwork.
As I look around schools I am not able to see anything that resembles a covenant. It is a battle zone with the teachers versus the administrators, administrators versus central office, central office versus the board, the board versus the community, the community against the politicians. The states versus the feds. The rich people versus the poor. There is a facade of teamwork but in reality little exist. At the end of day most teachers just go in their classroom and do their thing.
There have been attempts at “Professional Learning Communities” that when done properly are very productive and positive. Unfortunately, most are top-down structures and merely a means of passing the information along from the powers above. There are not a lot of constructive conversations that lead to positive improvement.
Until the teachers that are on the front line are allowed to have a voice in the development of the “covenant” then nothing will ever change. When someone on the front lines is telling you that a particular strategy is not working and you continue to ignore them then that make you a poor leader.
The story you are about to read perfectly describes how most schools are run.
How the Plan Became Policy
In the beginning was the plan.
And then came the assumptions.
And the assumptions were without form.
And the plan was without substance.
And darkness was upon the face of the workers.
And they spoke among themselves saying,
“It is a crock of shit and it stinketh.”
And the workers went unto their supervisors and said,
“It is a pail of dung and none may abide the odor thereof.”
And the supervisor went unto their managers and said,
“It is a container of excrement and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it.”
And the managers went unto their directors, saying,
“It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.”
And the directors spoke among themselves, saying to one another,
“It contains that which aids plant growth and it is very strong.”
And the directors went unto the vice presidents, saying unto them,
“It promotes growth and is very powerful.”
And the vice presidents went unto the president, saying unto him,
“The new plan will promote the growth and vigor of the company, with powerful effects.”
And the president looked upon the plan and saw that it was good.
And the plan became policy.
This is how shit happens.
This process describes how or how covenants are not formed in schools. With a little research, we would find, that the schools that are being the most successful, are the schools that have a system of teamwork that is making decisions and creating policies, not just a bunch of twisted statement made to sound better as they climb the supervisory ladder. We would find many leaders that lead from the bottom up, not top-down leaders. Decisions would be based on what is best for the students, not what is best for the adults.
Through the mid-1900’s sports coaches were promoted to principals and superintendents because they knew the value of teamwork. The knew the value of holding each of your teammates accountable for their actions. They knew They knew the value or winning and losing. They knew how to build and covenant among the teachers, students, and community.
Many of today’s “leaders” do not have experience in building teams and developing covenants but rather as scholars. In comparison, a great athlete does not translate into being a great coach.
It is time to return to a leadership style and philosophy that promotes teamwork and able to develop a covenant that works for that school and community. A covenant cannot be dictated from Washington D.C. or the state capital by politicians that have not been in a public school classroom in over 25 years.
David R. Taylor–28 Year Teacher, Coach, and Principal