Every school has its own power dynamics. Our school is quite large with over 100 staff. Just like other schools we have our formal power structures in place. Principal, three assistant principals. department heads and a variety of no-certificated formal leadership positions. These individuals fulfill their responsibilities through job descriptions using their knowledge, attitudes, training and experiences.
In our school we practice a particular philosophy that shares power, values and creates empowerment for everyone. Let me explain. We work very hard to consistently practice the team approach. This approach is guided by the principals of building solid relationships, building trust and always seeking what is best for kids. As administrators we have particular responsibilities to fulfill but we are here to basically serve our staff and the school community. We do this by supporting the needs of our staff and helping them to persue their passions, take risks and grow. This means that we are sharing power amongst everyone. There is increased satisfaction and higher performance. It is the abundance mentality idea and the amount of power in the school actually increases exponentially. Our staff end up sharing the same philosophy with our students and this extends power into the school community. This provides an opportunity for the team to work together to effectively influence change.
We have practiced this in several schools and have experiences success in every case.
Bill Schlacht
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