The Dock School Leader Podcast

Naughty Students, Naughty Parents

What were we created for and how does that inform our relationships? In this final episode in our segment on relationships, Jeff Swanson describes four fundamentals that become especially potent when relationships turn problematic:
Love
Listening
Structure
Direct communication
If you know Jeff, you may catch the humor of his title and of his proposition to offer groundbreaking thoughts about relating to children and million-dollar hints for interacting with parents and other teachers. Jeff Swanson has taught in a wide range of school settings for several decades and offers here some of what he’s learned in nurturing strong relationships around the school. Jeff throws in many anecdotes alongside of a very straightforward collection of principles. If you want to love your job and want your teachers to love their jobs five and ten years from now, this will help guide you towards that future.
Links
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: https://a.co/d/gRnZ9qQ 
This recording was first published on The Dock as "Naughty Students, Naughty Parents, and Naughty Teachers!": https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/naughty-students-naughty-parents-and-naughty-teachers/ 
More recordings from Teachers Week 2023: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/teachers-week-2023/ 

Why Administrators?

Why have an administrator? What can an administrator do in terms of the relationships around the school? Steve Brubaker makes the case that administrators inhabit and manage the complex meeting place of all the people involved in a school. It’s a position of influence to be used not to lord it over others but to serve them. “Administrators exist to serve the servants,” says Steven. And schools that lack these people are hampered in their efforts to grow.
Specifically, administrators are in a position to nurture growth in these two ways:
Valuing the diversity – each person with whom or for whom we labor is worthwhile, and it is one of the administrator’s primary roles to reveal and maximize that worth.
Promoting the unity – helping all our people speak a common language, doing a lot of listening (which includes creating opportunities for listening), doing a lot of communicating (before, around, and during decision-making), and fostering shared experiences makes this a potent second role for an administrator.
Steven develops both of those roles and also provides practical elaboration on the admin/board relationship and the admin/teacher relationship.
Bonus: (from the discussion time in the original presentation)
How can you go about growing into these responsibilities as an administrator if you’re in a situation where the board currently has those responsibilities?
Patience, build trust
Appeal, ask to be involved/participate rather than trying to change the process
Clarify, discuss job description/expectations
Links
Administrator’s Conference: https://www.fbep.org/attend/events/administrators-conference-and-retreat/ 
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick M. Lencioni: https://a.co/d/2dkE4wu
Doing Good Even Better by Edgar Stoesz: https://a.co/d/ilJRVb2
This recording was originally published on The Dock as "Loving Those We Serve": https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/loving-those-we-serve/ 
More Recordings from 2017 Administrators Conference and Retreat: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/administrators-conference-and-retreat/ 

Supporting Parents and Selling the Church

If parents are responsible to train their children, what are the children doing in schools? Matt Peachy lays out a case for education that places schools squarely in a position of service to the church and to families. He then outlines some of the ways that this shapes a school, particularly in its relationships with parents and the church.
Matt teaches at the secondary level and has administrative and pastoral experience. Notably, he is also a parent. Matt addresses three core questions in his talk:
Who is responsible for education?
Where do teachers fit?
What kind of people should teachers be?
 
Outline of key sections of Matt’s presentation:
How can we support parents?
See yourself as a servant
Communicate well (Assume that parents want what is best for their children)
Lead your classroom
How do we sell the church?
Recognize your impact
Promote excellence
Emphasize discipleship
What qualities are we looking for in teachers?
Christlikeness
Competency
Commitment
 
For those of you who have been to Faith Builders, there are a few doses of Guys Mills sirens to stir your nostalgia.
Links
This episode was first published on The Dock as “Supporting the Parents:” https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/supporting-the-parents/
Teachers Week 2019: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/fbep-teachers-week/teachers-week-2019/
Reclaiming the Future of Christian Education by Albert Greene: https://a.co/d/7x2oukN

Caring for Your Families

What’s your greatest advantage as a teacher or leader in a Christian school? Stephen submits that it is the immeasurable gift of most of our children having parents that love them. What are you doing to know and care for those parents and your students, especially the average ones?
Stephen Gingerich speaks with year of experience teaching and administrating in a school in Guatemala that serves both mission and native families. This work carried him deep into serving severely broken families.
School leaders are often busy enough just keeping things at school under control. How will you carry these extra things? First, if I hear Stephen correctly, I think he’s telling us that if we’re too busy to care for our families we’re too busy. Second, Stephen leads us to trusting in God to provide in measure to what he’s called you to carry. Third, I would add that sometimes God supplies the kind of strength and direction that’s needed for leaders to facilitate reorganization, delegation, or other strategic responses to the awareness of overwhelming or unrealistic responsibilities.
I don’t know where this finds you, but I trust that as you follow his leading, God will supply the grace you need to help your school grow in caring for your families. They are precious to our Lord. Let’s renew our commitment to counting it a privilege to serve them.
Six ways to help
Be a model/good example
Be faithful
Be a mentor
Be a servant
Be willing to use our gifts
Be biblical
In sum, let Ephesians four saturate your teaching.
This episode was first published on The Dock as "Connecting With a Variety of Families:" https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/connecting-with-a-variety-of-families-stephan-gingerich/ Teachers Week 2013: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/fbep-teachers-week/teachers-week-2013/ 

Teacher Trouble - Redemptive Solutions

Just investing in a culture of growth as Gerald described in the last episode won’t solve all problems. Here he is again with a sequel episode exploring redemptive solutions to difficult people problems.
Few people enjoy wading into these situations. Gerald won’t tell you how to begin liking it, but he does outline a number of excellent methods for how to lead responsibly and honorably.
This episode describes how to break down a problem by:
Identifying the issues
Agreeing on the issues
Developing a plan (including specific steps, point person, timing, and contingencies)
Following through
Establishing accountability
These methods will help you gain confidence in bringing clarity as you labor to help teachers stay in the classroom and grow if that’s the right place for them or how to support them in moving forward to another vocation. This is not about toughing up as a leader. It’s about school leaders who are ministers of God’s grace through hard times.
Principles covered in this episode
Leaving things alone does not make problems go away
Name the elephants in the room
Principles of difficult conversations
Know thyself
Grace and truth
Clarity with compassion
You need eyewitnesses, kill assumptions
Act as one
Do what is best for your church’s future and your teacher’s future
Be a part of the solution
Speak no evil
Confidentiality
Links
CASBI: https://casbi.info/ 
 

Are Your Teachers Growing?

Schools are places for growth and learning.
Growth is essential for teachers.
Teachers must be learners.
This is not something that school leaders can force, but it very is definitely something that leaders can and should nurture.
Gerald Miller, long-time teacher and administrator makes a compelling case for those propositions which will shape how you think about what you look for in a teacher. He also shares straightforward ideas for how you can cultivate habits of development in your school. Some of these ideas aren’t as complicated as you might think.
The Call Develop
The Teacher as Learner
Cultivating Development
 
Links
Information about CASBI 2023: https://thedockforlearning.org/event/casbi-2023/ 

Shepherding Basics for School Leaders

What does it look like to shepherd your school?
This episode presents a passionate challenge by a board member to school leaders and to board members in particular to take full ownership of their responsibility for the people under their care. Ernie Weaver brings school board and business leadership experience to this talk as well as perspective from within the classroom through his own time as a teacher and as son and brother of long-time teachers.
Ernie shoots straight here: make the hard decisions for the good of your school and stick with your team no matter what. He outlines the principles of the book, The Way of the Shepherd, and applies them to school. His talk is full of examples and concludes with a collection of ideas to try. See the show notes for a few other ideas from the post-session discussion.
Additional ideas from post-session discussion
Take coffee drinks to school
Pack their lunches
Make sure single teachers are eating well for suppers
Pray over the school
Facilitate teachers getting into the homes of their patrons
 
Links
This recording was originally published on The Dock as "Encouraging and Blessing Your Teachers": https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/encouraging-and-blessing-your-teachers/ 
The Way of the Shepherd by Kevin Leman, William, Pentak, and Marc Cashman: https://www.zondervan.com/9780310305408/the-way-of-the-shepherd/
"Seven Essential Principles for Leading Productive People": https://thedockforlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Way-of-the-Shepherd.docx 
Information about CASBI: https://casbi.info/ 
More recordings from CASBI 2022: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/casbi/casbi-2022/ 
Personality tests:
DISC: https://www.discprofiles.com/ 
Working Genius: https://www.workinggenius.com/ 

Staff Development and Care

Is an incompetent teacher better than not having a one?
We are beginning a new segment focused on staff development and care.
In this opening episode, Ken Kauffman speaks from his experience as a teacher, principle, and educational representative for Christian Light. He leads the way in thinking about the following three issues:
How we prepare new teachers
How we identify and nurture the next generation of teachers
How we build up experienced teachers.
This talk will give you a thought-provoking and actionable collection of ideas for you to take steps towards your school being a place where the craft of teaching is prized and where that craft is intentionally being reproduced.
Ken suggests that teachers may have nearly as much influence on the church as its ministry. If that’s the case, our vetting processes and methods of preparing teachers are often sadly lacking. And while good character is of fundamental importance, teachers need more than that.
Links
CASBI 2019: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/casbi/casbi-2019/ 
Teacher Training Programs
Faith Builders Training Institute Summer Term: https://www.fbep.org/academics/summer-term/ 
Faith Builders Training Institute Teacher Apprenticing Program: https://www.fbep.org/attend/two-year-programs/ 
Teachers Week: https://www.fbep.org/attend/events/teachers-week/ 
Teachers Conference: https://www.fbep.org/attend/events/teachers-conference/ 

Coping with Reactive Attachment Disorder

Our rationale, resources, and methodology matter.
But what about the students who come to us with such deep brokenness and dysfunction that our best efforts to help them go nowhere unless backwards or in circles? The subject of disorders is huge. Here in this bonus episode we’re going to look at just one of them: Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).
 Wesley King is a father of a RAD child and has experience as a principle. He speaks vulnerably and compassionately about this issue. This talk will help prepare you to approach a situation involving a child with RAD, but it will also take you to a more basic level of questions about student needs than when we’re talking about curriculum and rationale. These questions take us deeper into serving both our ordinary students as well as those dealing with RAD or other disorders.
Links
This episode was initially published as “Coping with Reactive Attachment Disorder” at: https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/coping-with-reactive-attachment-disorder/
Other presentations from CASBI 2015: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/casbi/casbi-2015/
“Specific Learning Disabilities” by Lynell Nissley: https://thedockforlearning.org/specific-learning-disabilities/
“Resources for The Exceptional Learner” by Lynell Nissley: https://thedockforlearning.org/document/resources-for-the-exceptional-learner/
“Reactive Attachment Disorder Part 2” by Sumner Loomis: https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/reactive-attachment-disorder-part-2-sumner-loomis/

Curriculum is Important, but What About Everything Else?

A common theme in academic discussions is the curriculum. For our final episode in this segment on academics, we’re looking at this common theme, but with an important distinction.
Gerald Miller, teacher and current administrator at Faith Builders Christian School differentiates between the formal curriculum (what you pay money for every year) and the hidden curriculum, which is everything else. He’s casting vision here for schools that produce students that both know things and know how to serve with the things they know.
“Formal curriculum is intentional; hidden curriculum is inherent.
Formal is obvious, hidden is subtle.
What is learned in the formal curriculum leaves you eventually, at least the details.
But what you learn in the hidden curriculum lasts a lifetime.”
– John Ortberg
 
Links
This presentation was initially published as "Examining Your School’s Hidden Curriculum” at: https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/examining-your-schools-hidden-curriculum-by-gerald-miller/
Other presentations from CASBI 2019: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/casbi/casbi-2019/