gimme some lovin

That song just came up on the radio while I was typing (read that as: my internet link to the free music website Pandora played this song while I was pecking away at the keyboard on my laptop) and I stopped to enjoy the music. It always amazes me how certain songs can conjure up memories and emotions. I associate Gimme Some Lovin by the Spencer Davis group with the version sung in the Blues Brothers movie, which then triggers happy thoughts about my college days since the movie came out at the same time.

All this reminds me that the human mechanism, this body of mine, really is a convoluted mix of emotional responses keyed by environmental triggers. Leaders would do well to remember this. Amidst all the managerial responsibilities of the school leadership position, maintaining a focus on the human element is in constant danger of being eclipsed. Transactional leadership might portray the interaction between the leader and follower as a more sterile quid pro quo arrangement, but if the administrator-teacher relationship can defined in those sterile terms, then why do teachers get so angry with his or her school leader about the smallest intrusions into their practice?

Teaching is a profession that requires a person to bare their soul on a regular basis.

The soul baring can contribute to the sensitivity issue. There is ample research that supports the importance of a trusting relationship between the teacher and the school leader. Fink and Resnick’s 2001 Kappan article, Developing Principals as Instructional Leaders, states that building a climate of trust is a foundational leadership skill, “Effective instructional leaders must, in other words, create both intellectual capacity and social capital within their organization.” Other research shows that new leaders are assigned a certain level of trust that allows for an initial level of a functional relationship. What destroys the relationship is any action that is perceived as a betrayal of that trust.

Betrayal.

Andy Hargreaves work on teaching and betrayal in 2002, finds that in his study of relationships that trust is not the determinate factor, but that betrayal is the key component. He lists 3 types of betrayal; 1) the leader demonstrating a lack of competence , 2) the violation of an agreement or expectation, and 3) poor communication (e.g. public shaming or gossip). Any instances of betrayal are corrosive to the relationship between the teacher and school leader. Hargreaves states, “Betrayal is the emotional enemy of improvement” p. 405.

Since teaching is by its nature a constant series of interactions, relationships taken a heightened level of importance. This sensitivity escalates the teachers’ perception of betrayal. School leaders must recognize that teachers may need positive reinforcement on a regular basis to help maintain productive relationships... give them some lovin. Make sure to click the music video links below to get your own dose of emotional uplift today.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. Gimme some lovin performed live by the Spencer Davis Group, 1967: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFaT69CyyKU

PSS. Blues Brother’s version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX5zaS0vgJ8#

PSSS. Hargreaves, A. (2002) Teaching and Betrayal. Teachers and teaching: Theory and practice. 8 (3 /4) p. 393-407.