100 Posts in 100 Days
Yesterday I wrote about interdependence as an important state in schools. The more I think about interdependence, the more I also consider other forms of dependence and how they play out in complex systems. For me, interdependence is worthy of striving for, both individually and in teams.
In this post, I’m sharing some thoughts about independence. My thinking on this runs the gamut. In some instances, I am a strong advocate for independence. In others, I want to raise a caution flag.
First off,
Independence is the state of being free from another person or entity
When I was at the Excelle Collective (Post 52 and Post 57) event in late June (comprised of all women), there was a common refrain from the attendees who are also mothers. They were delighted to have their independence for a couple of nights ~ queen and king sized beds to themselves, their favorites for dinner, and one last toast before bed in the hotel restaurant. Their independence was rejuvenating and fun.
Revolutions and protests are about obtaining independence. If you read Post 56: What’s in a Lifetime, you will read some of my personal opinions about independence worth fighting for. Closer to the classroom, I am a strong advocate for curriculum and classroom management that develop and foster student agency, another way to think about independence. I want learners to have the executive functioning skills, metacognitive skills, and the content knowledge to effectively manage their own learning. These are instances when I advocate for independence.
Independently made actions or decisions can also create challenges, particularly when they come as a surprise. Twice, in different schools in different school districts, I had this happen. The situations are very similar. In both cases, a student program offered at select sites within the school district was being moved from one building to another. District-level officials had made the decision. The first time this happened to me, I was the principal at the school that would be receiving the special program. The second time this happened to me, I was the principal at the school that would be losing the program.
Also in both cases, I learned of the plans when confronted by teachers who had “heard a rumor”, which turned out to be true. In one of the cases, a parent group had been informed of the change before the teachers in the program and before me, as the building principal. I was completely unprepared to respond to the teachers who came to me. I had no information about the impending changes; the only thing I could do was listen and commit to finding out more information.
Ultimately, I know these 2 decisions weren’t completely independent. Members of facilities, enrollment, student services, and the executive cabinet were involved. But, the decision was independent of the people at the school sites that were impacted. I was the person left to reassure teachers, students, and parents that the changes were for a good reason. In one school, our team was responsible for creating a welcoming environment for the new teachers, students, and families coming to our building. In the other school, our team took it upon ourselves to find ways for closure when we lost a program that had been in the school for decades. Several teachers, in both of these cases, struggled to understand the process. They lost trust in their leaders and the school system.
I fully understand that school leaders both bear responsibility and need authority to make decisions. (In Post 18: Decisions, Decisions, I wrote about processes and models for decision making.) When those decisions are difficult and will have far-reaching impacts, it is even more important to lean in to interdependence over independence. I think this can be achieved with clear communication, maintaining connection and relationship with people who will be impacted, and taking responsibility for roles and behavior.
As I wrote earlier, my thinking about independence runs the gamut. I simultaneously value and advocate for independence while holding space for an awareness of what can happen when taken to the extreme.