Hoosiers and School Leadership
This morning I attended the annual thank you breakfast at Woodlands Church. They are a partner with Howe School, providing volunteers, school supplies and various resources to help our students learn.
While enjoying refreshments and chatting in their very nice community center, the pastor asked if I would say a few words about our partnership during service. Even though this is my fourth year in administration, I still get a pit in my stomach when talking in front of others, especially those I have not met. What do I say? What was the history of this partnership before I came along?
By luck (or divine intervention), I found an old coaching newsletter in a binder of school materials I was to give to a staff member that morning. I saved this newsletter (Basketball Sense, May 2001) from my basketball coaching days because of the excellent article on the cover, "The Coaching Philosophy of Norman Dale". In it, high school basketball coach Larry Lindsey analyzes the coaching and program-building philosophy of Coach Dale, played by Gene Hackman, in the classic sports movie Hoosiers. Full disclosure: This movie is one of my favorites - I have owned it on VHS, DVD and now digitally.
Perfect! I evoked my inner Hackman and read some of Coach Dale's quotes to the congregation (below, in italics), organized by Mr. Lindsay under different categories of program-building (bold). It was a nice way to connect the importance of being a team and the school's partnership with the church. After the event, I also reflected on how these quotes relate to my position as a school leader. My reflections come after the quotes.
Practices
Let's be clear about what we are after here.
- Do we have a mission focused on student learning and success? How are we communicating this within the school walls and beyond on a regular basis?
Support your players with the public
I would hope you support us for who we are, not for who we are not.
- Is the community supporting our efforts and focusing on what's going well as well as what needs to be worked on? - Is this support coming from our elected officials as well as from our parents and local organizations?
These six individuals made a choice...to represent you, this high school. That kind of commitment and effort deserves and demands your respect. This is your team.
- Are the teachers, staff, students and families in my school feeling respected? If not, what I am doing to advocate for this respect, maybe even demanding it?
How to build your team
Five players on the floor function as a single unit. No one person is more important than another.
- Am I expecting everyone to take on their fair share of the work load, including students, families and me?
Challenge your team
Remember what we worked on in practice. I want to see it on the court.
- Is what we are learning as a staff translating into improved student learning? How do we know?
Dealing with your team in a big game
Remember what got you here. Focus on the fundamentals. Don't focus on winning and losing. Put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential.
- Is our professional development addressing best practices, rather than fluff, or outcomes only? Are we delivering our instruction with fidelity? - Are the activities we are asking students to do standards-based, relevant and engaging? - Are the students meeting their own expectations as well as ours? How do we celebrate our successes and not just test scores?
I agree with the author of this article that the process that occurred in Hoosiers typifies what a team or partnership should look like, to strive to better our abilities in order to achieve a goal.