Moreover, I'll win (Colin Prentice)

As I gear up for a return to school in a few weeks time, I remembered this bit in Colin Prentice's book (When People Matter Most):

In the first assembly of the year I would lay out the school rules to the whole school and say: Look, here's the line, put your big toe on the line and you're fine. Put your big toe over the line and you're telling me that you're looking for a fight. I won't disappoint you. Moreover, I'll win, because the Board of Governors has agreed with these rules and the way we run it here. So it's not worth fighting.

These rules he speaks of, at Macleans College, were more guidelines to protect and maintain order, generate freedom from oppression, bullying, and offensive social behaviour.

As he said: the rights of the child to a peaceful, orderly, and productive education have to be preserved.

As I work on my guidelines for my classes I always keep this in mind.

See me, feel me, touch me, heal me (The Who)

Photo by Maja Erwinsdotter on Unsplash

Brené Brown, in her book The Gift of Imperfection, has this great definition for 'connection':

I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.

There is a lot in there.

I have mentioned before the connection I have felt in some of the staff rooms I've been in. Sadly, it's rare, I've only experienced it twice in my 41-year teaching career, but only for a short time, because in both cases the key leader moved away from the school. 

But, because of that feeling of sustenance and strength I derived from the connection, I recognised it when I saw it, felt it. 

In my experience, it does take that key person, in my case - both males, to cause that connection. Seemingly, it's a rare combination in schools - to come across those leaders with that combination of empathy, vision, purpose, integrity and honesty.

I'm certainly thankful to those two gentlemen from my past.

It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack (Germany Kent)

The previous post indicated some leaders that I'm very grateful to have worked with, or who I am continuing to learn from.

Ten years ago I wrote about 25 things I was thankful for. At the time I was living and working in the Middle East.

Here's some other things I'm thankful for (in a work sense) in the present tense:

• I am very grateful for being employed full stop. But further to that, I am very grateful to be employed by OneSchool Global. We all provide a Good Feel Index (GFI) rating each week out of 10 and each week I give a 10 for that reason. To do otherwise seems churlish to me. Thank you OSG!
• I am thankful that I have been following my bliss since I was 12 years old (the desire path was teaching). I continue to love my choice of profession (even on bad days like last Friday).
• The people I have worked with since I started teaching (I am lucky to have worked in five different countries around the world and I'll tell you this and I'll tell you no more - there are good people in teaching everywhere I've been)
• The facilities I currently work in are amazingly bespoke for self-directed learners.
• I am thankful to the bosses I've had who have trusted me and left me to get on with it and not micro-managed me. Currently - thanks Paul!
• The mentors I've had along the way stay with me (Colin Prentice is like Obi-Wan - when cancer struck him down he became more powerful than he could have possibly imagined).
• I've appreciated all the learning I have received from some outstanding individuals along the way apart from Colin Prentice: Colin Donald; Alison Ivey; Annette Sivak; Sonja Schutte; Tom Ryder; Terry Heaps; Roger Moses; Peter Joyce; Margaret Wilson; Rob McMurray; Graeme McFadyen; Jenni Dittmer; Toni Dunstan; Greg Semmens; Amy Reid; Dionne Thomas; Jackie Barron; Andrew Plant; Sue Miller; Peter Garelja; Martin Mitchell; WOH Gibbs; Jim Seumanu...and that's just a few that immediately spring to mind!

Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18)

Colin Prentice's life and example is never far from my mind. 

His eye for talent was a start but his use of an economical phrase at opportune times was, at times, genius. He had an uncanny knack for saying and doing the right thing at the right time.

One mid eighties afternoon as we coincidentally walked in the same direction after school he said, "You could lead an English Department". 

In my fifth year of teaching, I hadn't had that as an ambition necessarily, but from that small moment a germ of an idea began to sprout.

For him, success was determined by the number of leaders he could support at Macleans College and then encourage to leave and go elsewhere to become Principals.

A staggering amount of us did just that.

Your eyes are shining on a beam through the galaxy of love, transformer man (Neil Young)

I read an interesting article recently titled ' If you want to change people - change what they talk about'.

I like that idea and I'm always game for a laugh so here are my responses. First though - here are the ten invitations to transformation:

1. What are you good at?
2. How did you get so good at…?
3. How could I get good at…?
4. How are we winning?
5. What’s working?
6. What do you love about working here?
7. Tell me a story about someone who made a difference in your life.
8. Remind me of a time when you went beyond the call of duty to get something done.
9. What are you doing when you feel most successful?
10. How can we get you doing more of what you love?

Cool list huh? Okay so here goes:

1. Here's three: I'm a good listener, I keep the blogosphere regularly updated, I'm very patient. 
2. Patience and being a good listener are innate qualities rather than skills (I used to be a good football player which happened through some natural ability to kick with both feet, having a football brain, and I loved to practice and then do more practice). Having good listening habits can also be a skill but for me it started long ago with something inside me making me interested in what others were saying. Blogging is something of an addiction. I like writing (my university career tells me I am good at that too), musing over things, and I like publishing my writing - hence the blogging.
3. How could I get better in my teaching? The Nissan Way improvement model helps me a lot (the photo shows it's on my pinboard by my desk at school) but mostly it's the blogging, my current colleagues and Twitter that have all helped immeasurably with that one. So...more of that should do it!
   
4. We're into the plural pronoun here so I'll answer this for my English department at school: we are winning by being brave, exploring new ideas, challenging the status quo and each other's thinking, giving up some control, and by adapting to new technologies.
5. Our grades are high in internal NCEA standards, our value added scores are the envy of other departments.
6. There is a lot of teacher driven inquiry going on, some free thinking and an environment for change at my school; being given autonomy to get on with the job always helps me; the people I work closely with and the fun staff room vibe where I work inspires me daily; the students won't let us rest on past achievements - they live in the now, they demand the best and rightly so. All of those things make me love my job.
7. My parents, a lot of teachers and a few Principals have made a huge difference to me. One story is tough but I'm going to go with Colin Prentice, then Principal at Macleans College, walking and talking one day after school and telling me (I was an English teacher then) that I could easily lead a department. That seemed far away at that point and not even part of my consciousness but someone like him having that kind of belief in me sent me on a pathway.
8. Our use of Schoology as a Learning Management System has allowed me to frequently respond to student requests for help after hours. Last weekend I was in Auckland for my son's wedding and a student asked for help via Schoology with an essay. I went beyond the call of duty to give her that advice.
9. See number 8.
10. Tough one. I love my job but I also love balance between job and my life outside of school. Truly though - I would love to be given more time to work on some special projects at school that are dear to my heart. 

Through sacrifice - bliss (Joseph Campbell)

My friend and mentor, Colin Prentice, passed away today.

I have been very lucky in my life. I've known quite a number of genuinely good people. 

Amazing people who see the good in others, see wrongs and try to right them, see suffering and try to heal, act with integrity, are genuine and nice people. Inspiring people.

My parents, Jacky, my friends. 

I try to be good. To be of good character. To live well and serve. But I have often fallen short.

In terms of male role models I  can immediately make a list of five whose example I have admired over the years, looked up to and tried to emulate. Some are younger than me.

They are the one's I think - what would ---- do/ think?

Colin Prentice and my father (Graham Purdy) are the topper most of that list.

Lucky old me. I got to thank them many times for what they'd done for me. And, certainly, I was lucky enough to do that shortly before they each passed away.

Colin sent me back a lovely message last week, thanking me for my beautiful words. Humbled me incredibly.

He was fond of this poem by Langston Hughes. Used it a lot when he was a Principal. So much that I know it off by heart. I always hear it in his distinctive voice.

It seems appropriate to leave you with it.

Virtue mine honour (Macleans College motto)

Where there is no vision the people perish (Proverbs 29: 18 in the King James version): a favourite quote by Colin Prentice - a man of extraordinary vision.

I received word recently from Colin's wife, Margaret, that the boss has a terminal illness. My comment to Jacky was that Colin's rock solid faith will mean he will be at peace with that. The video posted on a Facebook Friends Of Colin Prentice page confirmed exactly that.

My life has been blessed with some amazing teachers and sources of inspiration whose influence has remained with me.

Colin is right up there - one of those people who matters most.

Colin was a charismatic leader at Macleans College when I joined the staff there in 1986. He taught us all a lot by just being genuine, being virtuous, being himself - a deeply spiritual man, strong in his convictions, deliberate in his methods, and compassionate.

I don't use the term 'charismatic' lightly. Colin has a compelling ability to inspire devotion in others (we love him) which comes from divinely given powers and set of talents.   

He has touched the lives of an incredible number of people - staff and students at all the schools he has taught at or lead, World Vision, the University Of Auckland.

He has that uncanny ability to make you feel special. Each one of us who worked with him has felt that.

I am so thankful that our paths crossed.  He sowed the seed of dreams in all of us.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

All I want is someone to believe (Billy Joel)

Still with the Whitaker book - he struck a chord with me when talking about autonomy and recognition.

He quotes Al Burr's discussion that truly outstanding teachers need two things to make them content and motivated - autonomy (freedom to do the things they know are best) and recognition (can be formal or informal)

Let them take chances and risks and watch them implement innovations.

The best leaders I had gave me both.

The best of the best was Colin Prentice at Macleans College. He used his Monday mornings before staff briefing to distribute his yellow bits of paper containing his personal recognition of staff. We would look forward to Mondays and the chance of getting those yellow bits of paper. When we did it was an exhilarating feeling.

Intrinsic rewards (and not extrinsic rewards) are the best drivers.

While I was there I wanted to start a media studies department. He allowed me to do so and left me to it. I really appreciated that!

Greg Taylor at Mt Albert Grammar left me alone to run the boarding hostel and gave me the freedom to make mistakes and complete innovations.

So I did - honours boards, dorm names, refurbishments and so on. It was a thrilling time.

In my current job I work with subject specialists who are experts in their fields. I aim to give them autonomy and informal recognition.

I figure I can't do their job any better than they can so why would I try?