When you think back on your days as a high school student, you’ll recall that the majority of the faculty and staff who interacted with you did so in an authoritative and controlling manner. If there was a disagreement or a point of contention, you were quickly reminded that they were the adult and you were the kid, erasing any doubt as to who was going to emerge from the conflict victorious.
I experienced this as a student, and again when I became a young teacher. I wanted (and sometimes, even demanded) the respect of my students, but I yielded all power to those in administration who kept me mindful that they controlled my destiny in the profession.
While authoritative leadership can effectively instill and maintain a sense of order, it does nothing to build trust, engage hearts and minds, and develop unity, spirit, and pride.
I’ve been an invited speaker to more than 1,500 schools throughout the US and Canada and that experience has shown me that while school buildings and curriculum are evolving, most are still operating under this traditional paradigm and discipline-focused leadership model.
I recently discovered one that isn’t.
Treating Students as Valued Customers
The faculty and staff of Polaris Career Center in Middleburg Heights, OH, treat each of their 1,073 11th and 12th grade students as valued customers, and they even refer to them as such. Additionally, administrators and district support personnel have been encouraged to serve teachers and parents as their customers. With everyone on the school’s payroll determined to go out of their way to please their customers, you can imagine how their entire culture is different from the typical school environment.
This short video features interviews of a wide variety of certified and classified staff, from custodial to administrator, librarians to welding instructors. Take a few minutes to watch and consider how such a simple shift in thinking could radically reshape and reform education.
