The Concern for Climate and Learning

Educators strive to create a positive climate in their schools by promoting collegiality, collaboration, teacher initiative and positive discipline. They also seek to improve the learning experience of their students through curriculum initiatives aligned to missions of academic excellence. Ideally, when the two concerns for climate and learning are well integrated, synergy occurs and great things can happen.

A simple model that looks at the concern for climate and the concern for learning, allows us to locate our schools in relation to four quadrants.

While our institutions may not exactly fit in any of the four quadrants, the location allows us to try to correct the balance between the concern for climate and learning. Some schools may find themselves located close to the bottom right quadrant, where test results are everything, with teachers and staff burned out in the process. Others may identify with the upper left quadrant where everyone is nice but where learning takes a back seat. This model suggests that we can do better than that by moving towards the upper right quadrant.

In moving towards a high climate-high learning model, trust issues may surface, especially among staff members used to a low climate-high learning environment. Collaboration and collegiality, important components of high climate, need to be learned and nurtured in safe ways first. Gradual progression can occur as trust builds among the community. Small, manageable and purposeful commitments towards high climate-high learning are a sure and steady path to becoming a great school.

Lessons from the Jesuits

This summer I attended a Catholic principal's orientation in Menlo Park, California in the quiet and reflective retreat setting of the Vallombrosa Center. While there, I recalled a recent book by Chris Lowney called Heroic Leadership. The book traces the history and achievements of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. In the book Lowney draws out the leadership qualities and personal experiences of a number of Jesuit protagonists, all to illustrate the foundational principles that still form the core values of the order.

Lowney describes a unique way of working and living that integrated four leadership principles – self-awareness, ingenuity, love, and heroism. Translated into practical application for the layman, these principles offer an interesting leadership perspective.

"Heroism encourages people to aim high and keeps them restlessly pointed towards something more, something greater." Such leaders are filled with a conviction of meaningful purpose that it "brings energy, imagination, ambition, and motivation to their work." In the early Jesuit context this often meant the ultimate sacrifice. In our current context, this means staying the course and having the courage to make the tough decisions; to question why things are done; to face and overcome our challenges, daunting as they may be; to have those difficult conversations that need to be had; to take the side of right rather than the expedient or mighty.

"Ingenuity disposes people not just to think outside the box but to live outside the box." It is the belief that there are solutions to problems and that we are capable of thinking through and arriving at those solutions. It is the love of learning and the ability to continually put our learning and talents to creative use.

"Love lends purpose and passion to ingenuity and heroism." It is the belief in theory y rather than theory x, the ability to give people the benefit of the doubt and to view people as well intentioned, trustworthy and as "uniquely endowed with talent and dignity."

"Self-awareness roots and nourishes the other leadership virtues." Through self-awareness, we learn who we are, what we stand for and what we believe in. Self-awareness is a life-long project and the Jesuits practiced the virtue three times a day – upon arising, after the noon meal, and after supper. In our context, it is asking "did I teach the last class with loving interest in my students, or did I go through the motions?" It questions whether we are practicing ingenuity, love and heroism in our daily routines.

Heroic leadership invites us to consider the impact we have with our many daily interactions. We are challenged to consider how we relate to those around us and whether our presence adds to or diminishes the beauty of our world. It is to believe in a world of love rather than fear; to re-invent ourselves while holding true to the principles of self-awareness, ingenuity, love and heroism.

Quotations are taken directly from Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney.