Reinvigorating empathy - and Vice Principals

More documents

Recommendations

Info

A conversation about caringA teacher and principal chat about social-emotional developmentby Sean CookSean (l) and Rob Zambranoshare an informal conversationabout social-emotionaldevelopment.Teaching high school Englishprovides an importantglimpse into the social-emotionaldevelopment of young people.In the English classroom, the studyof human emotion — particularlythose of characters in conflict — iscentral to the curriculum. Years ofwatching students respond to imaginedexperiences with values gainedfrom real life experiences has givenme a front row seat — one mightsay season’s tickets — at the spectacleof adolescent social-emotionaldevelopment.Unfortunately, things don’t seemto be going so well. Apart from welldocumented increases in depressionand anxiety, there seems to be a levelof preoccupation or distraction thatincreasingly limits students’ capacityto care deeply about their studies.With this in mind, I was pleasedto participate in the Dare to Careprogram at Centennial SecondarySchool in Coquitlam during the lastweek of October. Using both largeassemblies and small group interaction,the Dare to Care team ofDwayne Peace and Mike HanlonFebruary 09 • Adminfo • 8were surprisingly successfulat reinvigorating the students’and teachers’ sense of empathy,engagement and community.These guys are onto something.How long this heightenedsense of empathy and communitywill endure is anybody’sguess, but one thing is certain: it’sthere, just under the surface.And so, in the spirit of socialemotionaldevelopment, I invitedour principal, Robert Zambrano, toa local eatery for an informal chatabout the experience. Given theever expanding role of communicationstechnology in our lives, we oftenforget how much can be learnedfrom a friendly chat in a comfortablesetting. Following ten minutesof banter, the following conversationtook place.
Sean: What made you think aprogram focusing on social-emotionaldevelopment was necessary atour school?Rob: Well, working in a numberof schools, one acquires a sense ofhow things ought to be. When I arrivedat the school several monthsago things didn’t seem right. Kidswere interacting in a way that wasdisrespectful, as though the kids whowere on the edge of appropriate behaviorhad more influence than theninety percent of kids doing a greatjob. I had this sense.Sean: Your use of intuition, thisidea of just knowing, reminds me ofMalcom Gladwell’s idea in his book,Blink, that expertise, habit and intuitioncan work together almost as asixth sense.Rob: That’s exactly what it is. TheBlink analogy is an excellent one.Sean: Would you consider thisa new way of assessing a problem,given how much we rely on rational,methodical data collection?Rob: I think good teachers, well,anybody who is good at what theydo, whatever it may be, have thissense through the experience ofwatching their intuitions come tofruition. That being said, sometimesyou’re wrong. There was also a steadystream of teachers through my doorsharing their concerns. When Icame across Dare to Care, I thoughtwell, we need to do something, andit needs to be big.Sean: Why does it need to bebig?Rob: Because if a goal is not sharedand developed throughout the entireschool community and is notrevisited regularly, if it’s not smackin your face, it’ll never be achieved.As long as we are all at least facingthe same way, and have a commonunderstanding of what should be, Ithink that we have a shot at it. Butit’s also important to remember thatthose who look in another way arealso your allies, not your antagonists.They are the ones that keep you honest.They bring positive critique andconstructive feedback.Sean: According to the DalaiLama, “your enemy is your greatestguru.”Rob: That’s right. I welcome dissent:be prepared for a fight, but I dowelcome it. That being said, sometimesthe principal is put in a positionwhere he or she gets, or needs,to win. This can be positive or negative,depending on the call the leadermakes. Again, it’s very intuitive.Sean: Did Dare to Care live up toyour expectations?Rob: The three-hour assembly wasvery good, albeit long. But it neededto be that long: kids are constantlybombarded through media, peerinteractions and negative communityview points. To oppose this, theyFebruary 09 • Adminfo • 9
Page 1 and 2: AdminfoFebruary 2009 Volume 21 •
Page 3 and 4: February 09 • Adminfo • 3
Page 5: Shifting the processChanging the as
Page 11 and 12: proach to education?Rob: Absolutely
Page 13 and 14: Student leadership commitmentis bro
Page 15 and 16: new people.” She’s also learned
Page 17 and 18: Three opinions onplaying firsteatin
Page 19: Working together to build resultsTh

Reinvigorating empathy - and Vice Principals

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?