Motivating Factors, Part Two

I know it has taken me a little while to get to this–and it’s not because I lack motivation to finish this topic. 🙂

I mentioned that at the end of the first post that what motivated me the most at work was relationships.   Relationships, I think, are key to much of what we pursue in life.  Why do we take time to try to be attractive to others?  We are looking for their attention–we want love, we want sex, we want something that won’t happen without them noticing who we are, followed by some level of communication.  Why do we follow sports teams, or musical acts, or other celebrities?  We feel connected to them in some way–even when we have never met them, and really don’t know them at all.  It’s the same reason we get caught up in the lives of fictional characters:   we imagine a connection with them, and want that relationship to come to some sort of fruition (triumph for the hero, defeat the villain).  It’s part of what motivates me to write this blog, and to write screenplays–at some point, a human being will connect with my writing, and have an experience.  Although I may never have direct interaction with my readers (or viewers), that desire for connection is still part of my motivation.

Teaching, of course, is different from writing a blog or deciding I know Casey Anthony better than a jury that spent weeks in the same room with her.  Teaching doesn’t happen without relationships.  You can’t really be an island if you are a teacher.  Even if you don’t interact with your colleagues much, you still must interact with your students.  Ineffective teachers, I think have decided that they don’t really want any relationship with their students.  It’s okay if you don’t want a relationship with a colleague–even in a small school like mine, you can mostly avoid any unnecessary interactions.  It’s also fine if you don’t want to have a relationship with your neighbors–stay out of their business, they are mostly going to stay out of yours (especially here in stolid New England).  Don’t want to be in a relationship with your significant other?  Take steps to end it.  That’s more complicated, of course, but still within your power.  You’re a teacher, and you don’t want a relationship with your students?  If you don’t quit your job, you have a serious problem.  Your students are coming back tomorrow–and if they realize you have no interest, or you don’t like them, or worse, you don’t care–well, get ready for a thoroughly miserable experience for all concerned.

My wife Valerie brought up in her comment to my first post the issue of toxicity.   It’s a valid point.  What if you like your kids, and they like you, but you are struggling with motivation because of all of the other pressures you have–test score politics, ever-changing state/federal/accreditation requirements (many of which are contradictory), helicopter parenting, and less than stellar school leadership?  What if all of these factors suck your energy and your desire to have any sort of relationships in your school?  What, then?

To answer that, I want to first consider an example of what schools should look like: American Canyon High School in Napa, California (and don’t think just because it’s in Napa, it’s really flush with cash.  That’s not how California funds its schools.)  The principal, Mark Brewer, sums up his school’s credo: “Motivating kids to learn means building relationships with them.” The school is divided up into four learning centers that allow students and teachers to develop relationships over time–what Brewer calls “communities within communities–where it’s easier for administrators, teachers, and students to forge relationships.”  It’s also not a one size fits all model–in addition to college prep and AP courses, there are vocational programs from culinary arts, auto shop, and nursing, to name a few.  He also has this crazy idea that the teachers work together in the “communities” to plan lessons, set goals, and develop curriculum.   Brewer has argued that his school model reflects what should be the priorities of education.

I know many of my colleagues are probably reading the above paragraph, and thinking “my school does something similar, and I (or one of my colleagues) still struggle with motivation.” I don’t doubt that’s true.  I think the difference is leadership.  Too many schools have leaders that lack the proper perspective.  They have decided that, in essence, relationships are not important. They make no effort to cultivate a relationship with the individuals who staff their buildings. They treat them with disrespect, make knee jerk decisions, and lash out at anyone who offers an alternative.  This is because there is tremendous pressure on schools and school districts to perform.   The consequence is that relationships are being sacrificed at the altar of “results.”  A media culture that celebrates such “toxic avengers” like Michelle Rhee as smart, tough, pragmatists (Ms. Rhee actually has all but three of those qualities) does not help.  It creates a dysfunctional model–one that people like Mark Brewer are trying to resist.

I have often said that as long as I could keep the other distractions out of my classroom, I can continue to stay motivated to do my job. So far, I have been successful, but that may not last forever. The only way to avoid is for the Mark Brewers of the world to get the upper hand over the Michelle Rhees and the Arne Duncans.  I wish I could say I was optimistic that will happen.  Nonetheless, I’m going to keep rolling that stone up the hill for as long as I can.