Back for a new school year is the Special Ed Safari book club! One of the projects I had to put on hiatus was the book club but I’m excited to bring it back! We’re picking up where we left off in the reading order last year, with Boundaries for Leaders by Dr. Henry Cloud.
One of my goals with the SpedSafari book club is to read a variety of books on different subjects, not just pedagogy or special education. There are so many options out there that bring great insights to the practice. But first it’s time for this one to get its time in the sun. Let’s dive in!
First of all, it’s important to note that in the context of teachers in classrooms and schools, everyone, to some degree, is a leader. Administration might lead at the building level, sure, but teachers lead departments, grade levels, and their own individual classrooms. Every building I’ve ever worked in (and probably every building everywhere) has a different culture when it comes to leadership but for individuals, you have to focus on what you can control. Which brings me to the first point from the book…
Yes, as leaders, we are ridiculously in charge. We set the course and expectations for how interactions, discourse, and the implementation of ideas and initiative will go. If something is happening and we don’t like the impact that that thing is having on our organization (whether it’s a classroom, grade level, building, or beyond) we have the power to stop it or change it. It might not be an instant thing but waiting for someone else to make the changes means we will be waiting for a long time, maybe forever.
That seems like a pretty straightforward thing, but it’s a big thing! Especially in the world of education today, as an individual, I know I feel helpless sometimes. I feel like the work to be done and the changes to be made are overwhelming! And I’m going to go on record here and say that I don’t think it’s uncommon to feel that way. But, we can’t stay in that place forever. Eventually, we have to be ridiculously in charge.
Being ridiculously in charge means you identify and implement the boundaries: what you create and what you allow. This means that leaders have a responsibility to address challenging behaviors that keep the organization from moving forward, and sometimes that can mean challenging the behaviors of others. However, it can also mean challenging our own behaviors, and things that we’re doing that aren’t moving us forward.
The book spends a great deal of time addressing some of those behaviors that are counterproductive. One of my favorite examples is the idea of shoving a dead fish in a drawer- hiding and refusing to address a big problem or issue by just pretending it’s not there and nobody can smell it, like what would happen if you shoved a dead fish in a drawer. I’ve read a lot about fierce conversations but I think taking the dead fish out of the drawer is a much more vivid way of putting it.
After establishing who’s in charge (we are, ridiculously,) and identifying behaviors that require boundaries, Dr. Cloud describes self-boundaries, or boundaries we need to have with ourselves, especially when things get tough.
Even when we have to deal with a lot of factors that shape a reality that’s no 100% in our control, we can use self-boundaries to help us manage the things that are in our control- our time and how we use it, whether or not we take actions that need to be taken, and our own attitudes.
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Are you looking for more book discussions from the SpedSafari Book Club? Check out the complete list of book discussions here!
Are you wondering what book will be featured next month? Have no fear- next month’s selection is…
Getting Things Done by David Allen! Unless I’m much mistaken I think this one will be right on time for September, when the new year is fully underway and the projects have piled up. I’m looking forward to it!
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