The following post is contributed by Dr. Patricia M. McCormack, IHM, Director & Formation Education Consultant, IHM Formative Support for Parents & Teachers. Sister Patricia will be presenting at the Institute of Catholic School Leaders in July. Click here for more information and to register.
What element is vital to healthy relationships, positive morale, trust, cooperation, good-will, and the effective functioning of the school community? Communication! Communicating effectively with respect, integrity, impartiality, humility, and openness is vital to the role of school administrator.
At ICSL, my session will offer practical, spiritual, and psychological insights for communicating effectively with adults – both parents and teachers. Apply the “WITH-formula” for positive partnership: Wisdom, Initiative, Truth, and Hope. Attendees will be able to replicate the teacher-portion of the presentation for their own school staff.
W = Wisdom: Recognize that “wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy” (James 3: 17). Consider practical ways to be agents of wisdom. For example: adopt a pro-active perspective, display professional manners, respond rather than react, and safeguard personal boundaries.
I = Initiative: St. Paul’s advice to “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable, convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching” (2 Timothy 4: 2-5) suggests that effective administrators show leadership by exerting initiative in communication. For instance, create a rapport with parents and teachers, maintain open communication throughout the year, learn to “read and feed” the human hungers behind behavior, and prayerfully prepare compassionate responses for “typical” or “expected” situations.
T = Truth: St. Paul wisely counseled us to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4: 14) and to “say only the good things that folks need to hear; things that will really help them” (Ephesians 4: 29-32). Participants will consider three hallmarks for speaking hard things: speak from observation, not hearsay, apply the “THINK” formula, and demonstrate an “A+” approach (appreciate, affirm, acknowledge, avoid, assume, admit).
H = Hope: Before concluding a conference with parents or teachers communicate reasons for hope. Specifically, adopt the attitude of improvement versus perfection and provide formative support via newsletter, in-service presentation, or arranging for the adult to meet with a professional who is better equipped to meet the need under discussion. Adopt the mindset of Romans 5: 3-4: “… suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character [virtue], and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
