In the previous newsletter, I wrote about the vital necessity of educators, those whose unique role is to “bring forth” and “call out” that which is most human in students

In this newsletter, I want to turn our attention to the unique and vital role of the school administrator…the one who is called to ad-minister…to literally “minister to” the community of educators in their care

As a school administrator myself, I understand personally how demanding the role of administrator is with all its “tyranny of the urgent” needs

There are:

• vaults of emails to get to

• classroom needs to address

• students issues to deal with

• parent conversations to have

• budget needs to cover

• legislative or board demands to answer

• extracurricular activities to attend

And that’s just scratching the surface!

The role of administrator is genuinely a 24/7 position that requires us to be on our game at all times

And yet, like the calling of educator…when we step back and reimagine (or, to put it more precisely, reorient) the role, we realize that the position of administrator is every bit as sacred as that of teacher

For it is the administrator who is tasked with the responsibility of ad-ministering the “flock” of educators in their care

Ad-ministrator = “Ministering To”

The word “administer” comes from the Latin ad (“to”) + ministrare (“serve, attend, wait upon”)

Ministrare is the same root from which we get the word “minister” — whose role is to serve, attend, and wait upon the congregation, flock, parish, temple, or synagogue in their care

To administer, therefore, is literally to “care for, to serve, to attend” to those in our care

If the role of educator is to foster flourishing, identity, belonging, purpose, and meaning in students

Then it serves to reason that one who most clearly does this for the educators

—the one who fosters in them their own sense of flourishing, identity, belonging, and meaning in their chosen vocation—

is the administrator

Let us examine at least three ways school administrators “minister to”—care for, serve, attend to—the community in their care

1. Administration as Empowerment

Far too many in positions of leadership see their role as “top down”

Having climbed the ladder to the top, they see their role as dictating down the mandates, requirements, and necessities they see as incumbent upon their “underlings” to fulfill

The “perk” of their job is managing their subordinates from the C-suite, the corner office, the executive chamber, the principal’s office

They are surrounded by “junior executives”—assistant principals, secretaries, department heads—whose function is to “do as the boss says”

They rarely leave the office, have little genuine interaction with faculty (other than department meetings) and almost no authentic interaction with students (other than disciplinary action)

“Administration as Empowerment” flips that model literally on its head

The “administrator” who understands the role as “ministering to” understands that everyone is better served when they come underneath the organization to empower everyone else, releasing others to have their voices be heard, their ideas be valued, their visions come forth

It is a model of leadership that sees the role in its deepest form as lifting others up, helping them be their best professional and personal selves, encouraging and supporting their growth

It requires the administrator to lay aside their own ego to create space for the Other to fill the vacuum.

It honors and dignifies the uniqueness of everyone, allowing for the input of all

It is releasing the power dynamic upwards and outwards, creating a culture of mutual respect, belief, enthusiasm, and trust

It does not give away key decisions that are the administrators to make and bear, but it does create space for other opinions, other voices, other perspectives that bring value and worth to the community

The administrator who leads from the bottom up is reflected in the wisdom literature as the Servant Leader: the one who comes alongside and inspires (literally “breathes life into”) those in their care

Key Character Traits of the Administration as Empowerment:

• Listener

• Humble

• Open

• Respectful

• Responsive

2. Administrator as Engaged

I mentioned earlier that “top down” administrators rarely leave their office

The Engaged Administrator, however, understands their role is to be present, to be seen, to be known as they get to know the faculty and students in their care

The Engaged Administrator understands it is of essential value to close the laptop, leave the emails waiting, and walk the halls

To be the greeter at the front door in the morning

To clean tables with the faculty who have lunch duty

To grab a bite with students and ask what they are learning in class

To give high fives at the end of the day

To go beyond the “responsibilities” of the job and engage the community in your care

Teachers and students need (sometimes desperately so) to know that the administrators in the building understand, value, and respect them

That the administrators “have their backs” when the journey is overwhelming

The Engaged Administrator goes above and beyond, sending cards at birthdays, checking in on faculty, asking students how their weekend went

The Engaged Administrator sees beyond the data walls and the measurables to the humans underneath

In this way, the administrator attends to the humanity of the learning community in their care

→ PERSONAL TIP: One way I have begun to offer myself to the faculty in my care is to offer them random days off beyond the sick days or emergency leaves just to give them space to be human. I work to arrange for a replacement in the classroom (offering myself if needed) and allow them a “get out of work free” card that they can redeem when they need it. This one small thing lets my crew know how valuable and invaluable they are to me and to us, and lets them know that I am in it with and for them

Key Character Traits of the Engaged Administrator:

• Approachable

• Understanding

• Supportive

• Advocate

• Reliable

• Trustworthy

3. Administrators as Culture Makers: Cultivating Cultures of Care

Schools are certainly about the business of content delivery, but, much more importantly (as I argue in the “Transforming Education” edition), schools are places of human formation

Education is always about the business of shaping human beings

And it is the role, the sacred trust, the extraordinary privilege of the administrator to foster, cultivate, and support a culture wherein those in our care have the best chance to grow into robust, healthy, flourishing human beings

Given that school administrators are responsible for the shaping of human beings, there is an added pressure and responsibility to see the role as not only doing good work, but, much more importantly, of doing work that is Good.

Dr Nel Noddings in her book, The Challenge to Care in Schools, writes that,

“If the school has one main goal, a goal that guides the establishment and priority of all others, it should be to promote the growth of students as healthy, competent, moral people. Intellectual development is important, but it cannot be the first priority of schools”

Indeed, the empowering, engaged administrator who cares deeply for those in their care cannot help but shape a culture wherein care is the common ethic shared by all

When the “bottom up” administrator shows care for the faculty, the faculty in turn is released to show care for the students, and the students, in turn, are given every reason to show care to each other

Research is clear that the empowered, valued, supported classroom teacher is more important to the success of student learning than any worksheet, quiz, lesson plan, textbook, or test

This being true, it becomes the most important, the most urgent, role of the administrator to tend to the care of the needs of the educators in their learning community

This is the Good Work that administrators are called to

This is the heart of the role

Without it, there can really be no other function, no other task, no other responsibility, no other mandate so urgent as “ministering to” —caring for—the educators we are privileged to serve

Indeed, at a time when teachers are leaving the profession in droves

—in large part because they feel undervalued, disrespected, unheard, isolated, unsupported, and uncared for—

there can be no greater obligation the administrator has than to cultivate an empowering, engaging culture of care for the flourishing of everyone

including and especially the educators in their midst

If we genuinely want to see schools transformed and education reimagined

the work begins with the ad-ministrator

the one with the sacred mission to ministrare: to serve, attend, and wait upon those they are privileged to lead

Key Character Traits of the Caring Administrator:

• Encouraging

• Supportive

• Attentive

• Grateful

• Appreciative

Thought Experiment:

What would change if you as the administrator saw your role as “ministering to” those in your care?

What would change for you as a teacher if your administrator saw their role as empowering, engaging, and caring for you?

→ Today’s Action Step for Administrators: Consider one way you can step more fully into the role of administrator that lets the educators and students know you are there to attend, serve, and wait upon them

→ Today’s Action Step for Teachers: Consider one way you can help encourage your administrator to be more empowering, engaging, and attentive at your site

→ Resources for creating cultures of support and value for schools:

• Teachers are feeling tired and undervalued. And they are leaving

• Teachers who feel appreciated are less likely to leave the profession

• K12 teachers are leaving the profession. What would make them stay?

• What is employee empowerment: Ideas to help you empower employees

If you are a school administrator ready to foster a culture of empowerment, engagement, and care, there are 3 ways I can help you:

→ Dr Scott Martin: If you're looking for direct, one-on-one advice on being a more engaged, empowering administrator, l’d love to chat! I bring all the wisdom, experience, struggle, knowledge, and expertise I have learned over my 30 years as a thought leader in reimagining education and bring it all to YOU! From one-on-one dream sessions, to consulting with your team, to sharing at your site, I am passionate about helping you make a difference in your learning community.

→ The Flourishing Schools Podcast: For a more in-depth, deep dive into thinking imaginatively about schooling, check out my “Flourishing Schools” podcast, where I jam with thought leaders, experts, community leaders, educators, students, and parents on all things related to the intersection of schools and student well-being:

→ The Odyssey Center for Transformative Schooling: From leader cohorts to educator collaboratives, onsite training to inspirational retreats, this is the hub for inspiring hope and resourcing transformation! The OCTS partners with insightful, innovative educators just like you from around the world to help bring about upstream, systemic change.