Leader of Leaders

I am person that has twenty million ideas and solutions, but struggle presenting them and getting people on board. When in meetings, others talk over me or ignore me when I give advice. Unfortunately, these interactions have made me to stay quiet; while reading the text Crucial Conversations, I realized I have fallen for the trap defined in the book. Silent.

What are crucial conversations?

According to Greeny et al, crucial conversations are "daily conversations that reshape your life" (1). These conversations have three descriptors: varying opinions, high risks, and strong emotions. These conversations can be with anyone in your life. They are the talks that lead to change.

For example, I have had crucial conversations with my team about the importance of technology and collaboration in the classroom.  It took me four years to get my administration and team aboard with technology, every year I have to restart and have the conversation again. In comparison to my coworkers, I am young and tech savvy; which has allowed me to be more acceptable to the use of technology in the classroom. At first I was not heard, however, when the pandemic hit and STAAR and TELPAS went completely online, my voice was heard. The need for change was more important than one's comfort. I also worked hard and kept bringing up the point that we need technology on the classroom. I gave lessons in our meetings, supplied them with work, and changed my approach. I pioneered the change after years of conversations.

Lagging Behind on Crucial Conversations

The purpose of crucial conversations is to evoke change. Ownership of the needs around you. When crucial conversations do not happen negative side effects happen.

An example of a lagging crucial conversation can be found with my podmates. They are not certified teachers and are not prepared for the venture that is teaching. I offered assistance at the beginning and pleaded with my administration to help them. I was always promised that someone would help them. It has been five months and things have changed. I don't interact with my team, I stopped asking for help. I hear my pod-mates yell at our students all day. The students have little to no respect towards them. I struggle with, as you see, removing my animosity towards their approach. They are dedicated and honestly want the best for the kids, but not having the support to counter experience is not easy.

I am fully aware that I am part of the problem. After reading the text, I am going to follow the steps to become a differentiated leader for my podmates and help them succeed. It will be my practice for my innovation plan.

Steps to Success

The text covers the steps needed to become a successful leader using crucial conversations.

1. Pick the topic. For my plan, the topic is translanguaging for emergent bilinguals.

2. Start with the heart. Moving to a new country without the ability to communicate is extremely difficult. Having ideas, personalities, and feelings yet they are not shared. The ability to make friends is more difficult. People misunderstand your customs and traditions. People see you as two humans; who you are, and the lesser version in the new country. Life becomes survival.

3. Master my stories. It is not monolinguals fault for not understanding emergent bilingual. Teachers who do not know better get frustrated as well when communication is interrupted. They raise voice. They want students to learn faster, and require them to use the new language. However, they may not know strategies that benefit emergent bilinguals.

4. Learn to Look. Watch yourself. Even though, I am very passionate about emergent bilinguals in education I know that few people had the opportunity to learn the best practices for the students. I need to make sure I stay calm and listen to their perspectives and counter them with facts or anecdotes.

5. Make it Safe. When I lose the person, I need to dial it back and reconnect with them. I need to focus on the mutual purpose of wanting the best for our students. I need to take their ideas and correlate it to the practices emergent bilinguals thrive on.

6. STATE my path. The STATE strategy is the method I would use to de escalate conversations and reconnect with the heart.

   1. Share facts. Here is where my literature review will come in handy.

   2. Tell your story. I was an emergent bilingual. I know the toll it takes moving to a new place without having the language.

   3. Ask for other's perspective. Every teacher has had an emergent bilingual student that has gone through trauma and turn into a successful human.

   4. Talk tentatively. To connect with the heart, you must use the heart. I remember struggling making friends when I first moved.

   5. Encourage testing. People have had success before my plan, it is important for me to use their experiences as well.

7. Explore others' paths. To connect and ensure change, I need to agree when views are the same, build when something is left out, and compare when things are different not accuse.

8. Retake your pen. When things go astray, it is important to not lose one's goal. My plan is personal for emergent bilinguals. People's ideas are not attacking or supporting my integrity, therefore, staying and becoming calm is the key.

9. Move to action. After all is completed, connected, and ready, it is time for the plan to be carried out. Still using the composure brought by the crucial conversation method.

   
   
   
   

Final Thoughts

This is for the betterment of emergent bilingual education, not my personal gain. Crucial conversations will help me lead with a leveled mind and grow those around me.

Resources:

Greeny, J., Patterson, K., McMillan, R., Switzler, A., & Gregory, E. (2023). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high (3). McGraw Hill.