Any leadership position has 5 different kinds of power – Coercive (induce fear), Reward (show the carrot), Positional (being higher in hierarchy), Expert (because of skills/experience) & Respect (trust, respect). It is very easy to use the first power but it is very short term because – there is only so much you can scare someone! True (& long term) power comes from the last one – where you have been a role model & people respect you – not because they have to but because they want to…
Why am I being so pedantic & talking about leadership? Because my orientation @Teachforindia happened with them telling me (harping/underscoring/ingraining – you get the point) that Teaching is Leadership! Obviously a skeptic – I didn’t believe it until I experienced it first hand!
When I started teaching IX B in June, I already had positional power (It was a TFI class for 5 years). Soon I realized that my kids were scared of me. I remember reveling in the knowledge that my kids were scared of me! Although, I believe it was just the right amount of fear which helped them excel in their studies as well as not disturb me while teaching!
But then, slowly I had to move things in class. Fear that you will fail tenth wasn’t proving enough (much like a boss inducing fear of losing job). So, I had to supplement it with rewards – ‘PlayTime for top 10’, ‘Surprise gifts for first 3 ranks’ etc. It did work but how many gifts can you give right! I realized then that unless they take ownership of their own performance – all external stimuli would be ephemeral.
Soon, I started doing something different with no purpose other than academic excellence! I started extra lessons for lower standard topics which they were weak in. There was an administrative issue because of which we had to sit in a class without benches for 15 days (teachers had chairs) & we chose to sit with them. Kids give me puzzles during breaks & I solve them with as much sincerity as an excel I work with. This continued & just like that I felt the ‘slight’ power movement – from 1st to 5th! It was the day when I came late* to class. The students had already finished their assembly, removed books for lecture 1. I walked in & they said, “Didi, you have to write an essay on xxxx because you are late”. Not stopping at that, they even checked my essay & gave me feedback as I would give them.
* We have a rule that students who come late to class – write an essay/letter etc. as punishment & on completion sit in class.
Why this indicates the transition of power?
Because, if only positional or coercive power was acting in my class – they wouldn’t have dared to ask me to write. Why expert & respect because not only did they tell me to my face that “Didi, your essay was perfect” but from that day on I see students either running to make it on time or if they are late – accept the ‘Topic of the Day’ with grace & without any excuses!
Sharmili's Minded Mindlessness 