Positive Resonance
Leaders set the emotional tone for everyone around them_for better or worse.
Britney's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped a little ... it was a moment of discovery. Amid a buzz in the room, she rushed to her project group and said, "Their tractor went 60 centimeters! Come on, let's do it." Britney told them, excitedly, how to place the rubber bands on the wooden wheels to get traction. She added, " THAT'S what he means by friction." Mr. Alston had given the class a project to explore the concept of friction in motion. They built tractors from pieces of wood, metal, and hex nuts, then they gave them power by twisting rubber bands. The groups were competing to see whose tractor could travel the farthest. Twisting the rubber bands even tighter added a few centimeters, but not much. Then the discovery occurred and spread through the classroom contagiously. Later, as Mr. Alston guided the students through a discussion of friction, Britney and many others "got it." Mr. Alston's enthusiasm and passion for science lit fires of curiosity in the students that day.
To an adult, the above scene may not seem like much, but to a class of 4th graders, this was an epiphany. We have seen these moments portrayed in movies about great teachers, from classics like "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" or "To Sir, With Love," to more recent films like "Dead Poets Society." That moment of discovery is what we all long for as educators. It is what we also long for as educational leaders, but this time it is with our staffs, parents, colleagues, and board members, not just our students. This is a moment of resonance.
Great leaders move us. They do it through establishing a resonance with others around them. Like provoking a moment of learning in a student, resonance is a catalyst that brings out the best in people. This resonance spreads by emotional contagion throughout the organization. It works the same way in classrooms, teams, families, and communities. Some of the impressive results from school-based-management programs are a testament to what can happen in the most resource-starved settings when school leaders, teachers, staff members, and others...
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