Leadership in Education – Means and Ends

The essence of the student-teacher dynamic, especially in the teen years, is one of authority, compulsion and rebellion. Therefore, cultivating the willingness to work is a key element of successful schooling. A teacher student relationship revolves around a third fact which is the curriculum, this includes the exams and the results. It is in this relationship that the true intention of the teacher manifests itself.

The element of the result has to be looked at in the context of the relationship between teacher and student and is also the key in any organizational setting between supervisor and worker. To explore means and ends let us first look at an example between a principal and a teacher.

In example A, the principal comes to a Math teacher and says, “Ahmed, I see you are teaching factorization. I taught this for years myself. Here take this and teach it exactly as I am telling you”.

In example B, the principal comes to the teacher and says, “Saima, I see you are teaching factorization. You know I’ve taught this myself. Here, have a look at this. You might find it useful.”

What marks the difference in the two interactions is the principal’s intent. In the Ahmed example the principal is concerned with getting the result he wants. He wants to make sure that factorization is taught a certain way regardless of how this affects Ahmed. In other words, he is using Ahmed to ensure a predictable outcome.

In the Saima example the principal is taking a chance with the outcome. She may or may not implement his suggestion and so the principal is less concerned about controlling the result.  His role is helping Saima to grow.

In the first interaction with Ahmed, the principal is the beneficiary of the interaction. In the second, Saima is the beneficiary of the outcome.  Over time Saima is more likely to be loyal to the principal and the school then someone who feels like a tool to fulfill someone else’s goals.

MEANS               ENDS                 BENEFICIARY                    IMPLICATION

Ahmed              Result/Job          Principal                                Take From

Result/Job        Saima                     Saima                                    Give To

From the table above we can see that Ahmed is simply a means to do a job and therefore he will feel used, as if he has been taken from. In the Saima example, the principal is using the job to achieve his end, which is helping Saima grow as a teacher. She will feel as if she has been given to.

The next time the principal asks Saima to do something it is more likely that she will work harder and go the extra mile than Ahmed would.

Thus the role of the leader is to use the job as the context in which to grow the person, not to use people to get the job done. This is what makes the power entrusted in a leader legitimate.  If this is done consistently in an organization then you create an environment where people work willingly.

The same principle works in the classroom.   Implementing the Care & Growth™ model means we must invert the current means-ends paradigm in schools.  We must acknowledge that the curriculum, examinations, and results are only a means or a benchmark to encourage the growth of the individual child.  The teacher’s intent cannot be to get results out of the child, but to use the curriculum to grow the child.

While this sounds obvious on the face of it, many schools have built their reputation on the number of students who graduate and gain admission in recognized colleges or universities. Many teachers have a personal stake in how well their students do on standardized exams. It is, therefore, important to remember that educational services exist to serve children. We can’t use children to get results but must use results only as benchmarks to enable children.

The Current Situation:

MEANS        ENDS                      BENEFICIARY     IMPLICATION

Student       Exam Results     Teacher/school   Take from the student

Care & Growth inversion:

MEANS                   ENDS             BENEFICIARY      IMPLICATION

Exam/Results      Student         Student             Give to the Student

In the first situation our intention is to “get” something, which is the result, and the student is the means to get it. In the second situation our intent is to serve the student or to “give” something.

When we are there to give to our students and get something out of them we develop that one essential element that is crucial to all successful human relationships, Trust.