When we hear of autonomy in the classroom, we really must think of two view points: the student's autonomy within the classroom and the teacher's autonomy within the school and classroom. The latter will be my focus today.
Teachers must have autonomy in the classroom. Any good leader knows this and understands that it is important to growing the teachers within a school. However, often times it's easier said than done. Why is that? I believe that is because along with autonomy there must be...TRUST! To truly give a teacher autonomy within the classroom, a leader must first trust that he/she has chosen and developed a topnotch teacher. Leaders must trust that the teacher within the classroom has the training and vision associated with the district, understand best practices, and have a well developed classroom environment. In turn, teachers must trust their school leaders with their fears of failure (to try something knew) and their accomplishments. How many teachers would try something new if they truly didn't trust the leadership on campus?
This can be a big step for a leader to take. I mean, if you just hired someone, how can you truly know if that person is all of the above? Well, that goes back to your hiring practices, screening process, and referrals checks. I mean, to truly give autonomy to a teacher, the very first step is to have sound hiring practices!
Wow...to think that trust has such an important part of our educational system is amazing. Leaders must trust their instincts to have chosen the right person for the right position. Teachers must trust in the leader to provide support, guidance, and professional development. District leaders must trust that school leaders are hiring people that will drive forward the district's vision & mission. This pales in comparison to all of the parents who must trust the schools that they send their children to each day.
So one must ask, which comes first: the autonomy or the trust?
