0.2 Wells, c. (july 2009). leadership, quantum mechanics and the  (Page 8/9)

Given the challenges, there are several ifs that are presented for their application to leading school change with the wisdom of quantum thought. The answers for school change are not in a flow chart, or a linear approach to solving this problem or that issue. It’s not about searching for the disease that brought about this condition. It won’t be disguised in a single test score. It won’t be found in that mission statement that took eight months to complete and divided the staff in the process. The quantum world speaks to us through the brilliance of the smallest energy bundles, or quantum mechanics, that when woven together, create a mosaic of the whole, not isolated bits. In essence, it is all about the community. If we already know that most of the approaches that we try when we work to create PLCs do not move us beyond superficial exchange of ideas (Fullan, 2007), then it is time for a new direction and employing new energy.

Some of the ‘ ifs’ for PLCs adapted from the wisdom of quantum mechanics include:

• If the leaders begin the transformation to a PLC by empowering, encouraging, and enlisting faculty to come together to study their school instead of mandating an approach that relies on procedures and flow charts;
• If teachers are given responsibility for discovering and building a shared vision for continuous growth that begins with best practice;
• If the stakeholders of the school have the courage to delve deeply into their norms of isolation, and have conversations that lift them to a place of collaboration;
• If the leaders of the school pay particular attention to the energy of the people working there, carefully cultivating human talent by creating capacity;
• If the principals pay particular attention to the interconnectedness of the faculty and seek to increase their involvement and participation;

…When these “ifs” are met, then perhaps we can get across in a proverbial quantum leap to the other side where the world is not seen as an either/or , yes/no , you or me, right or wrong existence. Instead, it is a world, based on community of purpose, a place of continuous improvement, completed by people who are compelled to create, not just respond. It is more about finding direction and purpose, not just seeking solutions. Here’s to a new and long overdue world of connections, relationships, trust, and support in the schools.

References

Blankstein, A. M. (2004). Failure is not an option. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Chopra, D. (2003). The spontaneous fulfillment of desire: Harnessing the infinite power of coincidence . New York: Three Rivers Press.

DeVall, B.,&Sessions, G. (1985). Living as if nature mattered . Layton, UT: Peregrine Smith Books.

Elmore, R.F. (2002, January). Building capacity to enhance learning: A conversation with Richard Elmore. Principal Leadership , 39-43.

Fleming, G. (2004). Principals and teachers as continuous learners. In S. M. Hord, (Ed.), Learning together, leading together: Changing schools through professional learning communities. (pp. 20-30). New York: Teacher’s College Press.