Wearing All the Hats On an Unexpected Leading Journey
Martha Teien
I never planned on running an early childhood program. I engaged in a Montessori training program to make up for the lack of parent education in my children’s school in 1996. The day I finished my internship, I also became part owner, director and lead teacher to prevent the school from closing. It has been that way for me ever since. Three hats that all require leadership. The beauty of how each position supports the others has filled my days with work that I love.
This blogpost is a story of how a worldwide pandemic tested my leadership skills in each role. After I made the emotional decision to close our school on Friday, March 20 for an unforeseen length of time, I sat with my three staff members. Together we researched our options on how to move forward with the technology available to our community. The four of us shared resources and encouraged one another’s creativity. We laughed, we cried, and we remained positive about our capacity to handle what was in front of us. Within hours we created an online curriculum. It was a new educational business model that upheld our school’s mission and our vision. This new virtual program would focus on maintaining relationships we had developed with our families. Our goal was NOT to transmit Montessori methods through Zoom. Our goal was to be a touchstone for our students in a developmentally appropriate way.
This blogpost is a story of how a worldwide pandemic tested my leadership skills in each role. After I made the emotional decision to close our school on Friday, March 20 for an unforeseen length of time, I sat with my three staff members. Together we researched our options on how to move forward with the technology available to our community. The four of us shared resources and encouraged one another’s creativity. We laughed, we cried, and we remained positive about our capacity to handle what was in front of us. Within hours we created an online curriculum. It was a new educational business model that upheld our school’s mission and our vision. This new virtual program would focus on maintaining relationships we had developed with our families. Our goal was NOT to transmit Montessori methods through Zoom. Our goal was to be a touchstone for our students in a developmentally appropriate way.
Collaborative Reflection as a Director
I also reached out to the parents as we transitioned to the virtual world. Embracing appreciative inquiry, I asked, “How could we make the best of this time at home and how could our team support those efforts?” EVERY single parent responded to this question. They wanted help with this transition of being holed up at home with the children for extended periods of time while fear and uncertainty were so present in their own lives.
I scheduled an open ended Zoom dialogue to offer parents a support network. The questions during the first 30 minutes were very practical. “What if he doesn’t want to do the Zoom session every morning?” “What do I tell her about Covid-19?” But one brave soul opened the door to the real concerns that parents were facing with their children home with them all day, every day. “He won’t do what I tell him to do.” It was reassuring for parents to know that the majority were challenged with similar discipline issues. We talked for over 90 minutes. By the end, parents were sharing ideas and positive experiences with one another.
I scheduled an open ended Zoom dialogue to offer parents a support network. The questions during the first 30 minutes were very practical. “What if he doesn’t want to do the Zoom session every morning?” “What do I tell her about Covid-19?” But one brave soul opened the door to the real concerns that parents were facing with their children home with them all day, every day. “He won’t do what I tell him to do.” It was reassuring for parents to know that the majority were challenged with similar discipline issues. We talked for over 90 minutes. By the end, parents were sharing ideas and positive experiences with one another.
The Comfort of the Teacher Hat
On April 23, our world shifted again as our county was granted a variance by Governor Polis to ‘Safer at Home’. On Zoom I asked my staff for their honest input about a slow open with a maximum group size of 10 children. The teachers were unanimous in their decision to return to the classroom.
Utilizing masks and respecting the social distancing guidelines, we met at the school for two 8-hour days. We studied public health orders, we communicated with licensing boards, and we made shopping lists to allow for compliance. As a team, we created yet another program approach. Our second educational business model in two months.
The first week open was one of the most exhausting weeks of my life. I was anxious about reopening and respecting the health of so many people. I was worried about correctly meeting the public health and licensing requirements. I was sick about morphing the program away from authentic Montessori. That morning we met for our typical staff check-in before carpool started. My quietest teacher looked at me and said, “I’m a little surprised that you seem so nervous.” I was thrown. I’m supposed to be the foundation, the rock, the model! And this is what I was presenting? AH! I looked at my feet and then I took a deep breath. As I started to speak, she interrupted with, “We are so ready. Don’t worry!” And in my head, I thought “I am so grateful for all the work our team has done on our relationships.” I am grateful that they knew me well enough to see that I needed their trust and reassurance at that moment. I needed their leadership. I was surprised and appreciative to have a team member straighten my director hat for me. At the beginning of the Buell journey, I saw an opportunity for personal change where building relationships with staff allowed for the potential to share and promote leadership among all of us.. I am so thankful that my work through the year presented itself at this moment in time.
During our first five days back in the classroom, we found a deeper intimacy than I would have imagined. In Montessori, the work carries great purpose and I observed the delight of children in deliberate activity. Quiet conversations provided a beautiful background and led to deepening relationships. It was a child led morning supported by the adult. I felt like one of the students, sharing leadership with them wearing my teacher hat.
Utilizing masks and respecting the social distancing guidelines, we met at the school for two 8-hour days. We studied public health orders, we communicated with licensing boards, and we made shopping lists to allow for compliance. As a team, we created yet another program approach. Our second educational business model in two months.
The first week open was one of the most exhausting weeks of my life. I was anxious about reopening and respecting the health of so many people. I was worried about correctly meeting the public health and licensing requirements. I was sick about morphing the program away from authentic Montessori. That morning we met for our typical staff check-in before carpool started. My quietest teacher looked at me and said, “I’m a little surprised that you seem so nervous.” I was thrown. I’m supposed to be the foundation, the rock, the model! And this is what I was presenting? AH! I looked at my feet and then I took a deep breath. As I started to speak, she interrupted with, “We are so ready. Don’t worry!” And in my head, I thought “I am so grateful for all the work our team has done on our relationships.” I am grateful that they knew me well enough to see that I needed their trust and reassurance at that moment. I needed their leadership. I was surprised and appreciative to have a team member straighten my director hat for me. At the beginning of the Buell journey, I saw an opportunity for personal change where building relationships with staff allowed for the potential to share and promote leadership among all of us.. I am so thankful that my work through the year presented itself at this moment in time.
During our first five days back in the classroom, we found a deeper intimacy than I would have imagined. In Montessori, the work carries great purpose and I observed the delight of children in deliberate activity. Quiet conversations provided a beautiful background and led to deepening relationships. It was a child led morning supported by the adult. I felt like one of the students, sharing leadership with them wearing my teacher hat.
The Owner Hat
The exhaustion of that first week came from wearing my owner hat. As an owner I attended online meetings with county licensing and public health where information changed regularly, town halls with state licensing as they received information directly from the Governor’s office. Likewise, with the owner role came parent communication about finances explaining the need for tuition even when children weren’t attending face to face. All while I was fighting for survival as a small business – applying for the PPP loan, adjusting cash flow charts, budgets, and creating contingency plans.
By the end of that week I sat on the couch paralyzed with anxiety. My husband observed my unusual lack of movement and responded with concern. Through conversation I realized that I had been functioning at the CRISIS level for eight weeks. I needed to transition from triage to stabilization. I reorganized my upcoming week and shared my need for personal changes with the teachers. I re-adjusted my hats so that once again I could balance the responsibilities of all three.
By the end of that week I sat on the couch paralyzed with anxiety. My husband observed my unusual lack of movement and responded with concern. Through conversation I realized that I had been functioning at the CRISIS level for eight weeks. I needed to transition from triage to stabilization. I reorganized my upcoming week and shared my need for personal changes with the teachers. I re-adjusted my hats so that once again I could balance the responsibilities of all three.
Growing into My Leadership
Communication has always been a priority for me in all relationships. But prior to my time in BECLP, the flow of communication in my program was mostly downward and sometimes vertical. It was the leadership model that I had observed and experienced both personally and professionally much of my life. This approach left me isolated in my leadership and exhausted with the belief that I was responsible for all decisions. I had been instructed early in my career that personal relationships interfered with the professionalism of any program — a school, a board, a business. I have come to realize, this style of leading came from a place of defensiveness and fear.
Studying leadership theories and Theory U during my BECLP journey allowed me to let go of many previously held absolutes. I had to acknowledge and understand how I had grown into these three positions. This has allowed me to see the potential of engaging in alternative practices to lead a mission and create a strong community. In this process I have affirmed my love for all of my hats. And I now see that there are days when it is better to hold my hat instead of wearing it. There are stormy days when my hat must be held on by a team member. And there are times when the brim of my hat is flexible enough for more than one person.
Studying leadership theories and Theory U during my BECLP journey allowed me to let go of many previously held absolutes. I had to acknowledge and understand how I had grown into these three positions. This has allowed me to see the potential of engaging in alternative practices to lead a mission and create a strong community. In this process I have affirmed my love for all of my hats. And I now see that there are days when it is better to hold my hat instead of wearing it. There are stormy days when my hat must be held on by a team member. And there are times when the brim of my hat is flexible enough for more than one person.