Recently, a school principal told me that she has staff who, until quite recently, did not see themselves as professionals with a professional practice that could evolve over time.  Rather, they saw themselves as having a practice, built on their initial learning to cope, which had served them well and which they were reluctant to tweak in any way.  Indeed, saw no need to change, at all.

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From the point of view the institution, of the school, creating a culture in which leaders practice unconditional care or acceptance towards all staff takes a long-time.  It is also dependent on leaders themselves managing and reducing their own red zone responses, also a long-term undertaking.

Collecting and using student feedback in a safe and gentle way then becomes the easiest of the three pathways …

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Caring unconditionally for another is hard to do.  It is harder to do for every student in a class of 25 students.  Failing with one means that you fail with them all, every other student sees your behaviour and, consciously or not, thinks that could have been me.

Those who can do this with every child in a class (and in every class that they teach) become memorable to us, they have a lifelong impact.

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When students do work to their best ability because they do not want to let themselves, or others, down, they are autonomously motivated.  They are internally driven to be their best selves through developing their competence under their own volition.

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