Teachers as Servant Leaders

133 Pages·2010·0.37 MB·English

by  Joe D. Nichols

Teachers as Servant Leaders
Joe D. Nichols
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham (cid:129) New York (cid:129) Toronto (cid:129) Plymouth, UK
Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
http://www.rowmaneducation.com
Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2011 by Joe D. Nichols
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nichols, Joe D., 1957-
Teachers as servant leaders / Joe D. Nichols.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4422-0452-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4422-0453-9 (pbk. : alk.
paper) — ISBN 978-1-4422-0454-6 (electronic)
1. Teachers—Professional relationships. 2. Educational leadership. I. Title.
LB1775.N53 2011
371.1—dc22
2010025744
(cid:2) ™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
To Get
Her love, support, and sustaining spirit remain as my constant inspiration.
She is a true servant leader.
And to Manna, Micah, and Bethany,
three wonderful kids who serve without knowing.
Leaders we admire do not place themselves at the center; they place others
there. They do not seek the attention of people; they give it to others. They
do not focus on satisfying their own aims and desires; they look for ways to
respond to the needs and interests of their constituents. They are not self-
centered; they concentrate on the constituent . . . Leaders serve a purpose
and the people who have made it possible for them to lead. . . . In serving a
purpose, leaders strengthen credibility by demonstrating that they are not in
it for themselves; instead, they have the interests of the institution, depart-
ment, or team and its constituents at heart. Being a servant may not be what
many leaders had in mind when they chose to take responsibility for the
vision and direction of their organization or team, but serving others is the
most glorious and rewarding of all leadership tasks.
—J. Kouzes and B. Posner
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
Chapter 1 The Teacher as Teacher 1
Chapter 2 The Teacher as Leader 13
Chapter 3 The Teacher as Servant and Steward 25
Chapter 4 The Teacher as Servant Leader to Students 37
Chapter 5 The Teacher as Servant Leader to Parents
and Families 51
Chapter 6 The Teacher as Servant Leader to Colleagues and
the School Administration 67
Chapter 7 The Teacher as Servant Leader to the Community 79
Chapter 8 Conclusion 93
References 97
Index 111
About the Author 117
v

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Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge past and present faculty and students within the
Oklahoma City Public Schools; Moore Public Schools in Moore, Oklahoma;
Fort Wayne Community Schools in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and those in the
School of Education at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne,
Indiana. Without knowing, their inspiration, feedback, support, friendship,
and experiences over the years have helped to shape my life, and my ap-
proach and attitude toward learning, living, and service. In as much, my
immediate family and close friends must also share the credit for anything I
have accomplished, will accomplish, or have become.
Professionally, I would like to thank those who have reviewed different
portions of this text and who have consistently provided ongoing construc-
tive feedback and suggestions. To the staff, reviewers, and editors at Rowman
& Littlefield, specifically acquisitions editor Patti Belcher and her editorial
assistant, Jin Yu, I appreciate your support and your efforts to make this pro-
cess a pleasant and worthwhile experience.
vii

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Introduction
In 1977, Robert Greenleaf published the book Servant Leadership: A Journey
into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. In his collection of articles,
he provided inspiring insights and developed the concept of servant leader-
ship, with a specific focus on the perspective of business, the academic world,
and from the perspective of politics and governmental organizations. In each
case, he focused on the ability of each of these entities to encourage optimal
performance by embracing the concept of servant leadership.
For Greenleaf, optimal performance in the business world was not neces-
sarily measured in stock gains or sales revenue, and in the world of govern-
ment and politics, it was not measured in running a strong election campaign
or “controlling” constituents with the use of power and privilege. In terms
of teaching and educational institutions, optimal performance was not mea-
sured with gains on standardized tests or reproducing memorized knowledge
from students with a high degree of variance within their own backgrounds,
personalities, and learning styles. He also suggested that the power of leader-
ship and authority can often be misused in the case of coercive power, where
domination and manipulation are the central goals. In contrast, it can also
be used to create opportunity and alternatives that support and provide au-
tonomy for those we serve.
Coercive power can be cruel, overt, brutal, and, at times, subtly manipula-
tive, often resulting in strengthening resistance from the one who is being
controlled. On the other hand, servant leaders are fully human, and they
are “functionally superior” because they are closer to the ground, they hear
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