Autonomía como autolegislación

Achieving trust amongst the school community can be achieved through positive relationships of school leaders with the teachers, students and parents. Weymes (2003, p. 331) points out that “trust, respect and fairness” form the basis of relationships and Walker et al. (2011, p. 473) outline that “trust is a necessary, yet fragile, part of human relationships” and hence is the most essential ingredient that holds all relationships. For Caldwell and Dixon (2010, p. 94), “trust is widely

WHY

HOW WHAT

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acknowledged to be the glue that holds relationships together” and Chaleff (2009, p. 23) also suggests that trust and using trust to communicate decently and fairly are both crucial factors in positive relationships where one is meaningless without the other.

Noting the importance of trust as a basis for relationships, it is paramount to discuss trust in order to have positive and caring relationships in our schools. What happens if the teachers, students, and parents do not trust the school leader? Walker et al. (2011, p. 472) argue that it is not easy to express what is understood by ‘trust’ since it is a “complex and multi-faceted” term. Furthermore, it can be challenging to create and sustain (Tschannen-Moran and Hoy, 2000). Tschannen- Moran and Hoy (2000, p. 549) point out that we rely and depend on people we trust, “having confidence that our expectations of other people will be met”. Baier (1986, p. 259) states that “trust is reliance on others' competence and willingness to look after, rather than harm, things one cares about which are entrusted to their care”. Meanwhile, Caldwell, Davis and Devine (2009, p. 104) depicts trust as “the relinquishing of one’s personal choice or power in the expectant hope that another party will honour the elements of the social contract between the parties”.

Trust is essential for effective leadership as Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2000, p. 549) highlight that trust is crucial in “well-functioning organizations”. Creating a positive climate filled with “trust and respect among staff members” is outlined by Bisschoff and Watts (2013, p. 24) as a vital feature of leadership. These authors claim the need for a leader to invest in trust which requires considerable time and energy. Tschannen-Moran (2013, p. 4) advises that trust cannot be developed early in a relationship and school leaders need to either “work actively at it” or school leaders “are not going to get trust”. So trust is developed as teachers and students get to know the school leader further during the various encounters such as whilst visiting classrooms to improve professional practice, going around the school, or even during dismissal. Gledhill and Faust (2003, p. 60) also acknowledge that in the John Kitto Community College, the school leader was seen in corridors and during lessons and “participated in dinner and playground duties to become known and trusted”.

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Bryk and Schneider (2002, p. 144) claim that trust “is connective tissue” which enables schools to work effectively. They affirm that high levels of trust enable schools to have a fifty per cent chance of making substantial improvements, and Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2000) tend to agree, highlighting that the absence of trust can be a major obstacle in various reforms taking place. This leads me to conclude that investment in reforms and resources, is too little effect unless leadership is taken seriously and schools are run by leaders who can be trusted by their colleagues. My experience as a teacher during the various reforms in Malta, have, to some extent, had a negative impact on teaching and learning and, as established by Borg and Giordmaina (2012) the amount of reforms, due to the introduction of the college system in Malta, have had created pressure. This can happen even during SDPs where decisions taken will not be owned and implemented as few feel that there is trust. As Gelsthorpe (2003, p. 25) argues, before staff are prepared to implement the decisions at school level, a high level of trust in each other and confidence in decisions taken jointly are necessary. Daly (2009) suggests that schools with high levels of trust are more likely to seek new ideas and to commit to their goals. Through high levels of trust, teachers trust their school leader and cooperate with what is going on in the school community and students trust their teachers as the students would know that their teachers want the best for them in order to achieve. Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2000, p. 551) suggest that “students must trust their teachers in order to learn” and school staff “must trust one another in order to cooperate toward accomplishing a common goal”. If students do not trust their teachers or other students in the class “their energies are going to be taken up with self- preservation and concern and worry about what might happen” (Tschannen- Moran, 2013, p. 8-9). The same can be applied to the staff in the school because if there is no trust, the teachers’ performance weakens. Therefore “trust is pivotal” (Tschannen-Moran and Hoy, 2000, p. 550).

Daly (2009) maintains that even though trust is understudied, trust remains significant in the educational sector. Caldwell and Dixon (2010, p. 95) suggest that “trust is the basis for both forgiveness and love in the leadership relationship”. This has helped me realise that it is through trust that various

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conflicts and day-to-day arguments, even between the school leader and teachers, that happen throughout the scholastic year, may be solved. Debating the necessity of trust in the educational setting leads me to argue that an educational leader must be a person of integrity, whose behaviour is exemplary within the school community and who genuinely desires to improve teaching and learning. An educational leader must have values and a mutual sense of care and concern as Day (2003, p. 171) suggests that good leaders have “clear sets of personal and educational values which represent their moral purposes for the school”. A leader who is honest about oneself inspires the sort of trust that encourages people to take risks and responsibility, as also demonstrated by Kouzes and Posner (1992). Bisschoff and Watts (2013, p. 24) propose a model that shows the influence of values on the behaviours and actions of the leaders. It is argued that the connectedness and interdependence of the three elements, as shown in Figure 2.4, are crucial to the development of trusting relationships whilst the absence of any one of these elements will lead to the breakdown of trust which can be defined as the absence of trust, or distrust.

Keeping in mind the importance of the values of the educational leader as highlighted in Figure 2.4 by Bisschoff and Watts (2013) brings us to discern the qualities and characteristics that are expected from school leaders in order for them to be trusted. Several studies (Bryk and Schneider, 2002; Kouzes and Posner, 2008; Tschannen-Moran and Hoy, 2000; Walker et al., 2011) identify

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important values and characteristics of educational leaders which are summarised in three sub-sections: benevolence and personal regard; honesty; and

competence. Benevolence and personal regard will be the first of the three

characteristics to be discussed.

2.4.2.1 Benevolence and Personal Regard.

Have a caring and genuine concern for the well-being of the staff and students helps both staff and students to understand that they matter, and they will start to trust the school leader as the leader is the one that wishes them well. It is through building positive relationships whilst caring about others’ wellbeing that “leaders can tap into the best within themselves and bring out the best in others” (Caldwell and Dixon, 2010, p. 98). Bringing out the best in others requires leaders to know all the staff and students well. An effective leader should talk with staff and students and help them find out what they intend to achieve, where they see themselves in a few years’ time, and discuss their careers and aspirations. Kouzes and Posner (2008, p. 2) suggest that a school leader should be interested in others’ dreams, expectations, and achievements.

Whilst showing a sense of benevolence and personal regard means wishing all staff and students the best in life and in their achievements, Sebring and Bryk (2000, p. 443) advise that taking a personal interest in the well-being of others means that sometimes a school leader needs to reach beyond his/her formal role to do so. There will be moments where staff will go through a difficult period or experience new challenges due to personal problems or sickness in the family and therefore a leader who understands these circumstances will help to enrich the personal regard of the staff. School leaders need to realise and acknowledge the “perceptions, emotions, and feelings of those around them” (Weymes, 2003, p. 331). Understanding the staff and their difficulties whilst being sensitive to others is described by Kouzes and Posner (1992, p. 481) as a “truly precious human ability”. I believe that safeguarding a personal regard is one of the triangle of pillars that trust rests on. Showing a sense of benevolence and personal regard means showing love to all staff and students and wishing them the best in life and

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in their achievements as “love, creates the desire to see others grow and become their best” (Kouzes and Posner, 1992, p. 480).

2.4.2.2 Honesty.

Described by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2000, p. 558) as “a pivotal facet of trust”, honesty is the second crucial characteristic required by a school leader in order to gain trust. Kouzes and Posner (2008, p. 3) argue that honesty is one of the most significant values that attracts people towards the leader. There are various situations in the school community where honesty or a lack thereof is encountered, such as when students do not adhere to the school regulations and are not honest in order to avoid the infringement or even circumstances where teachers lie to their leaders to justify turning up late for work. Weymes (2003, p. 331) suggests that trust will only emerge “through openness, honesty and integrity”. An open dialogue through honesty is necessary in schools and although school leaders do have good intentions, not being fair with all colleagues can lead to inconsistency. As Walker et al. (2011, p. 473) argue, ideas must not only be valid but also well-intentioned, such that trust is parallel with honesty. In order to illustrate the point, when speaking to different members of staff the leader should ensure that the content is similar and not try to manipulate staff by withholding certain information. The result is that eventually staff members would find out that the leader has lied, leading to the inevitable loss of trust. Conversely, honest leaders who show concern and get results are well- received by teaching staff and students in the school.

It is through the leader’s personal values that honesty can be practised and primarily a leader should be honest to oneself. Getting to know oneself, as already outlined, is a necessity because “honesty is also related to values” (Kouzes and Posner, 1992, p. 483). Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2000, p. 558) suggest that “honesty speaks to a person’s character, integrity and authenticity” and it is through this honesty that a leader encourages others to take responsibility (Kouzes and Posner, 1992, p. 483).

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2.4.2.3 Competence.

A school leader can have the necessary skills to establish positive relationships, show a sense of benevolence and personal regard for all the school community and behave honestly, but if the leader is not competent, the school will not move forward and thus the staff, students and parents might not trust the school leader. A lack of competence results in a lack of trust. Brewster and Railsback (2003, p. 5) confirm that if the leader “means well” but does not have the required skills, the leader will not be trusted in such a post. Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2000) emphasise a particular study where the school leader had various positive characteristics such as being friendly, encouraging and supportive, but above all, was professional in his approach.

A school leader who is competent knows his/her job well and has a passion for school leadership. Kouzes and Posner (2008, p. 3) define competence as “the leader’s track record of getting things done”. To put it simply, a leader who is competent is able to get things done and solve issues with teachers, students and parents in an efficient manner. It is in this way that trust is developed. A competent school leader can convince teachers that s/he can be relied upon, as pointed out by Coates (2015), who argues that teachers’ jobs will become easier and more fulfilling when they feel that they have a trustworthy leader. Bennis and Nanus (1985, p. 44) indicate that individuals trust those “whose positions are known” whilst also standing on personal values and beliefs. Kouzes and Posner (2008) demonstrate this and argue that being competent also means making decisions and taking positions whilst also taking a stand on personal values and beliefs as, unknowingly, individuals have strong admiration for leaders who show strong commitment and hold clear opinions on important values and principles whilst being confident and not reticent in explaining their views and principles (Kouzes and Posner, 2008).

Trust cannot occur without a sense of benevolence and personal regard, honesty, and competence. Embarking on an inner journey of self-discovery is essential for a school leader, as suggested by Kouzes and Posner (2011b), whereby the leader

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must first engage in a process of self-examination and, amongst others, know well his/her personal visions and dreams. It is through this process of self-discovery that a leader reflects on and comes to terms with personal characteristics, thereby exercising values that others tend to look for in a leader, and which eventually will lead to the achievement of trust.