# Assignment - Ethos Paper Jethro Jones ## Assignment Directions Read [[Servant.Leadership]] _Write a 1 paragraph to 1 page response that addresses:_ - _What you agree with_  - _What you disagree with/have questions about_ - _Your "Big Take Aways" from the article_ ## Assignment This aspect of moral school stewardship is solid: "six interdependent components; (1) commitment to a shared mission, (2) the development of a democratic learning community, (3) dedication to whole-school renewal, (4) engagement in critical inquiry, (5) participation in professional development, and (6) the preparation of future educators" (p. 403, Bier et al., 2021). Ironically we as educators think learning is done when we move to the front of the classroom. There has to be a way to more effectively teach teachers on a regular basis in a sustained way. "Developing and sustaining professional teacher ethos in today’s schools requires significant and sustained learning opportunities and supports through professional development in and outside their schools. (p. 408, Bier et al, 2021) To me the real problem is that we think teachers need to be in front of kids all day. We should find ways to appropriately increase class sizes in limited ways to lower teacher student ratios in other ways. For example, one school eliminated their entire sub budget by sending any students without a teacher to the library, where they had tasks to work on and a library media specialist to supervise them (Jones, 2016) Bier et al cites "examples of innovative university-school partnerships that enable school principals to contribute to shaping teachers’ professional ethos while they are still undergraduates" (p 409, 2021). These four examples (sharing a mission, meting each other, observations, and time to discuss said observations) are good ideas, but they’re missing a key element. It's not enough to do those things later in the college years. Districts and universities should be partnering early to give university students exposure to classrooms with meaningful activities their first semester they are taking education classes. Rather than waiting for practicum or student teaching experience, Universities should be placing pre service teachers in schools as early as freshman year. This will give them the opportunity to experience a school and help the school get to know them, preparing them for work earlier and making the school more confident in their abilities as well. **References** - Bier, M. C., Sherblom, S. A., Berkowitz, M. W., & Sterling, E. (2021). How a Servant Leader’s Ethos of Service and Stewardship Can Support Teachers’ Professional Ethos in Twenty-First Century Schools. In F. Oser, K. Heinrichs, J. Bauer, & T. Lovat (Eds.), _The International Handbook of Teacher Ethos_ (pp. 393–412). Springer International Publishing. [https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73644-6_23](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73644-6_23) - Jones, J. (2016). _Saving Money with Smarter Scheduling with Jon Laffoon Transformative Principal 120_ (120) [Mp3]. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from [https://transformativeprincipal.org/s3/120https://transformativeprincipal.org/s3/120](https://transformativeprincipal.org/s3/120https://transformativeprincipal.org/s3/120)