Relationships

"But now faith, hope, love abide, these three;
but the greatest of these is love."
                                (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Image courtesy of Pixgood.com




We are living in a results culture. And that certainly is the case for those working in education these days. Quarterly reports, progress monitoring, collective accountability, levels of performance, effectiveness scores -- these are but a few of the means aimed at holding educators responsible for moving the needle on student achievement and success.

But Dave Weber, the opening keynoter of the AWSA Associate Principals' Convention this past week, effectively made the case why we should start with cultivating robust staff relationships and school community if we truly are dedicated to transforming learning results for students. In his arguments, Dave pointed to the research of Dr. Roland Barth, who found that "the nature of the relationships of the adults that inhabit a school has more to do with the school's quality and character and with the accomplishments of its pupils than any other factor." Similarly, the Harvard Principals' Center asserted that "the most powerful predictor of student achievement is the quality of the relationships among the staff."

In a results culture focused on hard data, these reminders about the soft skills of relationship and community building are helpful and timely reminders. But for Christians, these findings should not be all that surprising. Two thousand years ago, Jesus asserted that all the Law and the Prophets could be summed up in just two commandments: (1) love God and (2) love your neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). Therefore, ultimately everything in life comes down to our relationship with our Maker and our relationships with people. And in both, we are to display love.

So maybe the Beatles had it right when they attested that "All You Need is Love." Or at least, it seems, that's where we should start and sustain the focus. And in an accountability culture gone on steroids, keeping the focus on love and relationship is arguably more important now than ever.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for showing me what true love is. Help me to crave an ever deeper relationship with You, so that You can teach me Your ways. In my daily walk, teach me how to not only talk like a Christian but more importantly how to love like Christ through my relationships with those whom I lead and serve -- so that people may know that I am a Christian by my love. Into Your warm embrace I commend my spirit.
Amen.