I trust my teachers 110%

"We believe that the happier the teachers are the better learning and results we get from the students.  This is why all the principals in Finland take care of their teachers.  I trust my teachers 110%."

As you may know, in Finland teachers are trusted by principals and parents like I have not seen, read, or experienced in Chicago.  Granted, it took time to get to this level (topic for future posts).  The above quote is from a principal I inteviewed last week, Tommi, about his school's vision for teaching and learning. 

This is another consistent thread I have seen in each school that I have visited.  There is noticeable and understood trust of the teachers.   Noticeable:  collegial dialogue among principals and teachers, equipped work space, comfortable faculty lounge (which is often full of teachers during coffee breaks).  Understood:  flexibility to use free periods as teachers choose, meet with colleagues as teachers determine, completion of reports thoroughly & timely.  I should note -- to my knowledge - teachers always get all of their work done.

So I ask myself, what small, sustainable steps could we implement at the district or school level to be transparent about this trust?  Finland has not waivered from the main framework they identified some thirty / forty years ago.  One of the challenges (frustrations?) in U.S. school districts is that we generally do not take the time to develop nor stay the course for an extended time to give the initiative a chance.  Change takes time and patience.