Water_Is_Wide

The Water Is Wide Structural Frame The structural frame of Bolman and Deal illustrates that with the right formal arrangement, issues within an organization might be minimized and performance will be maximized. Roles and relationships are well thought-out in order to maintain an planned and well performing organization. These are the goals, specialized roles and formal relationships. Division of labor, rules, policies, procedures and hierarchies also fall into this frame.. In The Water Is Wide, Pat Conroy speaks a great deal about the structural frame, which is the policies and procedures, of the Yamacraw school and Beufort school system. This is a system of rules and regulations set forth for many years that must be carried through. Teachers are expected to come to work their job and go home. There seems to be an idea that “if isn’t broke then it doesn’t need to be fixed”. The education rule of the island, set by the district administration, is to ensure the children are provided with a sort of education, any education, but anything beyond what is required is too much to ask from an administration that rarely visits the island. Conroy is unable to bring many things to students of this secluded town so he has ideas of bringing the world to the children through education. He has a very creative and unique nature of teaching. He adapts to the students in order to help guide them through an understanding of a world they have never experienced, a world off the island. Mr. Conroy’s teachings enrage Mrs. Brown, Yamacraw principal. Mrs. Brown believes that rules are made to be followed and reminds Mr. Conroy constantly that if he is there to do a job. She believes the job is to keep THE WATER IS WIDE 3 Mr. Piedmont happy. Chapter three of The Water is Wide begins “The school library would have been funny if it had not been such a tragic commentary on administrative inefficiency and stupidity. Each day we had a half-hour reading period.” being stupid because the majority of the school could not read but somewhere in the structure of the day this was written in and had never been changed. Conroy is disturbed by this crack in the structure and begins bringing reading material that will spark the student interest. The parents of Yamacraw are not welcoming to the teachings of Mr. Conroy at first. They too are used to a structure of things and believe that things are fine the way they are. They are intimidated by the administration of the school and the district and do not wish to make things difficult for themselves or their students. With time the parents see the changes and teaching style of Conroy is only in the best wishes of their children. Being prior military I see structure as an asset to any organization and especially where children are concerned but there can be flaws in any structure. In my district there is a clear chain of command for most teachers and most departments but not always in Career and Technology or Special Education. Often in both of these areas teachers are asked to perform duties by central administration without the knowledge of campus administration and this can often cause issues with the campus. One of the structures I see that is a success on our campus is the vice-principal set-up. Each VP is responsible for a different grade of students and teachers that teach that grade, a different department or two and several additional duties such as textbooks, additional duty assignments, parent contacts, technology, ARDS etc. These duties change yearly but this allows the VP to interact with all teachers and students as well as learn all aspects of different departments and parts of the school. THE WATER IS WIDE 4 The Human Resource Frame The human resource frame deals with the feelings, skills, attitudes and commitment of people within an organization. It provides the idea that if an organization is more concerned with and cares more about the stakeholders within that organization then it will reap more success. If conflict arises then individuals are encouraged to rely on one another, be passive or ignore the issue. In the Water Is Wide many instances are related to the human resource frame. As in any situation in the book many times things become incensed when people with varying of opinions confront one another. Mrs. Brown and Mr. Conroy are certainly a constant source of conflict. Mrs. Brown is constantly observing and lurking in on Mr. Conroy to see what he is up to. Conroy’s views of teaching always seem to differ and his means of presenting to the students seem to displease Mrs. Brown more because they were not within her guidelines rather than because they were not good for the students. Their main conflict was that Mrs. Brown’s concern was discipline at all cost and Conroy was more concerned with student’s learning. As Mrs. Brown witnesses that Conroy is not going to back down the conflicts between them continue. She struggles to get him to conform and he resists in the name of his students and their willingness to learn. Conroy was shocked to learn how little his students knew when he first arrived on the island. It became obvious to him very quickly that Mrs. Brown’s disregard for the human resource side of the organization had really affected the students. Conroy became more involved with the students with his unconventional but affective means of teaching. With Conroy his students saw more in his short tenure than they had ever seen before. Many students had never THE WATER IS WIDE 5 left the island and thanks to the creativity and initiative of Conroy, many students’ parents allowed them to accompany Conroy on trips off the island. Conroy was able to communicate to the students in way they had never had a teacher relate to them. He was disciplined but without touching them. The students liked his crazy nature and enjoyed being in his class. They respected his teachings and what he was trying to accomplish for and with them. The students knew he was there for them and that he had their best interest in mind at all times. They were eager to learn in his class like they had never been eager before. Conroy saw that Beaufort administration had given up on the Yamacraw school, its students, teachers and community. He realized quickly that administration, Mr. Piedmont himself even said in their first meeting "'Son, you are a godsend.' I sat in the chair rigidly analyzing my new status. 'I have prayed at night,' he continued, 'for an answer to the problems confronting Yamacraw Island. I have worried myself sick. And to think you would walk right into my office and offer to teach those poor colored children on that island. It just goes to show you that God works in mysterious ways.”(Conroy, 1972, Pg. 1) This statement should have been some indication of the attitude towards the students and the fact that administration had no faith in their abilities. The district I work as with most school districts today is concerned with the public image and so human resource and relations are an important part of a successful school. We try to make parents feel welcome but I see that often when dealing with different races, religions and backgrounds people come into a situation with many different expectations. What one parent sees as safety for students another sees as the school trying to shut them out. As a faculty I have seen us go through three principals in five years, death of four faculty and four students many, several dismissals of staff, sexual crimes against students and teachers, assaulted teachers and THE WATER IS WIDE 6 variety of emotions over all of these things. I have discovered that most principals are not equipped to handle to array of issues and it takes a great people person to handle these things. Political Frame The political frame of any organization sets the tone for the success and/or failure of that organization. Often within this frame power struggles occur, leaders are born and negotiations are made. Also within this frame the tone of all outcomes is set and how an organization handles the politics both from within and outside the organization. The Water is Wide is written and deals primarily with the political frame. The book is filled with conflicts between Conroy and students, administrators, parents and other teachers. Though Conroy is able to prove himself to the students and parents of Yamacraw his conflicts with the others ultimately end in him leaving the school. In one of Conroy’s many conflicts with Mrs. Brown they heatedly discuss their views on disciplines and their roles within the school. Mr. Brown believes in capital punishment and yelling at students. Conroy has a different method, he believes students should be treated with respect and they will respond with such in return. Within this agreement Conroy asks Mrs. Brown to be “less abrasive when addressing the kids, to be a wee bit more diplomatic, and to have a greater concern for their feelings” (Conroy, 1972, p. 180) Conroy finds himself in conflict with students and parents when trying to take them on a field trip across the river for Halloween. The parents and students are afraid of the river and refuse to turn in permission slips. Conroy must convince the parents one by one that the trip is in the best interest of the students. Politics arise and exist in all organizations. Within the district I a work the politics often get the best of me. I have either taught or went to school with every school board members children. THE WATER IS WIDE 7 I am the district photographer, on several district committees and work regularly with the assistant superintendents. These relationships have helped me get to where I am and I am grateful for that. On the other hand those relationships seem to have threatened my current principal who insists on having everything go through her office first and having knowledge of the comings and goings of everyone on her staff. I have played these politics to the best of my abilities for the last two years but with a principal set on control it is becoming increasingly difficult to do my job. The Cultural (or Symbolic) Frame The cultural frame asserts that organizations contain symbols and culture. These symbols and culture provide meaning, belief and faith to those who are involved in the organization. They allow stakeholders to identify with the organization based on values, myths, stories, rituals, and ceremonies. These beliefs provide direction and eliminate confusion while giving direction in hectic times. The culture of the island seems to be stuck in different time frame, a time of the past. The poor treatment of animals, the belief in ghosts and witches, the dialect and the strict discipline of the children are all very strong examples of the island’s culture. The people of the island believe this to be normal and know no different nor want to know any difference. When showing the Salem Witch Trials Conroy witnesses this culture in the animation of the students’ stories. The students begin to speak of witches they know. Ethel begins “ I know two witches Savannah- they mean” (Conroy, 1972, p 112). The culture of the campus I work on is ever changing as I am sure are many. We have strong sports traditions and that is something that goes without say in Everman. Football is huge THE WATER IS WIDE 8 money maker and keeps many of our male students engaged in school. For some new teachers this is a hard lesson to learn. Kids come to school for different reasons and if a great football program is what gets them in the door then as educators we need to do what it takes to keep them here and engaged in the learning process as well. The many different cultures of our students is also a large factor at a school like Everman. Everman is comprised of a large population of black and Hispanic students. These students all bring to school different home experiences and as a teacher you have to sensitive to those experiences and teach your students to also be sensitive to each other. Summary Reaction I enjoyed this book and would recommend it teacher, especially those in a more ethnically diverse community. I liked the booked for several reasons. I like to see teachers go above and beyond for their students. Conroy was not only a driven and dedicated teacher, he was also a good human being concerned for the betterment of the education of the students of Yamicraw. I also liked this book because I find myself fighting for courses and programs that are cut because they are not TAKS related or because the politics of program was not right at that time. I am in constant battle with a principal that finds me to be a threat and I am only working my tail off for the betterment of the students in our school. Often the programs I initiate make her look better in the eyes of the board or administration but they are only good ideas if they don’t bother her or cut into her “plan”. It is frustrating to think that I have worked so hard for my students, the school and myself only to be discouraged by someone afraid of losing a little control. THE WATER IS WIDE 9 References Conroy, P (1972) The water is wide. New York: Bantam Books. Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2003). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (3rd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.