Today, I ran into a young man in the laundromat who had a few days off from his regular job and had chosen to visit his parents. He told me that he had decided to paint some trim in his parents’ apartment and noted with surprise how effortless the painting was even though it had taken him over six hours to complete. When I asked him why he thought the painting activity was so enjoyable rather than a tedious work project, his response was that he liked the painting because it was something he had chosen to do rather than being a “have to do” job.

I mentioned Daniel Pink’s book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2010) and discussed the concept of autonomy as a motivational force. When individuals have choices about what, when and/or how to complete a task, they tend to be more motivated to complete that work. The young man quickly agreed that this was exactly why he enjoyed the painting so much – it was his choice to paint for his parents.

After speaking with this young man, I began to wonder how autonomy or the lack of it affects how students, teachers, and school leaders perform their work. Currently school personnel and students are under great pressure to excel and pass state tests. That thought caused a series of related questions to race through my head. “How could there be more autonomy in schools? What kinds of teaching processes and supervisory practices and conversations might take place if autonomy were a core value in a school community? What might be the benefits of more autonomy in schools? How might performance be affected?”

What are your thoughts and questions about autonomy in schools?

By Dr. Linda Gross Cheliotes, Ed.D, ACC
Coaching for Results Global

Linda Gross Cheliotes is a credentialed coach by the International Coach Federation and an associate of Coaching For Results. She is the co-author of the Corwin Press bestselling book Coaching Conversations: Transforming Your School One Conversation at a Time.