As you read about my perfect school in the future, take a minute to consider what kind of school you would create if there were no excuses, what type of relationships would exist there, what would you build?The following was written as if I were writing it 5-10 years in the future.
My Perfect School in the Future
A
few years back, I read an article by Shelley Plock. The article was titled “21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in
Education by 2020.” She spoke about how books and desktop computers would
be non-existent, and with the explosion of technology taking place at that
time; I thought that the article was not only interesting, but also completely
possible. I can remember feeling excited about the prospect of leading the kind
of change she was describing, the kind of change that was so desperately needed
in our district. In those early years, I was so unsure of my ability to lead
that change, but since then I have learned that my passion and belief in people
was what I really needed to become the change leader that I am today.
Over the years, I have grown into my role and
I am so amazed by how lucky I feel to have ended up in this school with this
incredibly dedicated staff. I really never thought that I would be fortunate
enough to be in the forefront of leading change initiatives for my district and
yet, here I am! The staff at this school is an amazing group of professionals
willing to embrace innovation. By creating an environment in which the staff
feels staff to try new things, they have become risk-takers and have eagerly
embraced opportunities to become change agents. I have always believed that
learning is a life long endeavor. That every experience, both good and bad,
provides an opportunity to learn a lesson; you simply need to be willing to
reflect upon the experience and use it to guide future actions in order to
fully grasp the learning potential. If I
claim a main victory as a leader, it is the fact that everyone here; the
teachers, staff, students, parents, and even the community members we are
involved with have join me in the belief that learning does not stop at our
school gates or when the bell rings.
This united vision of learning that
extends beyond the classroom has resulted in our development of a model of
collaboration never before seen in this district. This model is one in which
students, teachers, parents and members of our community learn together, both
in in our school, as well as, in our community. The traditional structure of
classrooms does not work for everyone, so sometimes we change that and take
learning out of the classroom. Our teachers challenge themselves to do whatever
is necessary to improve learning for everyone in our community. When I say
community, I do mean the entire community. With our outreach program, students
can see how school skills are used in the work force. Parents and partners
share their expertise by bring real-world experience into our school and by
taking our students out into the real world. Students learn the value of
education as they work to enhance not only their own life but also those of
others in our community. That is one of the wonderful things that have come out
of our model of collaboration and partnerships. Collectively we have created a
sense of community for our school, it is in fact the center of learning for not
only our students but also their families. Innovative thinking at our school
means that our community of learners looks for opportunities to learn and grow
together in a multitude of meaningful ways. Math skills are more meaningful
when used to calculate the amount of paint that is needed to paint the house of
one of our elderly neighbors or the clubhouse at our local park, and the value
of becoming involved with the people in our community in a significant way has
created a sense of commitment and purpose for our students. Learning is
relevant when students see how they can use it to help others; it brings meaning
to their lives, and motivates them to work harder. Our teachers have embraced
the principals of servant leadership as a means of helping our students and
their families learn and grow to their full potential. But I cannot claim full
credit for this, in fact, our collective vision has evolved through a process
vested in collaboration, and shared leadership.
Many teacher leaders have stepped up
to move us towards becoming more socially conscious, all in an attempt to
overcome many of the barriers that our students were facing. Driven by data and
informed decision making, my staff is always seeking solutions rather than
settling for excuses, and it has been this tenacious pursuit that has propelled
us forward to the point that we are seeing learning gains beyond anything that
anyone believed possible, everyone that is except for my staff. They have
always set high expectations for all our students and have worked to help them
achieve those goals.
Key here is that fact that everyone
in our “learning community” believes our students will grow to become
productive members of our society. While every student is not destined to
become a doctor, lawyer or engineer, everyone in a community plays a role. In
our community that means that everyone: the facilities staff, cafeteria
workers, clerical staff, paraprofessionals, parents, partners, clergy,
everyone, plays a role in mentoring and serving as role models for our
students. Each student has an adult that takes a special interest in his or her
success, helping guide them, support them, encourage them, and show them the
value of education. When students know that there is someone that cares that
much about their success, it is empowering. When students see the adults in
their world working together towards a common goal, they see the value of that
behavior and they emulate it in the behavior. They work harder to make sure
that they are not disappointing their teachers and their mentors, and as a
result, their level of success has sky rocketed. The added benefit within our
organization is that teachers see the value and benefits of the involvement of
all these individuals and as a result the staff has developed such strong
interpersonal relationships that it has created a united sense of solidarity; a
“we are all in this together” mentality. This mentality has propelled
individuals to a greater involvement in our school and throughout our
community, which in turn creates more commitment. It is a wonderful cycle of
involvement and respect.
I know that many people will look at
what we are doing and see us as the exception rather than the rule, but I truly
believe that education has to continue to evolve in order to meet the changing
demands of our society. As an instructional leader, I see my role as a
facilitator of learning. By ensuring that my staff and community stays current
with the latest research, by creating an error tolerant environment, my staff
and students will feel comfortable being risk-takers. T.S. Elliot said, “Only
those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” I
believe my staff is still figuring out how far we can go, and when we get there
it will be incredible! Someday my time at this school will be done, when that
day comes I know that the involvement and commitment here will continue so that
our students and our community will continue to thrive. I believe that the
model for collaboration we have begun is an example of what education can and
should be, and that will be my legacy.
What would your perfect school look like... What are you doing to create it... What are we all doing to create it?
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