I wish we’d ask ourselves some questions

Sam Chaltain (on shopping for a school for his 3-year old child) suggests you ask these questions and listen to the response:

  1. What is your definition of success — and how do you know if you’re reaching it?
  2. What aspect of your school are you most proud of — and where do you need the most work?
  3. What’s the general profile of your faculty — and how long do they stay?

Each of these questions is designed to drill down on how well a school understands what it does — and why it does it. Surprisingly, many schools haven’t thought about this as much as they should. They may have some generalized notion of success in terms of test scores or general statements about a child’s development. They are likely to know what they do well. They have to know how many of their teachers come and go each year. But if they can’t speak really clearly and specifically about what success will look like for your child — and do so in ways that go beyond just academics  – and if they can’t identify quickly where they still need work (because all schools, even the best ones, have room for improvement), you have good reason to wonder if they really have a plan worth investing in.

We’re coming up to another District Leadership Team meeting. Right now, I know we can’t answer these questions on anything but the individual level.

I struggle with how to be an effective agent of change without being too obnoxious. When does raising questions cross the line? Where IS the line when it comes to questions? All I want is for us to talk, to get some vision. We (and I) blunder on.

What I’d like to see

I hate being just a complainer. Here’s what I wish would happen. I’ll have to see whether I can make it so.

  • Create an ongoing Google Groups conversation about the above questions. As a reference point, remind ourselves that our goals should create innovative curriculum that highlights the Universal Constructs as outlined by the State of IA Common Core, and instructional practice in a manner that is consistent with the Characteristics of Effective Instruction (also in the CC.) A forum like this will aid in transparency and provide a place for people to lodge their observations (even complaints) so we can move on from them toward next steps, while keeping us focused during our face-to-face time.
  • From this discussion,
    • develop a rough draft understanding of what our goal is for learners
    • gather data (anecdotal or otherwise) and generate a rough draft understanding of where we are moving forward and where we are stuck
  • Explore WHY we are stuck in particular areas. This need not be in-depth at this stage, just some working assumptions / thoughts.
  • List making. Generate
    • a small set of high impact “stuck areas” to devote a lot of effort towards.
    • areas / initiatives to highlight and study to understand their effectiveness.
    • an ongoing “coalition of the willing” who can pursue their willingness in both an online and face-to-face way
  • Gather data for all of the above. Engage in transparent conversations that develop, and communicate a plan. Areas for new learning could be highlighted, resources for that new learning could be gathered and housed (or linked) online.
  • Professional learning communities could be formed around these areas using some of those sources as seeds. Key would be a way for the PLCs to share out what they have learned to colleagues and the community (!). Transparency is the best form of accountability!
  • Revisit the whole process continually.

Why is this difficult to imagine? I mean, I’m just a third grade teacher and I came up with this list in a couple of minutes. This is just good teaching.

So…now…do I send this link on to the District Leadership Team?

UPDATE: I won’t send it out. As George in the comments below said, a better way to proceed would be to build credibility through linking to a larger conversation. However, the practice of writing has helped me think through some of what I think we are lacking. In particular, we need to build a culture of learning. Administrators complain about teachers not being curious or learners or innovative thinkers. Some even say lazy. But where is the curiosity, learning, and innovative thinking from the other side? I’m ready for the conversation. Where is it? Just sayin’.

5 thoughts on “I wish we’d ask ourselves some questions

  1. Honestly…when you think about pushing your own leadership or school, it is more effective to send something from someone else, as opposed something that you have written. Then it is something that is not just what you want, but something that others are striving for as well. Just my opinion 🙂

    Thanks for linking to my post!

    • Thanks for stopping by and reading. While just a recent follower of your blog, I’ve learned much from your posts.

      I want to be sure what you mean. Are you suggesting that I link to someone, raise a question, something like this: What do you think of this?, rather than suggest a course or path to critique as the last part of this post has done.

      As you can probably see from my post, I’m pushing myself and am uncomfortable with that position. Yet, I am also uncomfortable with continued participation in leadership that doesn’t seem to really lead, or create a culture of leadership, but react. Interestingly, I added the last part because I thought I was letting myself off the hook for not providing a possible solution…

  2. As a member of that same District Leadership Team, I say “yes, send it to the rest of them.” Or let me send it on as something I read “somewhere” as George suggests in his post.

    • Thanks, Rhonda, for reading and thinking about this with me. We talked quite a bit in the car ride back from Chicago about all sorts of leadership stuff and it has been rattling around in my brain and heart.

      I know we share the goal of making our district better for learning for both kids and adults. I also know that it is easy to create a crank or kook when a small number of people are involved, or a call it a coup when there’s an organized group. But I don’t want any of that. I’m a huge believer in the power of focused talk, experiment, and reflection to make change.

      That’s really all I want. I don’t want anyone to suffer, or feel badly, or get defensive. But I do want a path toward better learning.

  3. Thanks for stopping by and reading. While just a recent follower of your blog, I’ve learned much from your posts.

    I want to be sure what you mean. Are you suggesting that I link to someone, raise a question, something like this: What do you think of this?, rather than suggest a course or path to critique as the last part of this post has done.

    As you can probably see from my post, I’m pushing myself and am uncomfortable with that position. Yet, I am also uncomfortable with continued participation in leadership that doesn’t seem to really lead, or create a culture of leadership, but react. Interestingly, I added the last part because I thought I was letting myself off the hook for not providing a possible solution…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *