Saturday, August 10, 2013

A Vision for School #savmp

Week 2 of the School Administrator Virtual Mentoring Program called for us to discuss what school ought to look like and be; we were to articulate a vision.

1. School ought to be the spark; everybody there everyday should be leaving excited to learn more, create more, or apply more to what they did that day.

2. School ought to be a place where anybody in the community can go to be more - more employable, more creative, more articulate, more equipped for citizenry and a happy, successful adulthood; everyone should walk out each day with a little “more” than they walked in with.

3. School ought to be a platform for public celebration of all things collaborative, innovative, and excellent in the community; schools ought to be a community-wide hub of connectivity and self-improvement.

4. School ought to be a space for the community’s young to demonstrate their skills, philosophies, and creations. Anybody looking for evidence of the incredible things the next generation is capable of should be able to walk into their community schools and see.

5. School ought to be a place where people are moved from can’t to can, from won’t to will, and from novice to intermediate to proficient to advanced to expert to master, etc.

6. School ought to be a springboard for curiosity and further practice or application. The effectiveness of the programs are seen when looking at what folks do with what’s being done. If it’s not being applied, then it’s not doing what it needs to do.

7. School ought to be a place filled to the brim with inspiration; there should be folks of all ages and positions available to model for anyone interested the right way to go about preparing oneself for career, citizenship, college, etc. It should be a place where things happen in the short-term for success and viability in the long-term.

8. School ought to be an open exchange of ideas, practices, knowledge, and perspective for the dual purpose of self improvement through reflection and collective improvement through sharing and conversing.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Why I Lead #SAVMP

I’m happy to be a part of the School Administrator Virtual Mentoring Program, and with my first post wanted to highlight an experience that best captures my “why” in regards to leadership.

Photo Courtesy of Chris Barker
The last meeting I led at my previous school was everything a gathering of professionals should be. What started as a collaborative writing of indicators for a school-wide rubric for Creativity & Innovation evolved into a long conversation and diagramming of what great teaching looks like and how we can best facilitate learning. All of us, ranging from novice teacher to school administrator, freely offered perspective, concerns, insights, and stories. We created support documents with strategies and observable elements to accompany the rubrics, and it felt effortless as we did it. We took advantage of the collective capacity of the group, and we surpassed our own expectations by embracing and having fun with the collaborative process. In speaking to the folks who were there after the fact, it was evident that we all walked away from that session better able to support the learning outcomes we wish to see. Is there anything more satisfying as a leader then to hear colleagues say they not only enjoyed the session but also felt empowered to be better afterwards?
That's why I choose to lead; it's the power and possibility that comes with bringing people together in a manner that will yield the best results. Programs and systems don't move people; the folks who others in the organization look to as leaders facilitate the moving. It's about creating organic opportunities for people to connect and get better as a result of those connections while having professional fun in the process. Nothing inspires people more than the actions and attitudes of other people, and bringing individuals for collective gain is my favorite part about of what I do, and it's the best example of why I lead.