One of the main reasons I chose to be in education is to make a difference. I know it sounds cliché but it’s really at the heart of my being. How I relate with students and staff, how involved I am, and especially how I teach and lead. I’ve come to realize this difference making instead has everything to do with having an impact, a strong effect on someone or something, while being a change agent.
Recently, I learned that one of the most powerful effects in education has to do with having high, challenging expectations about our learning and leading. The higher the expectations, the greater chance to improve and achieve. Makes absolute sense. The key to all of this is to be an activator… putting things in action, getting things in motion. Ultimately to find ways to engage and empower students and staff to actively learn, grow and lead by example.
In order to make the right differences, we need to have the right mind frames to shape our thinking and recognize where we can have positive impacts on learning and teaching. We, as teachers and school leaders, have to see ourselves as “change agents” who take responsibility for enhancing student learning and setting high expectations. It’s this thinking that affects the decisions we make and actions we take. It’s obvious that this is what we need to be and do.
Right now, the most important reason for school, LEARNING, is staring us in the face. We know why learning is crucial and that we need to create the best learning environments in our buildings. We need to completely focus on learning collectively. What’s exciting is that our Admin team is starting to learn how to create a framework to do so. We’re in the midst of figuring out the HOW while reflecting on the following:
How will we make learning our core focus?
How will we create a language about learning?
How will we build learning capacity?
How will we recognize and measure our impact on learning?
How do we go about increasing our impact?
Meanwhile, we know we need to do this right. Once our teachers are back, the first place to start would be to invite and encourage as we start to collectively focus on learning. As for the roll out, stay tuned.
Lastly, here is a quote I think speaks to what we don't want to have happen.
“To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.”
― Stephen R. Covey
To have change, you need action. To have an impact, you need to know what does and what doesn’t. How fitting.
D. Lindstrom
Sept. 11th, 2014
Recently, I learned that one of the most powerful effects in education has to do with having high, challenging expectations about our learning and leading. The higher the expectations, the greater chance to improve and achieve. Makes absolute sense. The key to all of this is to be an activator… putting things in action, getting things in motion. Ultimately to find ways to engage and empower students and staff to actively learn, grow and lead by example.
In order to make the right differences, we need to have the right mind frames to shape our thinking and recognize where we can have positive impacts on learning and teaching. We, as teachers and school leaders, have to see ourselves as “change agents” who take responsibility for enhancing student learning and setting high expectations. It’s this thinking that affects the decisions we make and actions we take. It’s obvious that this is what we need to be and do.
Right now, the most important reason for school, LEARNING, is staring us in the face. We know why learning is crucial and that we need to create the best learning environments in our buildings. We need to completely focus on learning collectively. What’s exciting is that our Admin team is starting to learn how to create a framework to do so. We’re in the midst of figuring out the HOW while reflecting on the following:
How will we make learning our core focus?
How will we create a language about learning?
How will we build learning capacity?
How will we recognize and measure our impact on learning?
How do we go about increasing our impact?
Meanwhile, we know we need to do this right. Once our teachers are back, the first place to start would be to invite and encourage as we start to collectively focus on learning. As for the roll out, stay tuned.
Lastly, here is a quote I think speaks to what we don't want to have happen.
“To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.”
― Stephen R. Covey
To have change, you need action. To have an impact, you need to know what does and what doesn’t. How fitting.
D. Lindstrom
Sept. 11th, 2014