Why I Love PLCs Let Me Count the Ways!

BY ERIC ATUAHENE

I have had the pleasure and privilege of leading PLC work at two di erent schools in the Littleton Elementary School District located in Avondale, Arizona. e work has given me an exponential amount of ful llment and gratitude and has been life changing, both professionally and personally. I could not imagine going about the work of schools in any other way.

I love PLCs because of the transition we made as a school to embrace learning for all. It is powerful to witness everyone being a learner, from students to sta members. Student learning became the focal point of all interactions and decisions among staff, and I heard staff refer to students by name, not solely by number or percentage. I observed discussions around ways to meet the needs of students to grow them academically and emotionally. I saw teachers leveraging the resources they had to make a di erence in students’ lives. We became laser-focused on what was best for our kids and were driven to not let anything stop us. We truly took on an “all things are possible” and “no excuses” attitude as learners.

Sta recognized that the students were not the only ones who had an opportunity to develop. We embraced the mentality that it was our professional and moral obligation to learn. By doing this, we were able to see that we had all we needed within the collective walls of the school to move ourselves forward. Sta took advantage of the daily embedded opportunities to learn and grow from each other. I love being in collaborative team meetings and seeing sta members show vulnerability by asking questions, sharing what they know and what they need from each other, and showing curiosity in how their work can be done more e ectively and e ciently to impact their excellence in the classroom and to push students beyond their limits.

I love PLCs for the community that develops from this way of doing work. We collaboratively worked together to develop our vision. We deepened our understanding of why we exist through our mission. We allowed the data to drive rich, meaningful discussions that led us to develop aggressive student, teacher, and school goals, and then we created our norms. e norms gave us the opportunity to discuss and understand the conditions we wanted to develop to allow us to be able to engage in our best work. Doing this work put all of us on the same bus and moving in the same direction. We were united by the understanding that we do what is best for our students. e community that was built around this cascaded into other aspects of our school. I saw how staff rallied behind each other during adversity and di cult personal times. When staff members were not at work, the remaining teachers jumped to action to ensure our students were taken care of. Many staff volunteered to take on additional students. I also saw authentic, genuine celebrations that sta had for each other—for graduations, the birth of children and grandchildren, and overcoming challenges.

The PLC philosophy has strengthened the character and the resolve of our school. It has allowed us to see each other not only as professionals who are committed to doing a great job but as people who have empathy and compassion for our work, our families, and each other. The community that was built over time has made our school a safe space for our students and staff.

I love PLCs because of the impact they make in student and adult lives and for how they build community and culture. I am so grateful and appreciative to the wonderful professionals I have had the pleasure of partnering with on this journey to impact student and adult lives.

ERIC ATUAHENE is the principal at Littleton STEM Academy located in the Littleton Elementary School District in Avondale, Arizona. He also serves as a Solution Tree Associate and has led multiple schools in becoming Model PLC Schools.