A FFILIA T E LE A DERSHI P
Feeding School Culture ~ The Little Things By Patrick Moore, NSASSP President
MOORE
“Culture affects all aspects of a school. It influences informal conversations in the faculty lunchroom, the type of instruction valued, how professional development is viewed, and the shared commitment to ensuring all students learn.” ― Terrence E. Deal, “Shaping School Culture: Pitfalls, Paradoxes, and Promises"
This quote by Terrence Deal is the summation of what it takes for a school to be successful and is a great reminder of the power we have as building leaders to shape and feed our school culture in a positive light. Oftentimes, it is a series of little things linked together that help build and define the culture we set as building leaders. Teachable moments for our staff, students, and community make a difference. As building principals, so much of what we juggle daily focuses on different aspects of leadership and sometimes we may forget our impact. Regardless, we wear many hats and our attitude affects everyone around us. Actually, our attitude is probably a skill we all share with our staff, either negatively or positively. Think about leading your staff the last few years and your attitude. You have strategically navigated a shortage of teachers. You have found subs and probably subbed yourself! You have guided your schools through the process of online learning and training. You have been creative and flexible in a day and age where schools are being bombarded with unfunded mandates from the federal and state level. You are now being asked to get into the political aspect of your job and be a voice of reason and accountability. Think about our impact. We are the voices of reason and accountability on so many levels. Our charge is to manage the process and make sure all stakeholders have a voice. Our impact over time has a great influence on our culture. Despite all of these hurdles, it is hard not to realize how much school culture plays a part in each decision we make and how we, as principals, have a direct impact on our school culture. To me, it is about incremental small changes.
According to www.edglossary.org the term school culture, “Refers to the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes, and written and unwritten rules that shape and influence every aspect of how a school functions. The term also encompasses more concrete issues such as the physical and emotional safety of students, the orderliness of classrooms and public spaces, or the degree to which a school embraces and celebrates racial, ethnic, linguistic, or cultural diversity." Sounds like school culture encompasses quite a bit, doesn’t it? It does. The reality is students, parents, teachers, administrators, and other staff members all contribute to their school’s culture. Other influences such as the community in which the school is located, the policies that govern how it operates, or the principles upon which the school was founded also play a key role (often the most important role) in educating our youth. To me, building your school culture is about incremental changes on a small level. The term, “kaizen” was derived in post-WWII Japan and has been applied in many forms today. Kaizen is a process of getting better incrementally day-by-day. When assembly lines stalled or there was a problem, everyone was looked at to solve the problem. So instead of having one or two people become the brains of the operation, everyone was a problem-solver. This helped empower everyone in the factory to be a leader or not be afraid to have their voice be heard. Schools are no different. I want you to think about the last two years and reflect on all the great things you are doing at your school to feed school culture in small incremental steps. • You help form the mission and vision of your school with input from all stakeholders. The pandemic really challenged us as leaders and helped us all realize how much follow-through we have with our mission and vision and how it drives us daily in our quest to help others. • You provide equitable learning environments and formulate systems to help students learn. Students all learn differently, and you have helped put systems in place to meet the needs of all students; both in-person and online. No easy task. Continued on page 8 >>
SPRING 2022 NCSA TODAY
7
