Instead of telling me what new directive we are taking this week, it would be nice to be asked given my position each day in the classroom if there are suggestions for how we can revamp the education of our students. Hence the quote, if new directives are going to be given, give classroom teachers a voice.
"I can get a hell of a good look at a T-Bone steak by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take the butcher's word for it." - Big Tom Callahan (Tommy Boy, 1995)
The discussions that I have with like-minded colleagues are exciting, but hamstrung by a system that doesn't necessarily allow our voice to be heard. Increasingly, I wonder if putting the ideas that we have conjured up together is worth searching for potential support somewhere to create a school using ideas of schools like High Tech High and Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.
Previously being in an official capacity as a school leader hasn't intrigued me, however working in a redesigned school created and driven by teachers would be a unique and fun adventure. The next question to ask about embarking on a search to make this a reality then comes from Jerry Maguire "Who's coming with me?"
At some point bureaucracy and size (read: bloating) must be acknowledged. SLA and HTH, as far as I understand, were both designed and created as partnerships with other institutions and, as such, have evolved under different sets of "rules" (e.g., admissions, hand-picked staff, etc...). These institutions, much to their credit, are more maneuverable and can therefore adapt and change much easier than traditionally modeled schools, which must consider district mandates and staffing issues when effecting change.
ReplyDeleteWill future schools be much smaller?
Will these schools be more responsive to their students?
Is the current model, large schools and districts, sustainable (or is it the process of being fossilized)?