Educamppalmy

A late reflection!
(just like my tardiness for the event.. oops, sorry!!)
#educamppalmy

A great Manawatu day with some great educators.  The sun was shining and the ideas were flowing. It always makes my heart sing when I hear so many people actively discussing and pondering how they can make more of a difference to the education of the young people they see everyday.
A huge thanks to those who made the day happen - the event was AWESOME. Great venue, great food and drinks, and wicked connections!

My favorite quote of the day went something along the lines of...

I found this statement really interesting.  But the questions in my head still remain unanswered.

How might the leadership model in a school be changed?  Is it possible in an "old school" school system?

Do classroom teachers change their model and eventually the way the teachers work together morphs to follow suit? Or does the way the adults work together change first?

(To me it is a little like the chicken and the egg scenario)

If there are already small changes occurring within a school regarding both the in class and within the way school systems are run, how long is it before these changes become normalised?

The question still most unanswered in my head is "where can I find a school where the leadership reflects what I see in my classroom?"

My second favorite question was...

Yeah, easy... not.

What do you stand for?

This is going to be my parting shot for the department this week - and for my students to think about.

Please tell me - what do you stand for?

What makes a "good school"?

A few weeks ago, in a rare moment of being the the staff room to eat my lunch, I was part of a very interesting conversation.  One of my colleagues was talking about their partner - a primary educator - and how they were keen to be working at a particular intermediate school here in Wellington.  Here followed a discussion about primary and intermediate schools around town and how "good" schools were.
The one comment that I just couldn't let go past went something like this: "... is a good school, it doesn't have a high staff turnover."
Ummm.... okay.
I had to bite....  "Hang on. Is that the sign of a successful school? That all the staff stay there until they retire?"

The answer was a resounding "yes."  Apparently if staff feel comfortable then it is a successful, or "good" school.

I may have laughed a little.

Anyways, this discussion has made me think.  What does make a successful school? Is the school I work in a successful school?

Just a few easy questions for a Monday lunchtime!

Are NCEA results, or National Standards a tool for measuring a successful school? Perhaps they are a singular way of measuring the success - but do these results measure the success of the students, the teachers, the BOT, the senior leadership in a school, the wider school community? Do these results measure where students have started from? Where they are heading? What aspirations and dreams the students (or indeed, the teachers?) have? Do they measure the mental health and wellness of the students? the staff?

If NCEA results or National Standards are the measure of a successful school, is it okay to be comfortable with having above average results? To not question any anomalies that be hiding in the average results?

Ahh, so many questions!

How do you measure the success of a school?