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Fall
2003 issue
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1. Message from the President -Bev Inglis2. Upcoming Events3. Articles: Theme: Building Community4. Regional Information5. Submission Guidelines6. Responses from our readers7. Related links8. OASCD Board Members for 2003 |
OASCD Board of Directors' Retreat July 5th, 2003 |
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We are looking forward to an exciting year highlighted by The Art and Soul of Teaching, our International Conference scheduled for October 15-18, 2003. The conference is organized around three strands Planning, Assessing, and Instructing and aims to address the needs of all educators in our community. More details about the conference are provided below.
Newly formed working groups of the Ontario ASCD Board of Directors have begun some challenging new tasks.
In the past year, our two regional groups in Peel and Ottawa, have offered excellent workshops to teachers and administrators. A variety of timely topics will be available again this year with a view to meeting the local needs of a wide range of educators. Through our expanding partnerships, we hope to make information and resources on current topics and trends, as well as workshops and conferences, accessible to more teachers and administrators in the educational community.
This year, Ontario ASCD will continue its commitment to promoting excellence in education and supporting the growth and success of all learners.
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Ontario ASCD Eastern Ontario Regional proudly presents… "THE BRAIN - THE HEART OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT" Contact: Tracy Finnigan: tracy_finnigan@ocdsb.edu.on.ca |
Thursday, October 2, 2003 3:45 to 6:30 p.m. |
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Northwest/Southwest Regional Meeting (Seattle, Washington) |
Oct. 17 - 18, 2003 |
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Announcing the 7th Annual Northeast ASCD Affiliate Conference Leading
and Learning in a Changing World For information visit: http://www.maineascd.org/neac/overview.htm |
Dec. 4 - 6
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Jointly sponsored by the ASCD Affiliates from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Rhode Island, and Vermont (Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts)
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Presents LINKS TO LEARNING 10th Annual Conference (Toronto) Featuring Michael Fullan, Roland Case, Martha Kaufeldt, Brian Woodland, David Bouchard and Justin Trudeau Call (416) 923-6641 x2078 |
February 27 and 28, 2004 |
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ASCD Institutes (Toronto) |
Thurs/Fri., Feb 5 - 6 |
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ASCD Annual Conference (New Orleans, LA) |
March 20-22 |
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ASCD Affiliate Leadership Conference (ALC) (Washington, D.C.) |
April 22-25 |
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OASCD Annual General Meeting (Ottawa) |
Sat., May 15 |
3.
Articles on: Building
Community 
Printer Friendly Version
by Lauren Wilson
Principal
But when the People gathered once again around the fire telling the story of all that had happened, something new came to mind. "We have overcome the strength of Elephant," they said, "and our fear of Shark and Hawk. We have done this by sitting by the fire and telling stories of what has happened to us, and learning from them. Only we, among all the creatures, have the gift of story and the wisdom it brings. We do not need to be masters of the earth. We can share because it is wise to do so." From this day on the People held their heads high, never forgetting to sit by the fire and tell their stories. Never forgetting that in the stories could be found wisdom and in wisdom, strength.
- African Folk Tale from The Hero's Journey by Brown and Moffett (ASCD, 1999)
Brown and Moffett remind us that "there is great power in our ability to engage in collaborative dialogue using story, metaphor, and "wisdom tales" from our shared experience . . . The journey involves a search for wisdom figures individuals and groups who embody expert knowledge, insight, and truth." (pp.103-104) When I became a high school principal in the fall of 2002, I realized that many staff members had been hired since the time I had been at the school seven years earlier. Approximately three-quarters of them had been working at the school for five years or less. Most of them were very young. I relied on veteran staff to help me understand what had transpired over the seven years and how the many positive changes had affected the culture of the school. It became apparent to me that although the novice staff created a tremendous buzz of energy and passion, some of the strengths built up by those with experience and wisdom were literally "walking out the door".
Two experiences near the end of the school year confirmed the importance of what experienced staff have to share as well as the need for a story-telling session for our school. Two retiring teachers, a husband and wife who had worked at the school for 30 and 28 years respectively, were honoured at the June athletic banquet. One of the older teachers whispered to me, I bet half the staff doesn't even know that those two coached here for over 20 years". I'm sure she was right as I also was unaware of the breadth of coaching they had done in the first two decades of their careers.
As a result, I asked these two teachers to relate several of their coaching stories at the mid-June staff meeting. Initially they responded modestly but warmed to the task as they reminisced about early morning volleyball practices, a game the husband was coaching when his wife gave birth to one of their sons, and an anecdote involving a former student who is now a staff member. Their stories were received with laughter, a feeling of camaraderie, and, sincere respect for their long careers and the multitude of experiences they encompassed.
The second incident occurred at a social event in early June. I found myself having a long chat with a teacher who had retired from the school several years ago. He regaled me with humorous stories about the "good old days", most of which I had never heard before. This teacher was one of several retired teachers who were attending a luncheon for our current retirees, scheduled for the last Friday in June.
Inspired by these two story-telling experiences, I contacted the other retired teachers who were attending the luncheon to ask if they would be willing to come for the last hour of our morning staff meeting, prior to the luncheon, to be part of a story-telling session. There was an overwhelmingly positive response. Our storytellers included staff members who had recently retired as well as those who had been retired for twenty years. They regaled us with stories about their experiences, programs they were proud of, memorable students, teams and games, celebrated guest speakers, challenging working conditions, dingy basement classrooms and offices, tricks they had played on one another, friendships that had been forged through work and play, building renovations, wall murals, and so on.
One of our teachers, whose father had been a teacher at the school before him, listened with a smile on his face to stories he had probably heard many times before. The office staff, who had been there for decades, looked proud and surprised by the number of times they were featured in the stories. Former students who are now teachers at the school smiled to hear familiar tales told from a different perspective. Even brand new staff members with no particular ties to the past listened with rapt attention and told me afterwards how much they had enjoyed hearing about the school's history.
What came through in all of the stories was that our school had been staffed for many years by teachers who aimed high, valued their relationships with their colleagues, and had weathered the rough periods in education with humour, resilience, and pride. It was fascinating that so many of the characteristics and attitudes of former staff members continue to be reflected in the current staff and the school culture. Anecdotes about renovations, overcrowded classes, educational change, and students in the halls reminded us all that "the more things change, the more they stay the same".
Through this experience with telling stories, I believe that our sense of identity as a school has been expanded and strengthened, and that the importance of staff collegiality has been emphasized. I sense that the tremendous range of knowledge and expertise of veteran teachers has been highlighted for a key audience of peers. Young teachers heard that there are answers to most of their questions, solutions to most of the problems, and experts who can be consulted when they feel stuck or discouraged. Our story-telling experience confirmed for all of us the value of history and continuity. Through sharing our accumulated wisdom, we can learn from each other, shape school culture, and strengthen the ties between our past, our present, and our future. We are not sure what form our next story-telling session will take, but we are sure that there will be one.
Steinberg Consulting, Inc.
Your first year as a principal will involve a learning curve. No matter what experience you bring to the role, this time, "the buck stops" at your office. It is impossible for you to know everything you need to know to be successful. But you are not alone!
Build relationships with everyone : staff, students, parents, community members, agency staff, politicians. Find out who the power holders and unofficial leaders are and build strong rapport with them. Be positive and firm with everyone. Get people involved in sharing information, making decisions, and planning improvements.
Get to know everyone you will be working with. Explore the immediate and wider community to find out who lives and works there. Introduce yourself to business owners and residents. Notice what facilities are available and who is using them. Analyze any quantitative data that is available to you to learn more about issues such as demographics, the history of the area, and social needs.
Elicit as much information as you can from as many different sources as possible. You don’t need to act on everything you hear or respond to every request but seeking out diverse perspectives is important for assessing the situation. Spend time talking with people informally and formally. Be approachable and encourage groups and individuals to talk to you.
You can’t expect yourself to be the expert in everything. However, others will view you as the person in charge and expect you to be able to answer questions about things they think you should know about. They are eager to work with you and to make things happen but you may not know enough about what has to be done and the best way to approach any changes. Don’t be afraid to say you want to think about something before giving them an answer. On the other hand, in some cases it is best to give an immediate answer and take some risks, so do make some decisions.
Getting the key to the building doesn’t make you the principal. You will be at this school for several years and you don’t need to do everything you want to do within the first months or even the first year. Take time to build relationships as you assess needs, deal with issues, and solve problems. You have more time than you think to contemplate the important decisions. In time you will have sense of what needs to be done to build toward your vision.
Stand up for what is right. Show people what you believe in. Do what needs to be done with integrity. Don’t be afraid to push the edge of the envelope. Get involved with people and issues. Lay out clear expectations and follow through on them. Supervise your staff and let them know when they are doing a good job and when they need to improve. Be prepared to acknowledge mistakes and indicate your willingness to learn from others.
The need to be organized cannot be overstated. You will be swamped with paper, deadlines, policies and procedures, and information, all of which are intended to assist you in doing your job. You need a system for managing all of the information that comes your way. Identify the tasks that need to be dealt with annually and develop a system that allows you to anticipate and address them. Set priorities and use them to guide how you spend your time. Don’t forget to build in time to stay current.
Being a principal is hard work and can be stressful. It is also extremely rewarding. You have to be healthy and strong since so many others rely on your leadership. You have to take care of yourself and establish boundaries with others that let this happen. Maintain a balance that gives you time for family and friends and for your physical and mental health. Experiment with different strategies : time to get your paper work attended to, daily and weekly schedules, and delegating when appropriate.
The principalship can be an isolating role. You need someone with experience to talk to, share successes and challenges, and problem solve. Select someone you respect and ask them to serve as your formal mentor. Use your mentor as a sounding board, someone to ask questions of, and someone to grow with. Your mentor’s experience working with you can be enriching for him/her as well.
Don’t forget to enjoy yourself! Show people how much you love what you do and where you do it. Make your school a happy place to be, starting in your office.
4. Regional Information
Peel: Contact: co-presidents: Cindy Horvath and Rosemary Sutton
Eastern Ontario Regional of Ontario ASCD President: Nicola Benton.
5. Submission Guidelines. Watch for our next issue: December 15th.
Theme: Diversity by Design. Send submissions to Jennifer Jilks-Racine: October 10, 2003.
This is our first e-Newsletter! We look forward to your critical reflections, contribution and comments.
C-editor and web designer:
Jennifer
Jilks-Racine |
Co-editors: Evelyn
Steinberg |
Margaret
Skinner
Bev Inglis, President
Nicola Benton,
Director Lynn Julien-Schultz,
Director M. James Mercer,
Director Rosemary Sutton,
Director Mary Nanavati,
Past-President Dorothy Byers,
Director Cindy
Horvath,Director Edie Kaus, Director
Margaret
Skinner , Director Micheline Harvey,
Finance Chair Jennifer
Jilks-Racine, Director Susan Manning,
Director Evelyn Steinberg,
Director Roland Kay,
Ex-officio Past-President Jim Tayler,
Ex-officio Past-President
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