The following post is by 起点传媒member and Sarah Reed.聽
In 2015聽while at the 聽(KySTE)聽conference,聽I stumbled upon a presentation聽by Heather Warrell, Vice Principal of School Culture and Instruction at 聽(TNHS)聽in Bardstown, Kentucky. She聽inspired me聽to learn聽not only how their school used聽Google Drive as its infrastructure聽but also how their school underwent a cultural shift so that聽within two years聽they were able聽to聽achieve聽academically in the top 10 percent of the state.
So how did they build a positive school culture? By building and reinforcing an overarching theme through this vision:聽Thomas Nelson High School is founded upon the assumption that you deserve to live a happy life characterized by ample opportunity. To this end, a rigorous and relevant high school education is the most important element to give you the skills that will prepare you to be a future LEADER in whatever college or career path you choose.
TNHS also has rituals and ceremonies to celebrate success.聽鈥淚n the middle of the media center, we have a giant purple cow,鈥� Warrell聽explained.聽鈥淲e have it聽there聽to remind us to be remarkable and not to be afraid to stand out. You see, without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. At TNHS,聽you are encouraged to stand out and try things that are new.鈥� How聽wonderful, I mused.聽This school聽culture聽sets聽doing-things-differently聽as聽a core value聽and promotes it聽openly through a strong symbol that reminds聽everyone that a shared sense of commitment means stepping outside the lines, taking risks, breaking norms, and聽trying new things.
It reminded me of something I鈥檇 recently done in my own classroom when we hit the high seas and became pirates for a year. On the first day of school, I gave students all sorts of pirate props and then took pictures of them. They were so excited! A chance to be a pirate was exhilarating. When I encouraged them to write adjectives that compared themselves to pirates, each student set about creating a collage of powerful descriptions. The next day they found their work hanging outside the classroom for everyone to see. It served as a good reminder of what they believed they could be.
When I told my students to think of themselves as pirates and their pencils as swords, they lost their inhibitions and began a journey into self-efficacy. They learned not to give up. They worked together to hunt for the evidence to support their thinking. They consciously made informed decisions and collectively overcame adversity.
It takes work to聽actively shape a聽positive culture within our schools; one聽where everyone makes a difference and where every student feels successful.
Sarah Reed, Kentucky鈥檚 2015 Teacher of the Year, is currently a third grade teacher at Field Elementary in Louisville. She has won three Gheens Innovation Awards and serves and supports her colleagues as chair for her school鈥檚 RTI and Arts and Humanities Committee.