Have you ever looked at something, feeling a need for change, but allowing time to develop the idea?
When we see things, we feel need to change, but then need to decide if it requires us to change it instantly or allow the thoughts to roll around in our heads a bit. Obviously, if it is a sever issue, like someone is in danger, it should be changed immediately. An example I am tackling for next year is meetings. I hate wasting the time of teachers so I limit my meetings and if it can be done via email it should be. However, I have concluded that this must change. After careful reflection, I must change my thought process on the importance of meetings and the face to face interactions to improve communication.
We have all started a job and immediately saw things we felt needed to change or evaluated. The question I always struggled with was, how long do we wait and review something? As a relatively need administrator, I have a few items on my radar I feel we need to change. Secondly, I understand as the administrator I make these decisions but question whether my perspective is the right one. When we make changes in our schools, we must always take the time and ask ourselves will this change make a positive impact on our students and if it does then it is the right plan. What we come up against is the push back we receive after a decision is made. If we give ourselves time to evaluate our plans thoroughly, we can examine possible pitfalls or issues we are blind to. My point here is, we must look at all angles. We need to trust in our perspective and allow a period to give our plan time to develop. Change can be difficult and allowing a plan to be critiqued is ok because your perspective and other perspectives only creates a better plan. This is easy to say, but not taking the critiques personally is a different story.
So, what generated my thoughts this week. A book of course! I have been reading, Stop. Right. Now: The 39 STOPS to Making Schools Better. By Jimmy Cases and Jeffery Zoul. The authors share common procedures used by educators and schools that should stop. As I read, I reflected on my past and present experiences in education. I quickly recognized some of the topics that I have done during my career. You know when you read a good book if it challenges your thoughts and allows you to acknowledge things you can change! I strongly encourage everyone to read this book and give yourself time to reflect on your current practices.
What do you see that needs to change with your situation?
What steps are you taking to reflect on your plans?
Will your plans make a positive impact on students?
