Overview

Topics

Designing & Leading Change
- Dr. Rutherford led us in recognizing the six patterns of organizational change. This work was very meaningful at the time because of the organizational change our schools were feeling with the change in leadership at the county level. We all were discussing some of the "implementation dips" we were feeling and this work and learning really resonated with what we were collectively experiencing.
  1. Change requires energy management.
  2. Change efforts depend on values and beliefs.
  3. Change often causes things to get worse before they get better.
  4. Change requires effort over time.
  5. Habits, not willpower, drive sustained change.
  6. Subconscious bias can hinder change efforts
Reading & Shaping School Culture
- Dr. Rutherford guided us through assessing school culture. We learned not only about how people shape a school culture but also how physical settings, rituals, and events can shape school culture.

Major Points

Schools with teacher leaders improve 2x faster
Deprived of meaningful work, men & women lose their reason for existence
School Culture
- Cultural forces are invisible but powerful
- Cultural forces alter and align behavior

Importance to Teacher Leadership

Change is inevitable and as a leader you are not only responsible for making change, but also managing change. Change is not always the decision of the teacher leader, but it is our responsibility to be prepared to lead our teams through times of change and growth.
School culture can make or break a student's experience in a school. It can also make or break a teacher's experience in a school. As leaders it's important for us to recognize what our school's culture is in order to provide excellent experiences for those whom we are resposible for.

Reflection

Today's lesson was really important for teachers today. We are inundated with change constantly-- from our standards, our leadership, our classrooms, what tests we give, even our schools for those who are displaced. Change is incredibly hard on teachers who are trying so hard just to do their jobs well. As leaders, it's important for us to be the constant in all the change. We can manage and help lead others through times of extreme change. We also are the ones who have to become aware of when change is necessary, and be prepared to implement those changes in a way that does not injure or impact what our followers do well.

School culture was really interesing to me as I'm still at a relatively new school-- one who's culture shaping has been greatly impacted by the pandemic. I have seen, firsthand, how shaping culture through the cast of characters, rituals and events can have both positive and negative impacts on the students we serve.

Action Steps

I think my most important action step is to consider my school's culture. I am the graduation coordinator and senior class sponsor. The most important ritual a school can do is a graduation-- how we send our students out into the worlds says a lot about who we are as a school. I hope that my role in that ritual can be one that shapes our school's culture for many years.

"You cannot improve a school from the outside. And, you cannot improve a school from the inside. To improve a school, you must be an insider with the eyes of an outsider."

lawrence w. lezotte

Lesson Notes & Artifacts

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