Keys to a school vision

Originally posted April 2012 

I vs WE

I think in any institution including or perhaps especially in schools there needs to be a sense of ownership. Schools are made up of Administrators, Teachers, support staff and other faculty members, Students, and Parents each has a stake in the well being of the school. Therefore the school doesn’t belong to one person or one group and even though it may sound somewhat insignificant when talking about the school Principals and teachers should model this by saying WE and not I or Mine.

By saying “WE’, we are expressing a shared sense of leadership and team work.

WHY

By no means is this the only why but I think this covers a number of key areas.

Schools should strive to meet the academic, social, emotional, and in my case the religious need of their students, and to help students maximize their potential. Schools need to create life long learners who are engaged in the 21^st Century world in which they live. I would add for an orthodox day school, schools need to insure that their students have a love and commitment to Torah, Mitzvoth and Midenat Israel ( The State of Israel). I also schools and school leaders need to be willing to challenge the status quot.

WHAT and HOW

Here there is no silver bullet or one specific answer. So here is my list.

• Differentiated Instruction
• The use of Technology to help meet the needs of all learners
• Making the learning real and relevant
• Student centered learning
• Teachers as the guide on the side and not the sage on the stage
• Engaged learners

As I ( We ) embark on a new journey of leadership together I hope  to build on these ideas and add other ideas of how we can create future learners and leaders.