Starting points....

I love Kari's resources in reimaging education. What a powerful message for us as we consider awakening impact across educational systems and structures.

In my work right now, I am very much in the push and pull of starting points.  Where do I push? Where do I pull back? What starting point is the most effective, and with what stakeholders will this need to have in this work to have the greatest impact.

My work always begins with relationship first. Now, for those of you who know me this should not come as any kind of surprise.  My top strength on the Myers-Briggs is "Whoo". I am the cheerleader, the heart on my sleeve, the "you can do it, or better yet WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER!" Let's go!  I hug everyone that will let me, I don't hold back my thoughts, opinions, heart, any of it. I'm about as real and genuine as they come. Now, this makes me somewhat of an outlier in this type of work, as many of the people that I work with tend to be more conservative, more held back, they have the most amazing thoughts, but will hold them in and wait for the right, safe time to bring them out. Whereas, I tend to just say it, cross my fingers and hope for the best, ha!

Regardless of your "type", each stakeholder has a critical role in the ongoing conversations, and work surrounding school improvement efforts. After all, we all know that one spoke alone does not hold the wheel, but rather all spokes working together make the wheel turn at it's finest. The question becomes, "Where do I start?  How do I begin to bring the right people around the table to address some courageous conversations?"

My first starting point is always the same. We must build relationship first. We must observe all educational settings, and take in what is current in the classroom, and at the building and district level, we must invite conversations around teaching and learning, and within those conversations we must be the lead "listener". Just listen....hear voice, tone, strengths, weaknesses, fears, concerns, questions, celebrations...just listen. Take it all in, and after these conversations note patterns.  What are the patterns that I see in observations?  What are the patterns that I see in conversations around teaching and learning? What are the patterns that I see in the data, and how are these patterns connected?

This is the start. This is a highly critical time, and although it is slow, and doesn't tend to feel like much is happening, you need to hold tight to the fact that slowing down, and building a strong foundation will pay off later when you begin to do the work of building solid systems and structures piece by piece.  After all, we know it is human nature to want and NEED to trust in people first, before processes.  Once relationship is established we can then move into our second starting point.

Starting point two is to take the patterns taken from observations, and conversations, and data, and begin to outline themes. This work is often called root cause analysis, and tends to be the point where buy-in to the process happens. This is a highly critical process. It is difficult, but necessary. It tends to bring up discomfort, and fears, and a sense of change looming.  Stakeholders at this point will often dig their heels in on what they fear may be lost in the change process. These conversations are courageous for a reason after all, they are going right to the root of the problem, and usually that makes for a very uncomfortable atmosphere. However, if you know up front that is the likelyhood, then you can plan...plan for discourse, plan for questions, plan for sharing, plan for breaks, and plan to be flexible. Be clear upfront about what the intended goal (or in the educational language..."outcome') is, the time frame you have, the process that will happen to guide that, and the decision that needs to be made in the end. Create a pathway for the conversation that assumes positive intent, and creates a pathway for productive conversations that are solution orientated.

These are starting points, and they are the most critical part of the process...they are the foundation. Consider this time like dating....yes, go back in your mind to dating.;) In dating you are observing how the other person acts, reacts, treats people, treats family, treats you...you are observing behaviors, patterns, responses, engagement in the process...all of it. You are taking it in, and as you take it in you begin to use that as starting points in conversations. Conversations that lead to knowing each other better, and often times will in the beginning have moments of bliss and moments of discomfort as your approach a variety of topics. All of it leads to one thing...trust. Can I trust this person with my world?  Right? It's the same idea here. We may not be trusting our colleagues with our personal world, but most definitely our professional world,and we know that personal often impacts professional so trust in any change process is highly critical.

So, I encourage you today to consider when the last time is that you stepped out and observed what is happening around you. What is happening in other classrooms, in the building, at the district level. When is the last time you used PLC's to engage in courageous conversation around observations and data? How have you used that to consider patterns, determine root cause, and analyze solutions collaboratively around teaching and learing.

Starting points. They are messy...and usually difficult, but difficult is necessary and will begin to awaken impactful conversations, solutions, and in the end create greater work around impact. If we are really opening up a growth mindset around educational reform, the reform starts here...small, but impactful starting points in every classroom, building, district and system in this country and around the world. Wouldn't it be wonderful to start conversation here...with this blog...let's bring a more global perspective to this work.:)