While talking the with my Principals In Action Voxer group, I posed the question above. I had been brainstorming on my 40 minute drive home on how I could get all the things I wanted for my building while also providing all the professional development for my teachers. I was overwhelmed with all that I wanted to do and wasn't sure where to begin. I realized that I needed to figure out what was the first priority for the building and what was the bare minimum that we needed to launch the kind of thinking I wanted to see for our students.
So...I asked my fellow principals what they wished for their schools and this kicked off a great discussion. Everything from technology to air conditioning was mentioned. However, there were two things that we all mentioned…a school that was welcoming and as staff that was passionate and eager to always be better.
Making our schools comfortable for students to learn and work in was one of the areas we all agreed on. We don't want to be just another institution pushing out students like a factory. We wanted our learning spaces to be welcoming and feel like a second home. We wanted our classrooms to be filled with areas for kids to explore learning through technology and hands on materials. We also believed that there should be enough reading materials to appeal to all students. We wanted them to feel welcome to explore, learn, and create.
The second (and most important thing we wanted) was to have a school full of people who are passionate about kids and education. We want them to be eager to learn alongside students. We also hope that they are doing as much listening as they are talking. We want them to teach the students and not just the curriculum. In others words, we are wishing for everyone in our schools to be innovative, student centered, and risk takers!
I believe that this all starts with me. I must encourage risk taking and thinking outside the box. I must be willing to take those same risks. It starts with me and I plan on rising to the challenge.
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