Weekly Reflection: Create a Culture of Safety

It was a short work week, one that ended with a state Professional Learning Network meeting in Honolulu. It is always great to connect with colleagues around the state and to hear some of the AWESOME things going on. For this particular session, the state leadership team brought in Dr. Laura Lipton on Developing Professional Expertise in a Standards-Driven System. I have to say this training was excellent, and there were a ton of takeaways that I could immediately put into practice.

The premise of the training revolved around four assumptions that I think are worth reiterating for this weeks reflection:

Assumption 1: Teaching is complex and contextual.

There is no arguing this. Teaching is complicated because it deals with humans, and humans are just so involved; it's what makes the work we do so stressful, beautiful, rewarding, and crazy all at the same time. We are juggling lesson planning, grading, all while managing the social and emotional needs of the diverse students we serve. Let's not forget that we have personal lives that need attention, then throw in the political landscape, shifts in technology, and a whole assortment of external factors that can have an impact on the work we do as educators. It is safe to say that teaching is highly sophisticated.

Assumption 2: Research-based standards define effective teaching.

Honestly, I wasn't in agreement with this particular assumption initially. After reflecting on this, I had a change of heart. Teacher Standards that are well defined allow for common understanding and conversation to occur. It provides for a point of reference that sets the success criteria in place and gives us educators targets to aim for and grow professionally. I think that is a good thing.

Assumption 3: Supervision is a growth-oriented process.

I whole-heartily agree with this assumption. Anybody in a supervisory role is responsible for developing the people they oversee. It should be developmental and supportive meeting the needs of the diverse group of educators we serve; I think we forget that sometimes. Taking on the role of an administrator means putting tighter boundaries in our lives, and helping others before ourselves.

Assumption 4: The deepest purpose of supervision is to create a culture of learning.

This final assumption I slightly disagree; I think the deepest purpose of any administrator is to create a culture of safety for learning to happen. Without a safe space, the context for risk-taking diminishes, and the best work/ideas never come forward. Create a safe environment, one that encourages risk-taking, and a culture rich in learning will happen.

That is my thoughts for this week. Cheers to the weekend, and to an even better upcoming work week.

#HI4PublicEd #TeachingMatters #SafeEnvironment #schooldesign #learningculture