The School Culture
School culture is everything! Without it, one could lose the fire and passion for teaching and learning. This chapter focused on school culture and how new teachers and seasoned teachers learned from one another to improve their school culture and the instruction in which they teach. On p. 340, it read, “New teachers can make use of their heightened perception, but they also need to be aware that the existing culture does not take happily to those who challenge it abruptly. After all, the culture is normal; challengers are not.” I have known more than one teacher who didn’t like to experience change. Change is uncomfortable, especially when change is conducted by someone who is new to the learning community. I have always had the opinion that if changes need to be made, they should be made slowly and collaboratively. A true leader, I believe, throws an idea out and allows others to elaborate and make changes where one sees fit. The leader then takes those ideas and puts action into place where needed. It may not be exactly what everyone wants, but it is a decision that was collaboratively made and was not made abruptly.
I like the idea on p.345 that reads, “When schools offer all students an intellectually rich curriculum and expect all of them to perform well, students get the message “We believe you can do it.” This is key, although unfortunantly, not all teachers feel this way. Do you ever wonder what teacher your students are going to get for the following year, what kind of instruction they will be exposed to, or how they will be treated? Will the next teacher care about them like I do or will those that you have worked so hard with fall between the cracks because they lack the support they once had? I think about these things. Each teacher is different-we differ in personality and teaching styles. What if I act one way with a child one year and they get something totally different the next year? Does that impact their academic development in a negative way? How can we be activists for social justice and the development of caring student/teacher relationships if one doesn’t have the same passion for teaching that you carry with you on a daily basis? I feel as though I am blessed to work in a school in which I feel that most teachers value the kind of school culture described in this chapter. Our teachers are dedicated to student learning and acheivement and caring relationships are noticable by the looks on children’s smiling faces. This is not the case in every school, that is why change begins with those who are activists for social justice and a positive school culture. We, as a result of some of things I feel we have learned by going through this program, begins with us…
