Mr. Martellone's Blog

Everyone wants children to succeed-parents and teachers alike. No one likes to see children struggle academically, or socially in a world that is competitive such as the one we live in today, but, what if some struggles contributed to a child's character building, or the learning process?

I recently heard a story about a parent whose child attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. The student had recently graduated from Bates, and was just beginning their journey into the work world. They applied for jobs, and by chance got an interview with an organization that they had applied to. After having their first interview, the newly graduated student was called for a second interview, which was wonderful. Imagine the surprise though, of the interviewing organization, when the interviewee brought their parent along with them to negotiate the salary at that second interview!

There is something to be said about giving students enough support so that they are successful, yet not giving so much that they are debilatated. Where do we draw the line? Will students become resilient if they face some obstacles, fail some tasks, or aren't selected for every team or group they try out for? Or, will students learn to feel that they are entitled, to be successful at every task they try, for every job they apply for, and that they get what they want in every situation, because as a society, we have been so intent on making sure that they don't fail, that they never have the opportunity to learn?

You're probably thinking right now that I have a very traditional or archaic view of how children need to be supported, however, I assure you that I am very strong supporter of student learning, nurturing children, and providing students with success. What I do not support though, is that our children never have an opportunity to fail, therefore creating a culture of adults that feel they are, for instance, entitled to every job they apply for, or that no rules apply to them.

How do we help children learn and still support them? Easy. Students need to be provided a blend of opportunties where they can experience success, but also should have a variety of experiences where they may not be in first place, or win a prize, or have a task come out perfectly. And as adults, we can not rush into those situations and fix it so that the children are always successful. Our job is to stand back, carefully watch our youngsters, and provide them with support when they do fail or don't get their way so that they know and learn how to cope with those situations.

Knowing this, or thinking about this, I would ask: Will you help develop a culture of resiliency, or will you create one of entitlement?

Lead or Manage?  Which will a principal be left to do in our current educational state?  It seems as though principals are often faced with situations such as dealing with facilities, returning parent phone calls, dealing with disciplinary issues, or other pressing issues that take us away from our true focus: Learning and Teaching.  In order to make those areas a focus, school administrators must be savvy in curriculum, instruction, and current educational research and practice. 

Additionally, to insure that those areas are fully addressed, a school administrator must be dilligently visible in classrooms and work in planning, implementing, and reviewing curriculum and assessment planning with classroom teachers.

With all those demands then, how does one attend to that most important work?  Professionally, I have found that it can be easy to get drawn into the minutia and demands of "management" type tasks that could easily take my time from being in classrooms, coaching and evaluating teachers, and truly making sure that curriculum and assessment are delivered based on current, best practice.  During the current school year (2007-2008), I and other administrators have made a concerted effort to be in classrooms on a daily basis, providing feedback to teachers both formally (evaluation) and informally (carbon feedback sheets).  In my building, I have hired half day substitute teachers to cover classrooms while teachers and I collaboratively work to map out curriculum per semester across all content areas.  In the upcoming year, we will develop, if not already done, formative assesements at each grade level for the curriculum that was mapped out for each content area each semester.

When does the other "stuff" get done you ask?  I use time before and after school to do some work and additionally, I do some in the evening when possible.  I also do quick three minute walk throughs which enable me to get into all classrooms and input the data I observe into a PDA which tracks trends across the school.  Ultimately, however, an administrator will have to walk a fine line to manage all that is required of them.  Please feel free to comment and provide your thoughts on educational leadership and school management. 

Those folks who have been involved in education for any length of time will tell you that trends, fads, and buzzwords either always appear for a short period of time or that they always come back around at some point.  Perhaps it is because we don't wait long enough to see if they will actually have any effect, so therefore, they are "buzz words". We try them for a short period of time hoping to remedy something that needs tending to or that the public has made an outcry over. 

The term "Professional Learning Community" has been dubbed by some as the latest buzz word in education, however, I would beg to differ on that point.  In the late 90's, the term "communities of inquiry" was used and so was the term "communities of practice".  Additionally, no one would dare argue that the term "collaborative workplace" has probably been used over and over again within the past 50 to 100 years.  Many organizations would say that they are a "collaborative workplace", using the collective wisdom of those people in their organization to mobilize and use their shared wisdom for the good of their organization.  Educators, for whatever reason though, seem to be quick to term something a buzzword and then become quick to move on when they do not see the results they had hoped for-often after a very short lived period of time.

My current school district has been working towards using and implementing the concepts of "Professional Learning Community" for the past 2 to 3 years.  Our focus began with a few administrators attending an out of state conference, and slowly spread to others attending and then to teachers and support staff.  Interestingly enough, that message has been a constant message for that time as well.  The words invidually imply several things:

Professional-Teaching is a profession, and those in the profession need to be individuals who work to a high standard on behalf of students.  Ultimately, they work for the greater social good, using strong foundational practices to educate the greater populus.  Learning-All members of the organization are learning, contributing members.  Everyone is a learner and has the opportunity and obligation to learn.  The focus is truly not the teaching, but the learning.  Community-A collaborative, collectively organized group who work for a common cause (the education of children and students) and do so with high levels of communication, trust, and shared values.

While the term "Professional Learning Community" may be called the most current buzzword, individually, the words that comprise it are ones which I would consider key areas of focus for almost any organization, educational or not.  Not only that, but doctors, lawyers, and architects, just to mention a few, are professions in which many individuals get together for the greater good of those they serve, often relying on their collective wisdom to solve a case, diagnose an illness, or build a structure.  Oddly enough, there continues to be educators that are quick to identify a buzzword and return to their individual classrooms, knowing how successful other professions are that implement "Professional Learning Communities", but are unwilling to do it in their own profession. 

What is your current reality?  Where are you in regards to developing your "Professional Learning Community"?