I believe that it is imperative as a future school leader to create a Do No Harm environment, so that all stakeholders (students, staff, volunteers, and administration) feel safe and valued in this community. A safe and positive school environment will help students thrive, but only if everyone supports a place where we all “increase the positive behavioral profile”(Fisher et. al, loc.574). A positive behavioral profile requires that we teach and model ways for students to “assess their actions as appropriate, or not, based on ethical standards and not judgmental rules that are inconsistently enforced”(Fisher et. al, loc. 574). I believe that by creating this environment I will be able to develop a community in which all stakeholders feel safe to learn, collaborate, support each other, and are proactive in their actions/behaviors. Furthermore, the environment created with these ideals, will foster students that are: critical thinkers, problem solvers, and socially conscious young people who, in my mind, will eventually help to change this world.
I will establish a common shared language that revolves around the ideas of restorative practices. I would make sure that we made everyone aware of the Do No Harm policies and practices. In order to make sure that our discipline policies and practices were being followed I would begin every school year by having teachers and students review the reasoning behind why we have these practices in place. Moreover I would take this same time to allow everyone (staff, parents, students) to make adjustments, if needed, to our policies and practices, so that they don’t become stagnant and meaningless. I would do this with the conscious intent of creating rules that are well thought-out and focused around a distributive leadership approach, thus helping to get support and buy-in from all stakeholders.
I want to create a program that will use all of our community to support our cause. I agree with the idea of sharing the leadership because I feel that it brings forth more participation, creates a stronger sense of community, and helps to support and drive the goals and vision of any school. I also want to build that sense of importance in each of our stakeholders, so that they see and feel that their opinion matters. All ideas are welcomed, but decisions are always based on helping us to make sure our stakeholders are content, and that we are following our school’s vision.
A school leader is the embodiment of its agency’s ideals and vision. If anything happens at their school, the school leader is sought out to explain why it happened. Even though this is not an easy job to do, a school leader is there for that exact reason. They have to give factual evidence that things are working, or if they are not, how they are finding a solution, and what is the plan of action.
I, as a future school leader, will have the ability to create a safe, welcoming, and rewarding school environment. Therefore, I will commit to the following: I will listen to everyone’s story with an open mind and heart. I will create TLC time for my students once a week. I will use circles to “develop low stakes conversation”(Fisher et. al, loc 908) which will strengthen the communication lines between student-student and teacher-student . I will help my students develop proactive habits, by having my students create solutions to their own “problematic” behavior. Lastly, I will focus on giving my students a positive-specific compliment every week via email, or our LMS(Learning Management System).
Fisher, Douglas, Nancy Frey, and Ian Pumpian. How to create a culture of achievement in your school and classroom. ASCD, 2012.