“Memories or Dreams – our Choice!”

Are we presently being defined by the past?

Will we let the past define our future?

What can we or should we do to ensure that our efforts, our work, our dreams are not undermined, limited, or even sabotaged by the past.

I was reminded the other day through a very profound question of one of the greatest challenges of transformation. "Do we have more memories of the past than dreams for the future?"

Memories are important. They ground us. They provide insight into who we are, from where we came, events that shape or influence our thinking, and in some cases limit our ability to see possibilities of different.

Memories are a two-edge sword. As we know there is a psychology directly related to memories. Good and bad, negative and positive, and ones we fondly recall and ones we choose to forget.

In total, they are our past.

Dreams on the other hand are future orientated. In some accounts, dreams are a preferred future, an ideal state.

Our school system cannot be defined by memories, the past. We must allow the dreams of a preferred future shape the present as well as guide us to the future. Making dreams into reality as we have learned is not as easy as closing ones’ eyes.

Rather, it takes commitment, courage, conviction, consistency, and constancy. In each, there is a deliberate act, a decision if you will to think, behave different.

Different in this case requires authenticity, reliability, and character. What we value, what we say we value, and what we actually do reveal who we really are.

Our best of class vision is a preferred future. A future that includes each learner, each parent, each staff and our entire community. It does not exclude anyone. It does not favor anyone. It does create, encourage, or gain from competition that is based on some winning and many losing.

No, the best of class vision describes what a classroom, school, and school system looks like, sounds like, and behaves like when the deliberate focus is on ensuring each learner is successful - successful in learning those skills, knowledge, and experiences that will provide them unlimited opportunities - not defined by the past but encouraged by dreams of the future.

Best of class is derived from the school effects research embodied in the correlates of effective schools.

Who would not want not the following consistently and constantly present and practiced every day in every way for everyone?

· Climate of high expectations for success

· Safe and orderly environment

· Opportunity to learn/time on task

· Clearly understood mission

· Home/school relationship

· Frequent monitoring of student progress

· Strong Instructional leadership

Each one of the correlates work in concert with one another. The interdependence and interaction of each correlated provide a powerful picture of what schools must be. To learn more about the correlates you can look at our best of class documents or simply look up the correlates of effective schools.

We cannot go back and undo memories – the past; I understand that.

What we can do however is provide a picture, a vision, a dream if you will of what we can become and build new memories. This is what best of class can and must be - especially if we want different.

Different is ending failed learning.

Different is ending low performance.

Different is ending the soft bigotry of low expectations.

Different is ending the lack of rigor, the lack of well crafted lessons, the lack of implementing effective instructional practice, and the lack authentically answering for those decisions, practices, and behaviors that work against the very ends we desire to achieve.

Or, unfortunately for our students we can choose to remain the same.

Further, we have individuals within our school system and community that are committed to something other than becoming a high performing – best of class school system.

His or her agenda is not about each student being successful. Truth is – we’re not sure what the agenda is.

The best of class dream can and will be a reality. Fundamentally, the choice is ours.

Memories or dreams – you choose.