“A Long, short Week”

The aftermath of the horrific event in Connecticut certainly impacted each of us.  As our instructional week began on Monday, an uneasy tension – one with uncertainty, apprehension, and to varying degrees angst was present not only in our schools but also across our state and nation.

The skill of our staff motivated by compassion, heartfelt concern, passion, and a commitment to each of our students navigated the day providing each student with as humanly possible a sense of calm and safety.  Staff, students, and especially our parents were extremely supportive and sensitive to the emotions, feelings, and concerns for safety and security.

The calls and conversations with parents, grandparents, community and staff alike were equally supportive, encouraging, and each with a genuine sense of being helpful.  Suggestions as well as recommendations were not unrealistic or reactionary.  To that end, we will explore some of these for feasibility and practicality. 

I found myself several times pondering before speaking the oft-cited reason of “money” as why we don’t explore certain strategies.  Though in all likelihood valid, I just couldn’t use money or the cost of something as a reason for not listening to well-intentioned callers that took time to call and share their ideas.

In most of these conversations we inevitably discussed that in many respects the safety and security protocols we have in place (I will not divulge for obvious reasons) are acknowledged as progressive and contemporary.  Yet, there are some areas we still need to address – and we will!

EdWeek’s timely article, Security Steps Said to Avert More Deaths at Conn. School: Experts warn against knee-jerk changes elsewhere by Nirvi Shah (18 December 2012 Vol. 32, Issue 15) is a must read.  Though it offers little in the way of understanding or sense making of what took place, it does, however, provide insights essential to the conversation about school safety.

Related – I met with our police chief this week and, as I did at the Board of Education meeting Monday night, expressed our heartfelt appreciation for all the officers of whom many volunteered on their own to be in our schools Monday as well as throughout the week.  Many parents, citizens, staff, and students noticed their presence and expressed their appreciation as well.

Unrelated – as the holiday season moves officially into full swing – marked by the release of students from school, we prepare to bring the year 2012 to an end and welcome 2013.  As we do, I have challenged our leadership to consider two important questions.  They are:

“What have we as an organization learned?”

“What have you learned?”

In part to be reflective and in part to set the stage for the Midyear Leadership Advance these two questions are extremely important. 

Why? 

As a learning organization we must come to grips with where we are with respect to where we expected to be at this point in the journey. 

What we have learned corporately as well as individually provide awareness and understanding about any gap between the actual and expected – make sense?

If we haven’t been learning – how do we expect to be different albeit in thought, behavior, or results?

I am extremely curious to learn our responses.  The “advance” will allow us to piece together the different “learnings” and perspectives with the best hope of raising to even higher level our leadership efficacy.

Learning continuously is part of improvement - continuous improvement – hence the word continuous, right?

Learning more often than not is a prerequisite for improvement especially if “different” is the expected outcome.  Though obvious to many, learning and therefore knowing what is expected is the first step to different. 

In learning to do different there is learning about what isn’t working or producing the results we expect or desire. As the “new year” looms closer the habitual practice of “new year resolutions” come to mind.  Simply put underpinning learning to do different requires humility.

Learning also requires assistance, objectivity, experience, and honesty.

We need mentors – those that candidly and effectively ground us as their interest – vested interest is in our development, growth and progress.

So it is, therefore, in my last Weekly of 2012 that I attempt to tie together events of the last week and the need to continually learn. 

I think there it is! 

We have to learn.  We have to be different.

With little doubt, we will learn and we will be different! 

It now becomes a matter of our capacity, our resolve, and our commitment to do so.