Scot Graden's Blog

As I have previously stated, for Saline Area Schools to continue to build on its tradition of excellence, we need to be innovative in our approach to teaching and learning.  How do we sustain a climate of innovation?  Individuals must understand how to be creative.  However, there are many reasons we don’t bring our best creative self to work….

• We feel being creative in our jobs makes us vulnerable to criticism.
• We feel the school district or administration won’t support individuals creativity.
• We feel the “mandated” curriculum doesn’t allow for creativity.
• We fear we are not really that creative.
• We don’t see how creativity adds to our job or the teaching and learning process.

There are a multitude of reasons why people are not as creative at work as they could be, but ironically most of them are really self-imposed.  We tend to see barriers to purposeful creative action without seeing the opportunities for growth – both individual and organizational.

Unlike many things, creativity is not a limited resource. Many of us have a wealth of great ideas that can create energy, solve problems, improve efficiencies and ultimately improve the organization for the benefit of our students, staff and community.

I watched as it happened again on Saline’s opening day of school. In my opinion one of the strengths of Saline Area Schools is the amount of parent and community support we receive.  As I travelled around the district – from the elementary buildings to the high school I witnessed parent support for our students and staff.  The traffic at Heritage and Woodland was heavy and at times confusing.  However, the response from parents was one of understanding.  I checked the website and noticed that the video regarding the the new pick up and drop off procedures had over 1,000 views – clearly parents are trying to stay informed and that helps the process.

At each building I observed volunteers helping children enter the building, and find their classroom and teacher.  I saw parents helping to sign up other parents for volunteer positions.  Parents helped in the cafeteria with lunch time.  Families worked with our transportation staff to make sure everyone knew which bus to ride to the child’s home at the end of the day.  Parents completed necessary forms to make sure we know as much as possible about each child and their needs.  Saline Schools and community working together to educate our children.

It is this type of support that makes working in Saline a pleasure!

I have been thinking a lot about how the teaching staff starts the school year.  This year we are not having the traditional all staff gathering at the high school.  This year will be my 16th year with Saline Area Schools, and the first time we have not had this opening event.

We are trying something new.   Extended meetings and days of professional development will come at other times throughout the year.  I will record a short  (I promise!) speech to be played during the one hour building level staff meetings.  The administrators and I are focused on getting our teaching staff into their classrooms to prepare for their students.  With the reconfiguration of grades and the closing of two buildings, we want the teachers to have time to feel ready for the students.

Some staff may think the traditional meeting and subsequent meetings provided an excellent opportunity to introduce new initiatives for the year.  Based on my experience and discussions with staff, how engaged are staff at this moment?  Their minds are most likely “preparing for the opening day” and what they need to do to be ready.   I encourage staff to be as energized and welcoming to our students as possible all the time, but especially those first few days of school.  Even with all of this time, they are still going to stay long after the “normal” work day. The last thing I want is staff staying until midnight the day before school starts.  You need your energy!  Thinking about what is best for our students, I want the staff as well rested (although most of us can’t sleep the night before) and as prepared as possible for the kids.

We want to set the best tone possible during the first few days of school.

I was checking in on Louis Gray’s blog today and read this paragraph…

“Our panel’s determination could be summarized as saying the ability for the public to launch stories and extend storylines related to realtime has removed the ability for mainstream media to be gatekeepers, furthering the need to accurately determine authenticity and truth. And where mainstream media cannot have exceptional access, be it to geography, sources or timing, part of their new role is to discover and highlight high quality content, regardless of its source, in effect, adopting the role of curator.”

After reading this statement, I was struck that if you switch the first mention of “mainstream media” and insert “textbook publishers” you get the same theme.  Traditionally schools and education have been tied to textbooks for how and what we teach.  Over the years courses have been built around textbooks – not the opposite.  However, now with access to information all the time…. the role of the teacher is becoming that of a curator.

Discovering and highlighting high quality materials and resources regardless of the source is the new role.  Thankfully, I am seeing this here in Saline.  Our staff is adept at identifying quality resources and incorporating them into their lessons. For example, our high school social studies department has thoughtfully delayed purchasing new Government textbooks and instead will spend next summer developing materials that will comprise the “textbook” for the 2011-2012 Government classes.

Access to information is evolving…. and the need for teachers to be curators is growing.

This is the time of year when I think a lot about my role in the organization.  The school-year is getting underway, the plans have been set, the goals are established and now we have the challenge of making it all work!  It takes a combination of leadership skills, management skills, and some luck.

This is also the time of year that I feel the pressure that exists in public education and Saline Area Schools.  I have been placed into this trusted position of leadership in this important field of work – preparing our next generation for their future.  That sense of pressure can translate into both positive and negative energy.  Noted Stanford University professor, Robert Sutton recently stated, “People who gain authority over others tend to become more self-centered and less mindful of what others need, do and say.”  Well, I think he is right….  So, as I begin the year I am focused on steps that will help me listen and support our staff.

Here are some the things I am planning for the 2010-11 school year to help me focus my energy:

Periodically take on other roles within the district. This year I will ride a bus, answer the phones at the front desk, teach a lesson, and serve lunches.

Seek feedback and take action. I will be looking for creative ways to obtain input and reflect on what I learn.

Develop accountable relationships. I will work with colleagues who can serve as a sounding board for my ideas.

Recognize the contributions of others. I cannot accomplish anything of value without the contribution and support of the staff and community.

Leadership is a team sport. I need to let others in the organization lead.

In May, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released a report called, “Early Warning!: Why Reading by the end of Third Grade Matters.” This report highlighted the point that has been supported by research that readers who are not proficient by the end of third grade will continue to struggle throughout their school career.  In Saline, we are proud that according to the MEAP Assessment almost 96% of our 3rd graders are at or above the proficient level.  However, there is a back story….  First, we still have 4% below grade level.  We need to continue to provide support for these students and work diligently to intervene prior to 3rd grade.  Second, I have serious concerns that the State of Michigan standard for proficiency is too low and possibly gives a false sense to families that their child is right on track. Lastly, we know that while many of our students score proficient on the MEAP, they are capable of building even greater literacy skills.  These are skills that they will need to achieve in the rigorous academic environment of Saline Area Schools at the upper elementary and secondary levels.

Our new grade configuration can help support our focus on building a strong foundation.  Having a coordinated and consistent approach to our literacy instruction at each of our three kindergarten to third grade buildings – Harvest, Pleasant Ridge and Woodland Meadows – can strengthen our ability to make sure all students can meet appropriately high standards for reading proficiency.