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| Graphic by Stuart Miles, freedigitalphotos.net |
We recently visited a new outlet mall near our hometown and chose a pizza place for lunch. It featured a wood-fired oven where once you picked out your ingredients, the pizza took 160 seconds to cook and then delivered to your table. Now that's fast.
You can get your oil-changed in 15 minutes and using, Apps on your phone, shop and communicate instantly. On Amazon you can choose 2-hour shipping and have your order delivered to your home almost instantly.
We no longer have to wait to call someone and see if they are home to talk to them. (Yes-- at one time we really had to do that!) We can text, instant message or FaceTime someone immediately. And we expect an immediate response from them.
Thirty or 60 days prior to your arrival to Disney World (depending on where you are staying) you can choose to FastPass which 3 attractions to "start your fun" without waiting in line.
We all hate to wait on anything anymore. Automatic and fast service and products seem to govern our lives.
And what about our work in education? Is it any wonder that districts and buildings often choose to jump from one educational reform initiative to another, often fatiguing educators who have learned to endure the Flavor of the Month or Year professional development wheel.
Why? Because often administrators and other central office personnel do not see impactful results soon enough or are not focused on student learning to begin with. Someone goes to a conference, and without fully weighing the initiative's potential impact on their specific building or district data, implements it. No wonder well-intentioned reforms have little or no impact on student learning.
If we as educators truly believe that improving student learning is our best hope of changing student lives, then we must commit to only those initiatives supported by the best educational research.
As a high school principal involved in leading Professional Learning Community (PLC) work for over nine years, I learned it takes longterm commitment to a focus on student learning by all key stakeholders to truly impact student learning positively.
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| Photo by Exsodus, freedigitalphotos.net |
In working with schools now in initial stages of PLC work as a Thought Leader and consultant, one of the initial important steps is emphasizing that PLC work is a process and journey rather than a destination. It requires commitment to excellence, ongoing professional development on the four questions, collaboration with staff, parents and students, and a sustained and systemic focus on student learning rather than teaching.
You can't give up because data does not improve dramatically in the short term for it requires longterm commitment and dedication to student learning for success to emerge. Our school was recognized as National Model PLC at Work School by Solution Tree and a National Blue Ribbon School because of a systemic focus on student learning. It takes time to develop a school culture and climate of learning rather than teaching.
Whatever reform work your school or district is engaged, choose one that has proven results in improving student learning.
If it does, know that this ride does not have a FastPass to success. And unlike Disney, our students cannot get back on this ride again. Make each day, each class period, count for each student. As student learning improves, hope blossoms. And there is no instant recipe for that.
