A mission statement that is weathered, tethered, and measured!

As a new elementary school in 2014, we developed the following mission statement. 

Let's build a school that parents value, where teachers thrive, and children learn and grow. 

Our simple mission statement has weathered our opening, our first accreditation review visit, state accountability reporting, SIC oversight, PTO leadership transitions, as well as steady enrollment and staff growth.  All the while, our mission has remained constant ... and embraced by our school community.  Though often mission statements change regularly, our weathered approach has offered purposeful efficiency, consistency, and direction.  

Tethered to our mission is our emerging growth as a Professional Learning Community.  Here is the alignment.

• Professional describes a school where teaches thrive as individuals and teams ... both personally and professionally.
• Learning is the obvious and authentic result in an environment where children learn and grow.
• Community originates and flourishes in a school that parents value.

Our mission is measured in numerous ways.  Parental value is assessed through involvement and leadership (including PTO participation), volunteer efforts, fundraising support, as well as formal and informal feedback (including yearly surveys).  

A school where teachers thrive can be measured via student engagement and growth, teamwork, teacher leadership, teacher evaluations and growth, professional development (required and voluntary), teacher retention, yearly formal and informal feedback/surveys, and most importantly (to me) a work/life balance that offers adequate/prioritized time to honor family, community, and personal commitments.  

Finally, a school where children learn and grow can be measured by literacy development (reading, writing, speaking), social/emotional maturation, progress monitoring, engagement, performance growth, grades, test scores, authenticity/application/connectivity of learning, learner independence, as well as student/teacher/parent feedback.  

Some mission statements are impressive, yet long and full of big words not even the staff can remember.  For our school, a simple and focused approach was what we needed then ... and now!

What I learned from the greatest teacher I have known

• He understood that the basic or most pressing needs of those he taught had to be met before meaningful instruction and learning could begin. 
• He understood the value of knowing the unique strengths and challenges of each individual he taught.
• He planned with rigorous and high expectations for learners as well as clearly defined objectives and outcomes.
• His command of content was not rivaled among his peers.
• His communication skills were clear and refined.   
• His teaching style often included stories to capture the attention of his students and to offer practical and engaging applications/connections for depth of understanding and learner-share opportunities.  
• He often used calm and thoughtful questioning to challenge and manage those who interrupted or challenged his lessons or authority.  
• He regularly met with small groups or individuals to more directly guide learning or diagnose struggles.  
• His ability to balance clear expectations and boundaries while offering grace endeared his students to his instruction and often created a culture of mutual respect.  
• He advocated the value of early preparation, of consistency, of peaceful silence and reflection, of exercise, of teamwork, and even rest ... yet strategically maximized his teaching time.  
• His creativity and flexibility were often employed to adapt to the setting, circumstances, background knowledge, learning styles, or struggles of those he taught.  
• He had an amazing ability to differentiate instruction by challenging the advanced thinkers while effectively reaching those emerging learners.  
• He consistently demonstrated a passion and patience for children.  
• He embraced inclusion and often requested those students who were hurting, ignored, disabled, forgotten, or struggling.  
• He made home visits when needed or helpful.  

The 3 best questions to ask on a reference call for a teacher!

When I call another administrator to inquire about the performance of a teacher I am considering hiring, I ask just 3 simple questions!

1. Does he/she love kids ... and how do you know?
2. Does he/she (still) have a passion for teaching (and learning) ... and how do you know?
3. Is he/she a great teammate ... and how do you know?

I used to ask a lot of questions to try and sound smarter than I was or to impress.  Now after nearly 30 years in this business of education, I simply ask what matters to me as the instructional leader of the school, what would matter to me as a parent of a child in that classroom, what would matter to me as a member of their team, and what aligns with the mission/vision of our school.  

As a former high school administrator, I know "content command" is relevant ... yet (in my experience) it still cannot overcome a lack of the aforementioned qualities.  

A few weeks ago I read a quote (author unknown) that said to "hire character ... train skill", and that almost perfectly sums up my aged philosophy.  Love, passion, and teamwork are attributes that someone either has or not.  All the other "stuff" we often discuss or desire can be taught or professionally developed by skilled leadership teams or strategic mentors.  

Think of the best teachers in your school ... or the ones you want to teach your children!  I bet they warrant answers in the affirmative to the questions above.  So remember ... keep it simple and focused with the next reference call you make!