awareness that I thought I’d never alter.
And then, an unthinkable crisis devastated our school. An event so horrid that it
would not only cause a rapid cultural metamorphosis of the school, but challenge me
to instantaneously redefine my approach to
instruction. A mid-year suicide of a student
brought the school to its knees and shifted
the focus from learning to one of survival.
Our campus, a California Distinguished
School and the envy of Folsom Cordova Unified, in one day experienced the most extreme
and unimaginable climate transformation.
Laughter in the halls was replaced with posters wishing a peaceful rest for the departed.
The quad was overrun with TV cameras and
reporters. Sadly, some parents chose to keep
their children home from school in a desperate attempt to insulate them from the burgeoning cultural pathogen. Instantaneously,
learning grinded to a halt.
It was entirely the school’s fault, of course.
At least, that was the initial reaction from
every person and news outlet that heard the
story. Parents, friends, students, and indeed
much of the nation wanted a villain, someone
or something on which to blame the tragedy
in hopes of receiving closure or at least a better understanding of an awful situation. “The
teachers didn’t listen and take corrective action.” “The administration didn’t place students’ safety as a priority.” “The campus has
not adequately addressed the bullying epidemic.” It seemed everyone had developed an
opinion, identified the culprit and even offered a solution.
The story was covered extensively on every
local news outlet as well as having significant national reach. Social media took the
incident viral. Behind the mask of genuine
sympathy for the student and the family
was unconditional disgust for our school. In
many people’s minds, teachers, administrators and students were all at fault.
Hate mail condemning the innocent was
received from as far away as Australia. I
found myself with a front row seat, watching
the school’s administrator desperately trying to manage chaos in hopes of cultivating
the “safe and productive learning and working environment” called for in the California Professional Standards for Educational
Leaders (Standard 3). Student engagement
barely registered a detectable pulse, while
the social-emotional needs of students
buckled under the concerns that consumed
our school.
CPSEL Element 3C: Climate
In a 2014 keynote presentation to the
California Association of School Social
Workers, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson challenged: “Without
a positive school climate, students will not
benefit from improvements in curriculum
and instruction, and reform efforts fall
short.” Even though a strong curriculum has
been said to be the most important determinant of success, the above scenario is a stark
reminder that a strong and viable curriculum
has an essential prerequisite: Learning cannot take place inside of chaos.
An administrator’s job must be to first
positively shape the culture and climate of
a school so that the institution is a bastion
where children are excited to learn. “A great
deal of research suggests that student perceptions of school climate affect academic
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