Sharing Good Practice
slot with a degreed body.
Building a healthy working school
environment has everything to do with
VALUE validated in the hiring process
and affirming the worth teachers bring
to each student.
more people admitted their mistakes,
more people would learn from them.”
And I hold this to be a present truth.
We live in a society that prides itself in
hiding blemishes and public relations
cover-ups.
For some, a rebirth mindset is needed if
a healthy working school environment
is to be attained and maintained. This
requires cognitive and behavioural
flexibility – and also a willingness to
have fun. What our struggling youth are hungry
to see is an authentic representation
of life. They know no one is perfect.
They know everyone has a story
they're not proud of. What's amazing
is no one is expecting perfection, just
authenticity.”
FUN. FLEXIBILITY.
FORGIVENESS. Here are a few descriptive roles
paramount to building a healthy
working school environment:
When
broadcast
philanthropist
Oprah Winfrey attempted to build
a South African school for girls after
answering the directive received from
the Honorable Rolihlahla Dalibunga
Nelson “Madiba” Mandela, she
admitted to building a school “without
community buy-in,” and filled with the
finest trappings – at first – yet devoid
of the substance needed to sustain a
top quality school. Forty (40) million
dollars for 75 students.
Lessons
learned. The GREAT make mistakes.
The sustained health of any school
begins with reevaluating intentions.
Being clear and consistently vocal
about goals is crucial. Understanding
that in order to achieve goals, the
end must be visualized and practical
steps in place. There should be an
anticipation of what could go wrong,
when ideas on paper do not match
reality, and flexible remedies in place
to resolve them.
Noting
that
every
educator,
administrator, parent and child is born
with their own talents, aspirations and
abilities, if utilised effectively, these
skills will help the most flexible schools
thrive if they can collectively capitalise
on these talents for the school’s short
term, long term and global goals.
Capitalize on the
challenges:
If you have a vision, state it clearly.
Know it. Share it. Wear it.
If attrition, turnover and/or cultural
challenges are daunting, write, sing,
dance, paint or act them out in a
theatrical and/or comedic format.
(Remember what I said about
solutions, they don’t always follow a
rigid horizontal line.) There may or
may not be immediate solutions, but
open acknowledgement is key. Oprah
Winfrey shares, “I once read that if
Cheerleading team:
Every school
needs cheerleaders. Cheerleaders
possess a “can do” hopeful spirit
that is mandatory for healthy survival
and success.
Cheerleaders are
educational energizers!
A Muhammad Ali Team. Having a
team of teachers who have a can “get
knocked down and get back up again,”
attitude, who can brush off minor
disappointments and frustrations will
create a “we can take a punch,” and
thrive environment. These teachers
usually have experienced some form
of trauma or difficulty in their lives.
Identify these scholars.
They are
the ones who remain positive and
productive regardless of inadequate
teaching space, tools, language
barriers or not receiving preferred
teaching assignments. These teachers
could be given any assignment and
they will find, or better yet create,
treasures that shall benefit the school.
The Entrepreneurial Team:
Which educators in your school are
independent thinkers? They need no
textbooks, curriculum or guidance in
order to teach. They are wired with a
resilient, get it done and work until it
is done attitude. Often, they loathe
meetings more than anyone else. In his
business book “Principles,” Ray Dalio,
Co-Chief Investment Officer and Co-
Chairman of Bridgewater Associates
hedge fund management company,
spells out his theory of radical truth
and transparency as the foundation
for his company’s billion dollar assets
under management success. What
can healthy schools glean from Ray’s
message? Pain + quality reflection =
Progress.
Can educational communities have
thoughtful (scheduled) disagreements?
Can schools move from insular islands
to form meaningful relationships with
other – and competing – institutions
for the benefit of their students? Can
sister/brother schools build bridges to
knowledge and understanding without
ego distraction? Can healthy working
academic environments establish a
sacred space wherein truthfulness
and transparency are anticipated and
respected?
The Loner Team
Every single one of these teams can
be created if the people within the
school community (this includes
parents and teachers) are identified
contributors. Loners have the ability
to get much work done alone. They
are the researchers who thrive in
silence. Often, they are instinctive and
can read character well.
Should schools be rigid in their
health approach?
Todd Kashdan,
a psychologist at George Mason
University instructs, “as we get older
we become a lot more crystallized in
our thinking. We think, 'I shouldn't be
playing kickball because I'm 40.' But
who decided kickball is not a proper
thing for a 40-year-old to play? We
create these rigid rules and eliminate
chances to change all the time."
If you’ve ever seen an elderly couple
lovingly taking care of one another and
gushed “Aw. How beautiful,” you may
have also wondered about their back
story. How have they managed to stay
together for 40 or 50 years in a world of
instability, divorce and dismay?
They may tell you that their longevity
comes down to three important
elements: Value. Respect. And
Patience. “I bet you thought that it
was love,” the elder woman might say.
As the Jamaican motto says, “Out of
many, one people.” The same can
be said for creating a healthy working
school environment. It is very possible.
As an Orton-Gillingham trained Learning Specialist, Lisa-Fátimah specializes
in designing multisensory English and Spanish language development
lessons, modifications and assessments for traditional and Dyslexic
students. Her radio shows highlight the primacy of girls’ education,
bilingualism and world language acquisition for a global audience.
Email: [email protected].
Class Time
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