You may read Stella’s original 4.1 post here: https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/author/lana-makimytwu-ca/

Thank you for providing such a richly detailed post, Stella!  I have often wondered what a school could really be like if items like all those you mentioned were truly in evidence, able to be applied as necessary without restriction.  It seems, however, that any development begins as a simple group structure and inevitably gets more complex as it grows (Galbraith, 2014, p. 93).  Our colleague Marcelo can speak more aptly about the natural development since the school of which he is principal is only five years into its growth cycle (Warkentin, 2019, para. 1).

Just Like Me

Many of the protocols you have touched on in your post mirror my experiences in the public system.  Have you always worked in an independent school?  One of the reasons I began taking courses through TWU was a preparation step for the possibility of transitioning to the private education system which seemed to require the Worldview course.  Nearly four years and eight courses later and I am still ministering in a public school.  The light needs to be everywhere, right?

This Little Light of Mine

I am curious about your perspective about “being engulfed by the public sector” around you as a private institution (Peters, 2018, para. 3). When I first begin teaching, one of my principals lamented about how the Christian families removed their children from public schools to attend the various private schools started through many church organizations.  He said, “They remove the light and then point at the darkness in our schools. What do they expect when they take away the light?”  That has stayed with me my entire career as I tried to reconcile the ‘light in the world’ dilemma: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, NIV).  Do you collaborate with other schools in your community through various classes or school clubs? Does your school have service clubs who assist others in the community?

‘The Four Actions Framework’ illustrated in Ungerer, Ungerer, and Herholdt (2016, p. 296) does appear to be a useful methodology for making more actionable decisions and providing consistent direction for increasing your school’s light in your community.  More personally, the framework provides structure for purposeful actions in my setting as well.  In Measure What Matters (2011) Paine states, “By finding out what the market thinks are your competition’s strengths you can spot ways to improve your own products.  By learning what the market sees as competition’s weaknesses, you can identify the best opportunities to gain an advantage” (pp.102-103).  Is this business comparison relevant to your educational model and vision?

Mix It Up!

Your suggestion for “challenging teachers to try out another grade level or a new subject” (Peters, 2018, para. 2) would certainly provide a broader perspective for everyone regarding child development and an appreciation for the responsibilities each teacher carries.  This may be more challenging at the secondary level where subject matter proficiency is important for quality of education.  Can there be job shadowing at each level for deeper understanding of the investment at every level?  As teachers we often become myopic due to intense focus on our own immediate grade/class/subject.  Understanding where our students come from and where they are going fosters a more comprehensive understanding of our actual role in their development.  Isn’t this how we make next-step decisions in our educational organizations?

Managing Changes as a Leader

Since I do not hold a formal position of leadership, my influence in my organization is more lateral and supportive rather than directive.  At times, I experience a great disruptive dissonance between my role as an employee and my developing awareness of strategic leadership.  Patience and focus on assisting others in the moment enable me to mitigate my discomfort.  Since you are in a newly-appointed position of educational leadership, Stella, could you please address the following questions in light of your most recent experiences?

1. How do you control your enthusiasm and energetic approach to instituting necessary changes to focus on selecting the most appropriate steps at them moment?
2. What priority system is your team using to enhance what is already a strong educational structure in your community?
3. What measures do you use to identify areas of change in your organization?
4. Who is your main focus: staff, students, parents or board members? How do all these customers benefit from changes or do you need to focus more specifically on one domain at a time?

Thank you, Stella, for taking time to read my response and consider some of my questions.

References

Galbraith, J. R. (2014). Designing organizations: Strategy, structure, and process at the business unit and enterprise levels (3^rd ed.).  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Holy Bible. (1983). New International Version. Indianapolis, IN: Kirkbride Bible Co.

Paine, K. D. (2011). Measure what matters: Online tools for understanding customers, social media, engagement, and key relationships.  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Peters, S. (October 23,2018).  If only I had the chance…(Blog 4.1).  [Blog Post] Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/author/lana-makimytwu-ca/

Ungerer, M., Ungerer, G., and Herholdt, J. (2016). Navigating strategic possibilities: Strategy formulation and execution practices to flourish. Randburg: KR Publishing.  Retrieved from http://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2956/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE0MjcwMjhfX0FO0?sid=5fbd51a5-30a9-4409-a951-e9e184d6d557@pdc-v-sessmgr02&vid=1&format=EB

Warkentin, M. (October 25, 2018). Barriers and hope – 4.1.  [Blog Post] Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/marcelowarkentin/2018/10/25/barriers-and-hope-4-1/