As Katie Martin has shared, and I wholeheartedly believe, teachers model what they experience.  It is up to the leaders to create systems that foster a culture of learning in schools!  How do we do that?

I have been thinking about this for a long time.  I have only been a principal for six years, but I have learned so much!  The first big lesson: creating change from the top down doesn’t work!  I remember my first year or two talking with teachers.  There were some philosophical discussions in moving to a more learner-centered place to work and learn.  “What do you want us to do?”  It wasn’t this teacher’s fault; they were used to being told what to do and how to do it.  When I heard that question, I realized we needed to have a lot more discussions!

We started talking about growth mindset.  What does that mean and look like?  We spent a lot of time getting clarity for adults, then we rolled it out to students.   This was teacher-led, and we refer to it, often, after four years!  (I did love it when both of my fabulous APs left – one retired and one got a promotion – and I was asked by a teacher, “What do you think about that growth mindset, now?”  It was a good opportunity to laugh!

WE had to create a positive culture where growth mindset was present, and we had to explicitly presume positive intent.  That was the first “norm” we developed.  If we don’t think the people we work with have positive intent, we would not be able to grow and move in the direction we needed to.  Teachers pointed that out, and we all agreed!

In changing practice, we knew we needed to be explicit with what the changes should look like.  We implemented best practices for small group instruction, formative feedback, and scaffolding and differentiation this school year.  As all things, some jumped on board and developed those practices and used them regularly, while some took a little longer to get a better picture of what these changes meant for their practice.  And that’s okay!  We, as a faculty, celebrated growth and started giving out badges to encourage teachers to implement these best practices.  Teachers opened up their classrooms for others to observe and learn.  Teachers coached other teachers.  Over the past three years they have developed trust and common goals!  It’s been exciting to be a part of this transformation!

Systems have been developed along the way to support the new learning and action.  We have PLC (Professional Learning Community) structures, and we meet in cross-disciplinary teams for professional learning and sharing about students.

Reading Learner Centered Innovation has been good validation, but I still continue to learn from Katie Martin and the leaders described in the book.  This has been a transformational experience for me!