Eklund Consultant, Todd Battaglia, looks forward to a new school year, full of questions.
This time of year is so exciting and full of hope. If it is not, please contact us ASAP!
Many school districts start the year with a message of hope and excitement about the days ahead. Parents and students are picking out the right outfit for the first day of school and the right items to hang in their lockers. One must have the right pencils and pens or this year could be a disaster!
In all the preparation for the new year, staff members might be focused on a new classroom, new roster of students, new school, new grade, new curriculum…I’m going to stop this here, because at the beginning of the school year, each staff member has at least one new something, probably more. This is part of the excitement and the stress.
The start of a school year is also a great time to set some goals and norms about how we will continue to build our school culture. Here are some questions based around school culture that are worth attention as we begin the year.
Teacher/Paraprofessional
- What are my biggest goals for my students this year? Have I set up check ins specific to these goals throughout the year?
- In what ways will I affect my colleagues and students with my own personal behaviors this year?
- What do I need to be the “best possible me” at school this year? (i.e. rest, family time, exercise…) Have I blocked my schedule for this time?
- How will I approach the difficult times this school year? With students? With parents? With co-workers? With Administration? With District?
- In what ways am I personally modeling the culture we wish to create in our building?
Building Administrator
- How are we welcoming new staff not just to the building, but to our culture?
- Which staff members might need a little more support going into this new year than in the past?
- Have we set up our building leadership team to be successful in the meeting room and throughout the building?
- What are our biggest goals for the school year and do we have opt-in for these goals or are we asking for buy-in?
- Have we set up check ins on our biggest goals throughout the school year?
- How will we continue to grow our culture throughout the year?
- How was our communication last year? Does it need some tweaking?
- In what ways am I personally modeling the culture we wish to create in our school?
Central Office
- Have we designed our PD time to be beneficial to all staff?
- Have we heard from all necessary stakeholders before making changes/bringing new initiatives?
- What are our biggest goals for the school year and do we have opt-in for these goals or are we asking for buy-in?
- Have we set up check ins on our biggest goals throughout the school year?
- How open, effective, and reciprocal are our opportunities for communication with building leaders and all staff?
- In what ways am I personally modeling the culture we wish to create in our district?
Schools begin the year with culture in mind, time together as a staff and catered lunches, but building a school culture is a daily part of the job. Now is the time to prepare and give thought to how we, personally, affect and can help build positive school culture.
Have a great school year and have fun!