Earlier this week I went to retreat for the school where I work. The school I will be working at this year is a Turn Around School. This essentially means that the school has not met the state's established standards for a period of consecutive years. We are now at the point that if there is not improvement, the state could take over our school, and/or it could become a charter school. One aspect of change that was discussed was an 8 step instructional process. While this applies primarily to teachers, it impacts the whole school. I was told that I could be engaged in a period where I am assisting a remediation of sorts with students who need the extra assistance. Frankly I need to learn more about this. I think coming from a social work paradigm but living in an educational world, I don't fully get how this process will be put into practice.
What I did get from the retreat is that I am happy with our new administration team. I think they are all very motivated and have significant strengths to improve the school. I also saw and spoke with many teachers who appear motivated to challenge themselves to make changes and work together to make the school more successful. We are making very significant changes, including splitting the school by gender, changes to the schedule, changes to instructional methods and increased engagement of community partners. I am beginning to do some research on how to better engage parents and families and I'm excited to be proactive about that aspect.
The retreat was an alert that this will not be an easy year. It could very well be another school year where I have a pink slip towards the end of it (like I did this past school year). I know it will be some late hours and hard work, but I am excited to be where I am at. I am excited to be a part of facilitating change and success. The kids at my school are awesome and they deserve it.
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