Vision Statements

I came across this blog post by Scott McLeod right about the time I was reading Senge's chapter on School Vision.  McLeod has several questions worth considering...

How many of us purposefully and explicitly model the learning process for our children? How many of us stand up in front of kids and say, “This is what I’m learning right now. I’m not any good at the moment but this is the process I’m following and this is what my plan is for achieving success. And I’ll give you an update in a few weeks, and then another few weeks, and so on, about how I’m doing?” How many of us purposefully and explicitly show our students what it means to struggle with learning, overcome obstacles, and emerge on the other side more skilled and more knowledgeable than we were before? You already know the answer: nearly zero.

Gandhi said, "We need to be the change we want to see happen."  If we want our students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, communicators, and take initiative in their learning, it needs to be continuously modeled by the adults in their lives.  Being open and honest the way McLeod describes in his blog post allows students to see how learning is a lifelong journey and not confined to 40 minute lectures.  But how do we move past putting together nice/neat visions statements that hang on our walls?  Is it possible to live it out everyday?

Page 347 in Senge's book has a practical checklist for refining and implementing the vision.  Our current superintendent has started the visioning process by pulling together community members, parents, teachers, students, and administrators to discuss the future of our district.  While I have not been a part of the process, I know one of the main questions revolves around what Senge mentions:  "If the vision were realized, how would the curriculum, the design of the school system, the mix of classes and offerings and all other factors fit together?  Create a description-not as the final word, but as a starting point for further dialogue."  I can feel the change coming on and it's exciting to be at the beginning of something really spectacular!