Do you ever feel like Charlie Brown? Or are you Lucy?

When I think about the power dynamics of my current school, I always feel like Charlie Brown.  I have worked in various schools and school districts, and I have never seen a consultant as embedded at a school as the one we have here.  The consulting organization is asked to supervise staff and provide administrative support.

 Here's another analogy for you.  You tested the Christmas lights and they all worked.  You put them on the tree and when you're done with the decorating of the tree you see a section of the tree doesn't light up but you can't figure out which light bulb needs to be replaced.  That's how it goes here sometimes.

I guess my point is that the power dynamics have nothing to do with a persons position and more about who you know.  Recently, I had a member of the consulting agency tell me that she got the data and made recommendations to student placement.  I was so annoyed by that comment that I said, "well, then you should be the EL specialist. Why do they need me?"  Of course, instead of agreeing with me my supervisor informed me that I was being divisive.  My supervisor also thinks she has the final word but it never ceases to amaze me that when we ask her for something she has to go clear it with the  data manager.  I got in trouble one day because I repeated a comment that some one else made to me, it wasn't a secret but my supervisor was angry... she still brings it up.... the other staff member commented that really the other lady was the principal... she controlled everything... it's just that the principal wouldn't admit it.

So there you have it... the power is in the hands of people with adult agendas, not children.

No More Intervention Classes!

According to https://strengths.gallup.com, "a strength is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity." The site goes on to explain that the "key to building a strength is to identify your dominant talents, then complement them by acquiring knowledge and skills pertinent to the activity."  Add to that, "practice makes permanent", and you have a community of leaders who focus on a collective responsibility of focusing on strength based teaching.  What an awesome school!  Students no longer attend intervention classes.  They are grouped by their number 1 strength with a teacher who also has that strength. (I want to work here) Then, regrouped through out the day to complement their strengths with other team members.  For example, partnering teachers and students that are strong in INPUT with team mates that are dominant in FOCUS and DISCIPLINE can help to maintain distractions to a minimum.  Teaching core content from a different perspective might just get us 100% student proficiency!