10/26 Elementary Division Meeting

We began yesterday's Elementary Division meeting by reviewing our ground rules, and then had a brief check-in. The check-in took the form of an "emotional thermometer"; each person wrote his/her name on a popsicle stick, and then put it in a cup bearing a number from 1-10, where #1 represented feeling very low and sad, and #10 represented feeling joyous and excited. This thermometer made our emotional states visibile to each other and ourselves, and allowed each person the opportunity to have his/her emotional needs acknowledged by the group. We then discussed how a tool like this could be used in the classroom by students, including when and why a student might want or need to switch his/her emotional status, and the benefits (and need) to have emotions be recognized, and their impact on our actions understood, by students. BTW, this was one of the little tips I picked up while at the EQ conference a few weeks ago.

Teachers then completed the Faculty Culture Profile that is part of the Meaningful Faculty Evaluation tool developed by ISM. We did this because I am continuing to think about the question "what does it mean to be a division?", and the need for us to have a shared basis of data (not just narrative perspectives) from which to make decisions about what topics to discuss. My hope and intention is that a small group of faculty will work with me to analyze the results and decide on areas of focus for future division-wide culture work.

The next phase of the meeting centered on the creation of professional development goals for the year. I began by relating the incredible experience that I had this summer at the NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring Heads in Atlanta, and the nature of the feedback that I received. I then moved on to sharing the four goals that I had come up with based on that data (two of which I've already blogged about on this site), as well as the action steps and criteria for success that I had identified. While 3/4 of my goals are centered on personal growth, rather than professional practice, I acknowledged that faculty can decide if they want to include any personal growth goals within their professional goals,and that it is totally appropriate and acceptable if they choose to keep them all closely related to activities in the classroom. However, no matter the goal, it is important that faculty differentiate between means and ends, and that they determine how they'll know they are moving towards their goals before they begin their action plan, which is the same approach that is involved in determining criteria of growth for assessment before planning instructional activities with students.

The fourth section of the meeting was a conversation led by Kate Klaire on the ongoing work of the student council, and the social facilitation work that she is doing across the school. Topics for future iterations of the council are beginning to emerge, so the planning for those councils is beginning, and the social facilitation work is in full swing, but needing feedback from faculty on the frequency and the degree to which is can/should be based on pre-planned ideas compared to emergent needs in each class.

The meeting then moved into 15 minutes of preparation for the Parent/Teacher conferences that occur next week. To capitalize on the decades of teaching experience around the table, I asked the faculty to share tricks, tips, and approaches that they have found help lead to successful conferences. Not surprisingly, every single teacher had something worthwhile to share with the group, and afterwards people felt more secure about the intention with which they will approach planning for conferences. If you're looking for a great book to check out about conferences, please read The Essential Conversation by Sara Lawrence-Lighfoot.

The meeting concluded with short conversations about the SST process, the redesigned approach to assemblies that I blogged about last week (sign-ups to present a 5-minute "showcase of learning" at each assembly went out digitally after the meeting), and planning for on-going child visits over the next two weeks.