Last night as I was making my blog and needed a break I checked Facebook. It was by chance that I came across some beneficial AITSL resources. I would be a waste not to share.
So I emailed my wonderful sub school and shared the resource. As I know sometimes people just want to click what is relevant to them, I broke the links down. I made one for grad, proficient, highly accomplished and of course lead. I let the team know that I have only just started blogging my journey and how this blog will form part of my P&D. I hope that one or two of them ask, as I feel they would be great at this sort of stuff. I will also speak to Steve and see if there is a vacancy for a Twilight session, as I'd love to be able to share with the rest of the staff.
I write at the conclusion of the second day, which seems barely enough days to go through the content that we did. Nairn Walker presenting to us amazing stories, analogy, and some helpful strategies that we can take back to school. Strategies that we can use, but also support our colleagues to use as well.
As I sat there, I related almost everything she said to certain students in the school. This helped my understanding of what we are actually dealing with. If it was black and white, a straight line, that would be way too easy. Instead its a grey windy line, a web if you like. A crazy web intwined with factors that they never told us about in Uni! I wasn't told I would have to teach a student to say 'please' and 'thank-you' because that isn't the norm for them at home. I didn't know I would need to be having conversations with parents explaining why their son punching someone at lunch time is not OK. Numerous basics that I took for granted, the Hidden Rules.
As Nairn says, these students (and parents) backpacks are empty, or very light. They aren't filled with the resources needed to survive in middle class; school! Our school system is middle class, our language at school is mainly formal register, our dress is middle class, as are the mannerisms. When we have parents that enter, they may try to conform to middle class, they might dress nice, or try to speak well with big words, but they are still in poverty. They just know those standards. This poses challenges for us as educators, because of course they will come into the meeting or the parent-teacher-student conferences, on the back foot. And they know this. Add into the mix we begin talking about their child's misbehaviour. We are speaking ill of their 'everything.'
This task is no doubt made easier thanks to the fact that I had organised it for the current year 7's! Nevertheless I'm ready for the hill climb ahead!
I think no matter how many hours and how much preparation goes into this night, I would never feel like I have done enough!
Lots of consultation with Liz and Sam have gone back and forth over the past month or so. Emails, phone calls, meetings, we are all on the same page, it is all coming together.
The folders are prepared, the Resource Centre is getting there, the pre-meeting for Wednesday is book... our absolute organisation is paying off!
Following the School Review PD @ Nossal in May, it is clear that I can't yet "talk the talk." Speaking to people within the region, and listening so intently to the presenters, there were bits and pieces that were missing for me. What does FISO mean? Education State, whats all that and how come I haven't heard too much about that before hand?
Following a conversation with my Principal, it was time to learn to 'talk the talk.' As she said, it really is another language, and there are benefits to learning the language. Parents don't want to hear the professional talk, but colleagues do, departmental visitors to the school do. If I want to aspire to leadership positions in the future, competing against much older adults who have been in the profession for longer than I've been alive, then I need to step up.
Its now time to undertake mass readings, viewings, conversations with different people, whatever I can do, to help me be a better leader. So that I can have a deeper impact on student learning, as well as my colleagues.
My first point of call, AITSL. It's an obvious one. As I read and play for some time, I find some videos.
It is nice to hear that I am already using some of this in my professional conversations. These are more to do with colleagues, rather than the lingo that I need to work on, nevertheless still helpful.
What I like about this is the challenge aspect. I am learning to challenge my staff, in a positive way. I can't say to them, don't do that, instead do this. This just wont work. Its very similar to working with students! I can't say to them, "why would you do that? That will never work?" I need to maintain a professional relationship with them still. I need to gain the respect, the trust, its all so important. It comes down to how I say it. I can ask them "have you tried...." I can tell them an anecdotal story for something that worked with me for that class, that student or around a similar issue. I can support them reiterating the schools policy, to build their capacity as a leader and as a teacher. My perception of challenge is slowly changing to a good thing, and not something that makes ones job hard.
So now to look at the documents that I wasn't so sure about.
The FISO: (Framework for Improving Student Outcomes) This supports schools to deliver the Education State. This model below is what we looked at throughout the PD.
It was interesting to see how OSC is fairing, particularly as we are only so young. This model assists schools in their review. It highlighted to us that we need to be engaging our community a bit more. Some of the key elements within the framework we do really well. It was great positive feedback to see what we had achieved in such little time. Yes, there are some things that we need to be working on, but Rome wasn't built in a day! We have a clear vision at OSC, and partaking in this review, weather it be formal or now, will be of great benefit to us. I know I will continue conversation with Michaela around this as we move through the year.
