…it is when people have a genuine opportunity to act and to change conditions that they begin to think their problems through—then they show their competence, raise the right questions, seek special professional counsel and look for the answers. Then you begin to realize that believing in people is not just a romantic myth. But here you see that the first requirement for communication and education is for people to have a reason for knowing. It is the creation of the instrument or the circumstances of power that provides the reason and makes knowledge essential. Remember , too, that a powerless people will not be purposefully curious about life, and that they then cease being alive. Saul Alinsky. Rules for Radicals
On those days when I feel I have hit the end of the road, when I have no new ideas, nothing to believe in as a solution to the misery in our schools—and I do mean that in those times I see and feel misery. The worst of what our schools are for kids and teachers and principals.
Eventually, because I can’t seem to give up, something will come my way to spark my hope, my belief in possibilities, my intellectual interest and curiosity. Through the years, it has been powerful teaching methods for thinking and making meaning, bringing arts into classrooms, confronting issues of equity, and lately I have found renewed interest in exploring the potential for community organizing as an approach toward saving what I believe is essential for kids in our schools, as well as continuing to improve.
I applied some of these principles when working on a whole school initiative piloting a curriculum framework in development. To be part of the project, we had to have a unanimous vote from teachers to participate. One of the key features of our plan included using a large portion of the grant money for two to four release days each year where teachers met in departments for individual planning, collaboration and feedback. We continued to provide time during regularly scheduled weekly after school meetings.
The power of time to talk with colleagues, think about every step of a project, breathe, laugh, eat….where teachers jointly own their time, with support of their leader, help of a facilitator and clearly outlined outcomes…..is something to remember.