The Anti-Culture

I have recently joined the #blogamonth challenge.  It is a website and twitter # to encourage and support educators in blogging. This month’s topic is about School Culture.

In the past few months I built a solid PLN and by doing so I have created a culture of learning for myself.  I have made a lot of changes in my teaching instruction, became more focused on Learning not on Teaching.  I have also shared my shift with my students.  By sharing ideas with them, I was able to narrow down a long list to small list based on my current students needs.  This has created a culture of learning in our classroom, students are learning and I am learning.

Moving to my current school (3 years ago) was the best the move I could have made, due to the culture that the administration created.  There is emphasis placed on building relationships, between the teachers and the students, and the teachers and the administrators.  Teachers are given a sense of anatomy, be yourself, put yourself in the lesson, show the kids who you truly are.  The teachers are pushed to try new ideas, new techniques, new strategies and share these ideas with colleagues.  Communication between my principal and assistant principal is completely open.  There has never been a time feel like I could not walk into their offices and talk to either one of them.  Under this culture I have watched teachers blossom, teachers I have known for years finally be the best teacher they can be.  Including myself, since coming to WMS I have changed so much for the better.  

As hard as our administration works to foster this culture there is an anti-culture working below the surface.  This anti-culture has separated teachers and has driven teachers into the underground. The anti-culture is one where teachers nod in agreement, listen to each other, talk a good talk then go back to the room shut the door and continue on as they have for years.  For example: In a recent Team meeting some of my fellow teachers expressed they were struggling with instruction on a few topics.  I mentioned some ideas I found on a blog (www.teachingthecore.com, @davestaurtjr) and the ideas were turned down.  Not because they were bad or already tried….they were found on a blog.  “I don’t blog.”  “I don’t tweet.”  Really, what year do you teach in 1984? Another time, I offered up a solution to help the students were continually talked about in meetings (from Jack Berckemeyer, Taming the Team, @jberckemeyer).  Again, I was shutdown.  This is the type of reaction that separates teachers, drives teachers underground.  

So from my underground lair (no, seriously my room is in the basement), I continue to share my ideas, email out awesome blogs/websites/articles as they come my way, try new ideas and strategies in my room then share the good and bad.  I will not give up when facing this anti-culture. I will not join them, I will not let them win.

When I come home frustrated due to my battle with the anti-culture, my husband tells me to push through and that the students see I am trying to do what is best for them.  When students see that you as a teacher are trying to make changes, trying to work for them, to focus on learning, that builds the culture of your classroom.  “Change your mind and you will change the world,”  is the poster that hangs in the front of our classroom.  

I use to think I was alone  but due to twitter, blogs and other great technology  I learned I have allies.  Together we can work against the anti-culture, work for the culture our administrators are fostering.  A culture where learning is center, the students are center, and we can change to fit their needs and their learning styles. If you have an Anti-Culture in your school. Do not let them take over, do not give them one reason to think they are winning. Never give up! Your students are counting on you. Be the class they will want to buy a ticket to, be the class that they will pick when given the choice. Thanks, +Dave Burgess , @burgessdave, #tlap!