Five years later: idea growth and change

Five years ago I lamented a school structure in place. I advocated for change. I didn't receive much response to my advocacy, but in time the structure disappeared as it was ineffective. Typically when I advocate there's about a five year time between initial advocacy and change. In most cases, I'm not alone in my advocacy. In fact, prior to advocacy, I do some research and survey others to see if they agree or disagree with my analysis. I'm not careless about what I advocate for, but at times, my strategies to make change are not always as successful as they might be. To advocate for change is often challenging and the responses are often negative and disheartening.

As I think about this advocacy and the eventual changes that do occur after several years, I'm thinking about how I might better advocate for change in the days ahead, change in areas where I know we can do better.

First, I'll well organize the information related to these areas. I want to collect all resources related to these changes in one place.

Next, I'll look for ways that I can change my own practice more to reflect these ideas. I'll track the progress of these ideas in my practice.

I'll also move energy from areas less important to these more important areas of advocacy. Every word we say and action we get involved in takes energy, and being mindful about how we spend that energy, buys us time for initiatives that matter most.

And I won't get lost in the details, so I can keep my focus on the greater advocacy.

Areas that I feel most strongly about with regard to positive change in schools include the following:

• Greater teacher voice, choice, and leadership, continued movement away from factory-model schools to modern day teaching/learning communities
• All hands on deck: less administrators/coaches/educators who do not work with children, and more hybrid roles of administrators/coaches/educators who also work with children regularly 
• Effective use of time and staffing: looking closely at staffing and scheduling to make sure that both are directed to the best possible student service, care, and learning
• Better meeting the needs of students who lack at-home academic support. I believe that this category of students are the students we can serve better, and I believe that we don't look deeply at who these students are and the kinds of good programming that will serve these students best. 
• More fair, consistent, and adequate support of all public schools--support for public schools is often inadequate and misdirected. 

I am happy to work in schools and with children--it's a position that is always challenging and always contributing to greater good. This is positive. 

To teach and learn well demands daily reflection, good work, and continual advocacy for bettering the work we do. This matters.