As I think of areas of school life where common ground is less obvious, I wonder how we can change that. First, I think it's important to understand required dates and actions--what is expected? Sometimes common ground is out of our reach simply due to a lack of communication--people don't know what's important to each other, what's expected. And then, we can talk about goals? What are your goals when you work with me? We may not understand an individual's focus. And the how, how do you want to work together?
This is a good topic as I think about working with a new principal next year. My goals in working with this new principal are the following:
- Always be professional--the principal, due to his/her role, is not your friend
- Understand the principal's quest, goals, mission
- Do my part with honesty, integrity, and good effort
- Contribute in ways beyond my role that I can
I want to support this new principal as she embarks on her new role. We have a wonderful school and overall this was the best year of collective teaching and learning that I remember. I'm sure that she'll embrace who we are and bring new ideas to help make us even better.
In the next year, I'll also seek greater common ground in areas where there has been less common ground. I believe I can achieve this by gaining a better understanding of expectations, goals, and how we'll best work together to serve each and ever child and family well. Onward.
