Wednesday, 27th September
Your Professional Context: socio-economic, culture & professional environment...
Activity 2: Current issues in my professional context
The school I teach at opened at the beginning of 1964 with 207 pupils. There were six classrooms. The school now has an increasing roll of 552, with the ethnic composition of NZ European 76%, Maori 10%, Chinese 1%, Fijian 1%, Indian 1%, Southeast Asian 1%, Other Asian 2% and Other European 8% (Education Review Office 2013).
Hilltop School is a decile 8 rating. This decile rating may seem high but there are families who financial struggle on a daily bases. Deciles are used to provide funding to state and state-integrated schools to enable them to overcome the barriers to learning faced by students from lower socio-economic communities. The lower the school’s decile, the more funding they receive (Ministry of Education).
I have lived in this community for the past 18 years, firstly as a parent and then as a teacher. During this time I have seen both internal and external changes take place in the school culture and climate. Stoll (1998) defines school culture along three dimensions, the relationship among its members; the organisational structure including the physical environment and management system; and the learning nature. Because of it’s central location and outdoor opportunities the community was predominantly retired and holiday homes. It continues to have holiday homes, however due to changing lifestyles many younger families are now living in this area.
The school is at a transition stage with a new leadership team and a clear vision for the future gaining momentum. (Stoll, 1998) in midlife, the school is well established but needs to continue growing and renewing. As a school our values of respect, responsibility, integrity and kindness are strongly promoted by leaders and teachers and contribute to the school's positive tone for learning. Stoll and Fink identified 10 norms that reflect the school culture. Many of these I can relate to as our school strives to educate students in the the 21st century and not become ‘stagnant and decline’ (Stoll, 1998). Introducing electives, BYOD and moving towards FLS are ways that enhance collegiality and are shaping our children’s future. This does not mean change is easy, it can be uncomfortable. Changing mindset within the school and working with the community to develop a shared understanding of educational initiatives will promote a positive culture for the school.
References:
Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture
I agree Sarah, Hilltop has always displayed and followed the values of the school, the leaders and teachers set the tone. It is usually positive. As a parent of the school at times I have felt left behind in the journey towards change and you are very correct in saying change is uncomfortable. Progress is a good thing but sometimes it is hard to let go of things that a community see as important to the history of the school without the knowledge of where the future is taking us. We as a community can be as bad if not worse than teachers with a fixed mindset, we like things the way they have always been and sometimes it is challenging to accept big changes. But change is good for all concerned and we should all get on board this 21st Century Learning juggernaut!
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