Important Conversations

Have you ever had a conversation that felt like a turning point?  I had one this week with a small group of parents from our school who are interested in talking about learning, change and schools.   We had a long discussion about a photo (left) that was posted on Twitter last week.  The location and author is unknown.  We looked at the photo and I asked the group how they felt about it.

There were varied reactions to the message on the image but the discussion was important as was the unintended outcome.  Everyone agreed that being late for class is a problem that negatively impacts learning.  Everyone agreed that loosing 10% on late homework was not OK.  Some questioned why homework is being marked at all.  Some felt that some students might think twice about being late, and others felt the entire concept of the sign is not conducive to an engaging learning environment.  Do we want students to be on time out of fear or because the class is such an engaging place to be?

Several issues emerged in our talk, including homework, grading practices, classroom tone, engaging students, and engaging parents.  One of the most valuable outcomes of the conversation was a recognition that we all come with different backgrounds, experiences, learning styles, and points of view, hence the varied reactions to the sign.  Some might see the message as a good way to motivate, others might be shocked, and anywhere in-between.   This led to an “aha” moment for the parents.  The importance of parent engagement vs. involvement became clearer.  One of the parents put it this way:

“If we (parents) are going to be a key part of the development of a new vision of learning,  there is a need to engage more of our parents and educators in these kinds of discussions so that we can better build a common understanding and vision of how our schools need to change.”

The conversation also illustrated the importance of ownership.  We are all learners and when there is ownership, learning rises to an entirely different level.  Now that the parents “own” this vision of deeper parental engagement, the invitation to other parents will be far more compelling and meaningful then if it only came from school administration.  Our team is looking forward to attending the upcoming EdCamp on Vancouver Island, and they are determined to engage more parents, together with school staff, in talking about learning.  Their idea: host an EdCafe or mini EdCamp in our community this spring.   They are focused, determined and optimistic about the opportunity to celebrate what is working, to reflect on what isn’t, and be a part of the change that is beginning to sweep the education world.  A great conversation.