Building an Intentional School Culture by Elbot Charles F.;Fulton David;

Author:Elbot, Charles F.;Fulton, David; [Elbot, Charles F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1994122
Publisher: Corwin Press
Published: 2007-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

“Top drawer teaching and learning can never flourish in a sterile or toxic environment.”

—Terrance Deal and Kent

Peterson, authors (1999), p. 11

Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons including limited time, few schools function this way; they go on treating issues one episode at a time, one classroom at a time. This is why issues such as tardiness, cheating, and bullying persist.

At some schools the principal tries to solve all the problems, while other schools address problems collectively. Principals who try to handle it all have all kinds of reasons for doing so: Teachers are too busy and don’t want to be bothered. It takes too much time to get input. It’s my job as a principal to make decisions, and so on. Whatever the reasons, these principals forego the benefits that different perspectives bring to problem solving. Sometimes if a problem is framed differently—which is more likely when more than one person is looking at it—it is much easier to address.

Some schools solicit help from students to solve problems. A good example comes from an elementary school in Denver. About seven years ago the physical education teacher, Chris Baumgartner, decided to ask her older students to help address issues on the playground. The result is her hugely successful P.E.Aces (a play on the word “peace”) program. The P.E.Aces, who are fourth and fifth graders, each host a “station” at recess. Working often in pairs, they host a basketball station, a jump rope station, a “shark attack” station, or any of the many other recess games, all of which have been taught in a physical education class. The P.E.Aces are there to help to reinforce skills, to reteach rules, and to help settle any disagreements among participants. They can even join in the games if they want. Many younger students look up to them and someday may fill their shoes.

The results of the program have been amazing. Almost all playground fights have been eliminated, and students are returning to class in a better mind-set to learn. In addition, relations have improved between older and younger students, older students are developing real responsibility, and the school had not lost a single piece of sports equipment in the last five years. Other teachers feel it has had a positive effect on the entire school culture.

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