This is a dream school grounded in some reality. It is a place of transparency and vision. The vision is to provide student with a view and plan for their future. It is to provide teachers the openness and comfort to share their own vision and practices; accepting and providing feedback on the work. It is a place of continual and innovative learning, for administration, teachers, students and the community at large. The curriculum is grounded in theory, supported by data and open to new views.
Who are the students?
Our school is open to all with the intent of creating a diverse learning pool. Our students are allowed to attempt any course of their choosing. There are intensive courses in the upper years that allow students to pursue passions in the various academic and visual/performing arts. There is no grade point advantage to taking intensive courses as they are solely for the purpose of allowing students to go deeper and pursue an expertise in what speaks to them.
Students will also be expected to perform community service. This may happen through projects in school that help some segment of society through the work or it may happen after school hours or in the summer. This can also be fulfilled through internships (which will be required for all students) should their passion call them to work in a service or care organization. Internships would hopefully be arranged so that students could investigate their aspirations into various lines of work.
Finally, student assessment will be focused around student reflection on their attempts to create quality, beautiful work. Students will be provided with exemplars and will work with other students to help create the definition of what it means to excel and where there is room for growth.
Who are the faculty?
I believe teachers should be dedicated professionals that care deeply about children. They should be thoughtful and deliberate in planning lessons that require students to think and explore situations while ensuring access to all learners. My responsibility as a school leader is to respect the intelligence and experience they bring to our community. I believe teachers deserve a voice in the leadership of their school. They should also be provided with opportunities to expand their own learning whether it be with other colleagues or outside of the building. I want to create an environment of transparency and openness where all feel free to observe each other and seek/provide feedback to create an innovative and lifelong learning center.
The hiring process would be intensive but would also be formative. It would involve participation/interaction with all shareholders (students, teachers and other staff) in a series of exercises and teaching scenarios that would allow for demonstration of areas for growth and areas of strengths. From the results it could then be determined if placement would be right for the school community including delineating areas for future growth.
Teachers would be have personal learning plans just as students would. All teachers would be required to hold or earn an advanced degree in their subject area. A foundation would be created to fund teacher development in their pursuit of additional degrees. This is not for the purpose of repeating the information back to the students but to have a firm grasp of where students could go in their work and and to provide them with guidance. Teachers would also be required (though hopefully it would be done willingly and gratefully) to continue professional development. This could also be satisfied by leading/participating in in-house lesson planning with peers. All of this is also to model to the students that learning never ends.
What are they doing?
Teachers are engaging students in the discovery of content and skills. But this does not happen by chance. Teachers are active and informed planners who have framed lessons around essential questions and curriculum/habits goals. Teachers are working with colleagues to review lessons, observe practices and give feedback. They are open and reflective about receiving feedback. Teachers also use data to inform their practice.
Teachers are also mentors for a select group of students as they proceed through the school. The teachers know their mentees; follow their academic and cocurricular activities. They create a bond of trust, compassion and guidance with their mentees to foster success at Windows and beyond.
Where are they?
While the hope is that teachers will create interdisciplinary projects and work in shared spaces it is also a matter of having their own space to allow for the creativity and design thinking to come forth. Classrooms have desks or workstations that easily transform into group settings and also can be moved to create open spaces.
Common areas are filled with student work. “Process walls” are also a valuable displays showing other educators and our community the work that it takes to create the work.
Overall, this is a place of transparency and light, hope, wonder and beauty. It’s where everyone in the community fosters a spirit of learning and is grateful for the opportunity to enrich our minds, bodies and soul. It is a vision that I will work on even if only parts of it can come true at a time because it’s good to dream.