Jo Weller’s Post

At Saint Louis Sudbury School, students are free to ask questions, learn from, and hang out with students and staff of all ages. Sudbury model school graduates often comment about how they are comfortable talking with their professors, supervisors, and co-workers of different ages. When have you worked with a team who were all the same age? This is a great behind the scenes moment of a younger student asking for help about possibly changing a school rule. He wanted to know about the wording of the current rule, how to make a motion in School Meeting to change it, and help writing the item on the School Meeting agenda. Are you interested in exploring Self-Directed Education in a democratic learning community for your child? Want to see your child reignite their love for learning? Provide them with an opportunity of time and space to discover themselves and prioritize their well-being? Schedule a tour of Saint Louis Sudbury School this spring, consider a Visiting Week in the spring or summer, and enroll in the fall! https://lnkd.in/gfpwApCX (Note: a few spots remain for this current School Year.)

I remember the first time, years ago, that I heard “we need to empower and engage the frontline”. It struck me as odd. “But I know my colleagues”, I thought, “they ARE engaged outside of work, they are creative and joyful…outside of work, they are collaborative and passionate…outside of work.” ✨ Maybe it’s not an employee problem, maybe it’s a work environment one! ✨ ➡️ What if we didn’t have to “empower and engage the frontline” because we never stripped students of their power, curiosity, and autonomy in conventional school systems? Leaders would no longer need to “make it safe to ask questions” because we never learned that it was unsafe… Leaders would quit relying heavily on extrinsic motivation and carrot/stick approaches because we didn’t learn to chase a “gold star” over our own creative passions… Leaders would feel safe admitting they ‘don’t know’ because they never learned their worth was directly tied to school grades… What if? Yes, I work with CEOs to redefine business success by challenging their own preconceptions. But where do you think many of those preconceptions originated? *** Respect humanity (including children!). Improve work. Continuous Improvement without the Other CI, Consciousness Improvement, is unsustainable (and unfulfilling and outdated and expensive and frustrating and…) Let's experiment together: www.theotherci.com *** #theotherci #continuousimprovement #consciousness #executive #leadership #ceo #executivecoaching #sudbury #education #consciousleadership #tps #lean #manufacturingexcellence #respectforpeople #futureofwork #change #management #respecthumanity #improvework

Middle School, Middle Level- these are the people who guide the boys who have to jump as high as they can on every doorway. The girls who are figuring out what to carry in their purse. The ones who call eveyone “bruh” and “bro” every day and as generically as possible. The ones who will -probably- work for a single Starburst, or any type of food… The ones who still need recess every day even if the school doesn’t schedule it, because kinetic energy is still all over the place… when they act awake after 9am. The ones who can change the smell of a room in 3.5 seconds. The ones who are too cool and are too silly- within five minutes and back again. The ones who sometimes have the self-control of a gnat, and then have startlingly profound awareness. The ones who are both mean and kind on the same day. The ones whose brains are neuro-organizing all the files in new places and they forget everything and all their stuff. The ones whose energy could power the world, just like Monsters Inc. The ones who take a special kind of teacher to *get* them. They’re not just smaller high schoolers. Hats 🎩 Off to the Middle Level Educators.

You make two solid points here, Michael, including (1) a Master’s degree itself is weakly correlated to #TeacherExcellence and (2) paying teachers more overall would widen and deepen the pool of talented candidates. If I were starting my physics teaching career today, rather than 30 years ago, I would be able to command a near 6-figure salary in select parts of the country and that figure will only increase in the near term. One key point to add here regards the leaders with whom teachers work. Teachers are attracted to schools with world-class leadership…instructionally, organizationally, developmentally, etc. Teachers leave education due to factors that #SchoolLeadership directly controls. If we increase #PrincipalExcellence we will do more to improve the teacher pipeline than exorbitant raises ever could. s4e.com

More work is needed to enhance educator diversity in New York, however, it is crucial to acknowledge and draw lessons from the progress made across the state in offering increased opportunities for teachers and school leaders from diverse backgrounds. Our latest report on educator diversity draws lessons from how the New York State Education Department (NYSED), local school districts, institutions of higher education, schools, and advocates are working toward improving educator diversity. Learn more: https://loom.ly/0x8FRg4

Follow-up to the Lumina Foundation report on their HBCU adult learner initiative: One of the most interesting insights I gained from supporting Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) last year is that many of their adult learners desire a "full college experience." They want to feel as valued as traditional students and integrated into the campus community. This is a different sentiment from research I've conducted at PWIs, where adult learners often want to get in and get out without much fuss. One key action step that arose: Design an adult learner "Signature Student Experience" that starts from application and extends to alumhood. For HBCUs, which are deeply rooted in tradition, incorporating elements of the student experience such as Greek life, band, choir, and other traditions can significantly enhance the adult learner experience and provide them with the enriching college journey they seek - and frankly, pay for.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of the great teachers out here! April and May are no joke in classrooms, so if you know great teachers, send them an encouraging note, lift them up, or say a little prayer for them, especially those who serve in high poverty schools. The data doesn’t lie. “In Missouri, 44 percent of newly-hired teachers leave in their first three years in the classroom and about 54 percent leave within the first five years.” Yes, our ultimate goal should be optimal academic and social emotional outcomes for children. However, school systems have to figure out paths forward that don’t compromise the wellness of their frontline workers - the teachers. To school boards, executive teams, and leadership teams all over the nation, I challenge you to be incredibly mindful of your decision-making process as it relates to student achievement. Are your systems sustainable for the teachers who are driving those outcomes? Are you making decisions without genuine teacher voice? Are you fairly compensating teachers for their efforts? I will forever be an advocate and champion for great teachers. If you are one of them, treat yourself to something special just for you this week! You’ve earned it! 🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🍏

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Don't miss this webinar! We are excited about learning how the Family as Faculty approach grows the social networks of family leaders and improves teacher candidates’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions in building relationships with families, especially in the area of mathematics. Learn what they did and how they did it! #FamilyMath