– Ed Garcia, Principal
In Juli Kendall's latest entry in her MiddleWeb diary, she describes life under her new principal, Ed Garcia. When he took the position, he got on the phone and made a personal phone call to everyone in the school. The teachers found handmade bookmarks and personal, handwritten notes in their boxes before the opening of school. Staff meetings have been renamed "Staff Development Meetings," and Mr. Garcia models mini-lessons about teaching Writers' Workshop. He also provides bottles of water and chocolate. He reads to students over the PA system, he makes sure to visit classes when the kids are making presentations and he writes comments to them, he's wearing shirts and jackets with the school logo, and school morale has never been higher. It's even more exciting to read in Juli's words: http://www.middleweb.com/mw/workshop/jkjournal/jk13.html
This is where – once again! – I feel tremendously lucky. When Martha Shepardson-Killam took the position of Head of Stoneleigh-Burnham School, she scheduled time to sit with absolutely every employee of the school and talk about our perceptions of the school. She also met with students and parents, and continues to do so on a regular basis. Just today, her assistant emailed all the kids in the middle school setting appointments for them to come sit and talk with her over the next few weeks. She, along with many of our administrators, regularly takes the time to send handwritten notes, sometimes even flowers, after special events. She, along with many of our administrators, recognizes the importance of food (especially chocolate) to meetings. She, along with many of our administrators, goes out of her way to see what the kids are doing, in the classroom, on teams, at the barn, in performance... you name it. And, yes, many of our administrators wear clothing with our school logo! In other words, I have the privilege of working with a great many people who have a lot in common with Ed Garcia.
And of course, in this atmosphere, it's not just the teachers who benefit. Kids get into the spirit too. Yesterday, we had visitors for an Admissions Open House, and my Humanities class presented short scenes from Act 2 of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that showed enthusiasm, emotion, creativity, spontaneity, and energy. (They also showed that these kids really understand the characters and really understand the mood of the play, not just a random by-product.) Today, when I was trying to present to them their next major class project (creating a movie trailer for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with the kids playing the roles of Casting Director, Scenery and Costume Designer, Historian, Publicist and Director), they were so excited to get started they kept interrupting me during my presentation to ask if they could start NOW! PLEASE! that I finally had to, smilingly but firmly, point out that I would never get through my presentation if they kept interrupting me. Once they got going, they worked - once again! - past the formal end of class without anyone noticing or complaining. No one has to tell them learning can be fun!
Juli ends her diary entry by stating:
"It's a revolutionary thought, this idea that school is supposed to be fun, but it seems to be working. Teachers are more excited than ever about teaching and students are fully engaged in the learning process. And what's Ed saying to all of this? "I love these kids. They're the best!" Now that's an Instructional Leader!"
To which I say: hear hear.