One concerning trend I see in education today is a general mistrust by some parents and legislators of schools and educational professionals. This seems to be driven by the larger culture wars in society, but it is multi-faceted. Some parents are obsessed with the content presented and controlling the material to which their students are exposed. Others are concerned about the lack of quality in the education their students receive. Unfortunately, there are some examples which generate media attention of educators behaving unprofessionally, making unwise curriculum choices, or being ineffective. However, the media attention to these bad examples obscures the efforts of many more educators. The current mood of legislators seems to be to add more oversight and bureaucracy and to be stingy with resources and compensation. This tends to drive quality educators from the profession and leave schools looking for warm bodies to be in the classroom. This of course exacerbates the situation. Although Lake Norman Charter has not been completely sheltered from these outside trends, I believe many of its characteristics have helped it remain successful. I believe these characteristics can be a model for other schools.
When I was first hired at LNC, I was told that teachers at LNC are considered to be the experts in their classrooms; my experience over the past nine years has validated this assertion. This is stimulating as a professional educator. As we hear rumors of school systems giving teachers scripts to follow, prescribing rigid pacing guides, and requiring detailed lesson plans, it is liberating to be at a school where I am trusted to do my job and given the freedom to do it in the best way I think I can. Along with this freedom and trust is of course the expectation that teachers at LNC will provide quality instruction to students, but this is communicated in an inspirational rather than oppressive way. A related quality which makes LNC successful is strong, positive leadership which is supportive of teachers. The focus seems to be on clearing the way to allow teachers to do what they do best. The leadership provides a clear vision and helps create an atmosphere for that vision to develop. There is an effort on the part of administration to minimize paperwork and streamline procedures. Other school systems seem to be moving in the opposite direction which saps the energy of teachers. There are circumstances which perhaps make it easier for LNC to create this positive climate than at other places. It helps that we are a smaller operation and somewhat self-contained. Being limited in size helps us create more of a family atmosphere. The nature of our school encourages buy-in from our families since they choose to be a part of the community instead of simply being assigned to it. I believe LNC’s success should cause educational leaders and legislators to establish policies and practices which will encourage this type of environment in other schools.
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The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.
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