So much is said about a schools culture. Dr Kent D. Peterson describes it as "a set of norms, values and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, symbols and stories that make up the "persona" of the school" (2016). I think I am really lucky to be at a school that has a positive vibe that whanau and visitors comment on, when at our school.
So what makes our school so special? I agree that a school's culture is "seen in the way that people relate to and with each other, the management of the school's structures, the physical environment and the extent to which there is a learning focus for both pupils and adults, including the nature of that focus". Stoll. (1998). Our school motto " Value yourself, Value your learning and Respect all others", underpins everything we do at our school. We are in our fourth year of our positive behaviour for learning initiative. This has definitely improved on the good practices we already had in place- it just made it better.
I don't believe school culture has anything to do with the socioeconomic status of our children. We are a so called decile one school, but if you spoke to our students you will see confident students who know what they are learning and who take pride in their learning.Our students know what they need to learn and most of them set their own goals. They also have many opportunities to develop their leadership skills. The school's latest ERO report states that we celebrate our "diverse community and values inclusion, equity and a culturally responsive curriculum. Leaders and trustees promote parent, whānau and community collaboration and partnership to enhance student learning and wellbeing. The school’s focus on students as individuals promotes their sense of belonging and engagement in learning."
2016 ERO Report.
In the Stoll's (1998) article, Stoll and Fink identified ten cultural norms that interconnected and I feel that we as a school really do these well. As teachers know in what direction our school is heading each term. We know what the focuses are, we discuss and analyse our data in syndicates and school wide, then set new goals. We are all driven to succeed for the good of our students and our school. We have a great collegial staff, all working together, offering help and support where needed. We are constantly trying to improve our practises, we are all learning by being involved in the same PD. We are all encouraged to take risks and there is mutual respect and genuine openness as we grapple with our new learning. We enjoy each others company and there is a good feeling among all the staff, support staff included. We are the role models for our students and most of these norms are also implemented in our classes. Because they value themselves, students know what their goals are for their learning, can articulate their learning and know how to use the success criteria to succeed. By valuing their learning, they are learning to work with each other in collaborative tasks, we also have students teaching each other. Respecting all others includes supporting each other and respecting everybody's input. Our students know that we, their teachers are learning too and that just like them we are lifelong learners.
I feel that all the above works because we have a principal that has vision and passion but it also depends on teacher buy in, as S Gargiulo, Principal of Manurewa High School indicated in his paper on Principal sabbatical report.
References
Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from
http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-
information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-
award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore
Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network's Bulletin 9. Institute of
Education, University of London. Retrieved from
http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-
Culture
Education World (2016). Is your school's culture toxic or positive? Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin275.shtml
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