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Garden City Teachers Association Reflecting Quality Education
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Institutional Aimlessness September 2007 Most important, leaders can conceive and
articulate goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations and unite
them in pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts. For educators, summer is a time of reflection. Temporarily relieved of the burden of the daily grind, we have a unique opportunity to consider the year past, and plan for the year ahead. While many of us engage in such reflection and planning to chart our own individual paths, some also ponder the larger direction of the district as a whole. For, while each of us has the power to shape our immediate environments, we are unfortunately at the mercy of larger forces when it comes to the broader context within which we must operate. Given our dependence on others, it is fair to ask where we are going as a district, and what we are doing to get there? In fact, if you stop to think about it for a moment, can you identify any long-or short-term goals of the district? If you are like many of us, the answer, other than some very nebulous concepts such as preparing students for the future, is a disappointing “no”. While many of us have probably grown used to this state of institutional aimlessness, the lack of clearly articulated, concrete goals has important implications for all of us. Goals provide members of an organization with two very important things– guidance and inspiration. At the concrete level, goals establish tangible benchmarks for each of us to keep in sight as we prepare our day-to-day plans. At the more abstract level, and as Gardner points out, more importantly, they help to foster a sense of mission and purpose among staff. Though most of us invariably become mired from time to time in the demands of our daily routines, the existence of a clear and meaningful mission provides us with the inspiration to persevere and push forward. In short, goals give our efforts value. So what, then, are the objectives that we seek to meet? According to our district’s Mission Statement, “Our goal and responsibility is to help each student develop an enthusiasm for learning, a respect for self and others, and the skills to become a creative independent thinker and problem solver.“ But what, exactly, does that mean? And more importantly, how can I even know whether what I’m doing on a daily basis is moving my students closer to achieving that goal? Also, what are we doing as a district to facilitate the successful achievement of this goal? Unfortunately, with such a vague objective, success or failure is nearly impossible to measure. What we, like all organizations, need, is not vague platitudes, but concrete and clearly enunciated goals that will guide and inspire our efforts. We want leadership that lifts us up with a vision, not management that wears us down with bureaucratic burdens. We and our students deserve nothing less.
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