Intentional Culture.
Several times in my life I have been in a sermon or a safety meeting where I was fairly certain the message was just for me. Let’s just say mistakes may have been made. Anyway, this past week I felt that familiar sense of conviction yet again while attending a conference. During the first twenty minutes, the speaker commented that “culture is that which we don’t confront.” I have heard different variations of this saying, but this one hit me differently. I am certain it is the connotation of the word “confront.” And, I get that. But, when I hear this word in the context of improving in my craft, I supplant the word “intentional.” I think that is because I envision being on the offensive instead of the defensive when I hear “confront.” So, I can be intentional in my visits to classrooms and on my strolls through the halls. I can be intentional with my calendar and insist that I honor the time that I have scheduled versus getting caught up in the whirlwind that walks through the door.
Having said that, I recognize that as teachers we can do the exact same thing. We can be intentional in how we plan our day. We can acknowledge the good in our classrooms and redirect that which detracts from our established goal. We can set a tone of collaboration while maintaining focus on the activity’s objectives. We can all be intentional in what we do. We can go on the offensive in our approach to our day-to-day. I recognize that it is already March, and when we return from Spring Break we will have roughly one month until testing. But, in that month, we can be intentional about what we do and how we do it. We can reestablish our culture.