1. How is the challenge of making stakeholders feel welcome to your school (or place of work) connected to your school mission?
At my school, e3 Civic High, we try our best to live up to our name. The 3 E's are: engage, educate, and empower. To engage a student is what their learning is in part making them feel welcome to the environment. to empower a student is to make them feel like they can improve the environment. In these ways, I think there is a loose connection between our mission and making students feel welcome to the school.
2. What did you do to assess which stakeholder group (or subgroup) could be more effectively welcomed? And what did you find?
Walking around my school campus with a new set of eyes this week, I began to focus on the relationship our students have with the administration. We are a small school of about 450 students, and so most of the staff know a good deal of the students by name. There is a definite intimacy to this campus. however, there is also a definite Us versus Them attitude going on.
Looking from a students perspective, they begin each morning with a walk up 6 flights of stairs. When they finally get through the door, there is someone waiting there to check their uniform for dress code violations, and their hands for any coffee drinks (which get thrown out). Luckily, we have gotten rid of the essay that would accompany showing up late. This is definitely not a warm welcome. Every high school student is going to find something to complain about, especially with the people who are responsible for enforcing rules, but we can also do out part in making them feel more welcome each and every morning.
3. Future Sphere of Influence: What would you do to improve welcoming this group if you were the school leader?
I think that reinforcing good behavior can go a lot further than punishing bad behavior sometimes. If I were a school leader right now, I would implement a reward system for showing up to school on time and in professional attire.
I would also employ the Advisory class teachers to deal with the students who are not meeting these basic requirements. We talk about creating an environment of restorative justice, but that is really based off the idea of having a positive relationship with a student in the first place. Without that, there is nothing to restore. Therefore, having Advisory teachers handle these things, the conversation moves from one of conflict with an administrator to one of fixing a problem with the teacher who will be spending time with you every week for your whole high school career.
4. Current Sphere of Influence: What can you do in your present position to enhance welcoming these stakeholders?
One underutilized program at our school is the use of character badges. We have 7 different badges that a student can earn for showing courage, integrity, or compassion, among other qualities. There are very few teachers around campus who actually use these badges, and I think that something small like this can help to show each student in class that they are welcome, and that they are appreciated. Not every student aces the tests, but they all have bright spots, and they should all be rewarded for their hard work.
Current Sphere of Influence: Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school a more welcoming place:
1. Greet students with a smile as they enter the classroom.
2. Pass out 2 character badges per class, per week.
3. Make 1 positive phone call home each week.
4. Encourage students to partake in random acts of kindness, and to pass on kindnesses done for them.
5. Cut down on my sarcasm with students. They deserve a more authentic attitude so that they know how much I appreciate them.