I just read an article by John Wink about the +1 Principle. I find it interesting how as administrators we keep adding onto our staff’s plate without removing anything first. When I was a teacher I felt that tasks were being added left, right and center without any tasks being removed for us. However, this year the admin team are trying to remove tasks before adding anything. We meet, discuss, and see if it’s worth implementing or not. We evaluate what would be the outcomes if we do.
We are heavily focused on literacy this year. A lot of changes are being made. We want teachers to focus on that and get well trained at it. We are trying so hard not to add anything new for them. If we do like John said in the article, then we need to support them and remove something. We can’t expect them to do everything at the A+ level. If we can’t provide support then why make them do it? Teachers are not robots and there is only so much they can take and do. They are there for the students, to provide a solid education and to make a difference in their lives. This will definitely stick with me and will make me think twice before adding anything without removing something!
Yes! Finally! Well said!