My apologies for my long absence. My new responsibilities as a school board trustee and my recent film endeavor have kept me very busy. Interestingly, the two activities are related. The common factor in both is that of "sharing the vision".
In terms of my film, I thought that I had everything under control. I knew what I wanted. I wrote the script, cast the roles, established the setting, directed the film, shot the footage, and did the editing. That should take care of it, right? Wrong. After I released the first version (the first of MANY) and attached the vision for the film with it, one of the actors (my actor/teacher son) said, "Gosh, Mom, if I'd known that was what you were going for, I would have played my role a lot differently." Enter the sinking feeling of artistic defeat. More of the actors shared similar thoughts, and I quickly realized that I had left out the most important people, the ones actually doing the work on screen. All I could do at that point with a deadline approaching was piece a story together with editing magic. Let's just say that I am no magician, and I don't know any illusionists who can really make something out of nothing. I didn't have all the shots I needed, and I didn't have the time to get them. Note to self: Share the vision with all stakeholders FIRST!
Okay, so the good part of this story is that I went through this before I attended my school board training where the TASB gurus talked about the importance of creating a great vision statement and then sharing it in detail with everyone it affects. I didn't have a light bulb hanging over my head, but I had certainly seen the light.
I heard and read things such as:
- The vision statement is written.
- It lists or describes desired qualities for at least each of the following: students of the district, the community, and the schools in the district.
- Staff and community input was solicited in some fashion and was considered.
- All current members of the board and superintendent have agreed, in a formal adoption or re-adoption by the board, to be guided by the vision.
- The board has formally adopted or re-adopted its vision statement within the last five years.
- The board's annual calendar of activities or another written document clearly specifies when the vision statement will next be considered for review.
- The vision statement is clearly posted in the board meeting room or copies are available at each meeting.
- The vision statement is available on all campuses and all staff members have been informed about it.
The above criteria were specifically outlined for the "newbies" so that we would understand just how important creating and sharing the vision is to the workings of the school district. In addition to these, we were reminded of the following:
- A vision statement is future-oriented.
- It gives employees direction about how they are expected to behave and inspires them to give their best as they play out their roles in the "big picture", the "final cut of the film", if you will.
- It communicates both the purpose and values of the school and the community.
I can honestly - and sadly - say, that after 28 years of teaching, I can not remember a single time when we sat down and truly discussed the vision statement and what it meant to work toward it. I had my own vision of what I wanted to accomplish, and I shared this with my department when we were asked to develop our portion of the Campus Improvement Plan. However, so much of this came to us from the top down that we simply felt we were being handed more administrative paperwork that had to be on file somewhere in case anyone from the state level wanted to see what we were doing. Shame on all of us at all levels for not taking this seriously.
It is my contention that the board of trustees is responsible for "selling" the vision statement to the stakeholders. Maybe this sounds too "Madison Avenue", but it is something Americans understand. Someone develops an idea, and that idea is "pitched" to the stakeholders. Then, question and answer sessions take place to clarify and specify the vision so that all who are a part of the "big picture" can establish specific goals that will support the vision. This is often done in the reverse, which is not necessarily the most efficient way of taking on this task. However, if the goals have already been discussed in a public forum with all groups represented, at least the dreams, wishes, and desires of these groups can assist the board in creating a workable vision.
I am now working on yet another film, a documentary this time. Believe me when I say that I will share the vision FIRST! Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to create a new vision statement for our district, and ideally there will be opportunities for trustees to explain the thinking behind the vision statement in order to get 100% buy-in from all interested parties. At the very least, we should give the ol' college try.
