After reading Chapters 5 & 6 please answer the questions below by midnight October 21, 2012. Don't forget to respond to two of your classmates. Happy Reading and Blogging.
Dr. A
Chapter 5: Unleashing a Culture of Leadership
This chapter discusses the culture change of A.B. Combs and what was invovled leadng up to their success.
1. How is "culture" defined in the book?
2. Each year, A.B. Combs takes the entire first week to establish the culture of the school. What are the
pros and cons of this approach? In your opinion, is it time well spent?
3. How is the leadership language seen and heard throughout the building.
4. Describe the culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences. Describe
YOUR plan on changing the culture in this College.
1. How is "culture" defined in the book?
ReplyDeleteThe book states that “culture” results from the combined behaviors of the people involved in the particular school; in can be seen, felt, and heard. It defines culture as “the way we do things around here.” The books also states that culture is not mission, the vision, the strategy printed or mounted, and not the list of school values or the schools policy manual. Culture isn’t the proclamation out of someone’s mouth, but how people actually behave and treat each other on a consistent day-in and day-out basis.
2. Each year, A.B. Combs takes the entire first week to establish the culture of the school. What are the pros and cons of this approach? In your opinion, is it time well spent?
In my opinion the pros most definitely outweigh the cons in considering whether or not take an entire week to establish the school’s culture. I heavily agree that it is time well spent. The only con of this situation I can think of is that it may take away instructional time. The pros of the situation include the kids not only becoming acquainted with the culture of the school, but by practicing it for an entire week it is committed to memory. The practice makes it easier utilize and put into effect throughout the school year.
3. How is the leadership language seen and heard throughout the building.
The language throughout A.B. Combs is complete and utter positivity. They focus on what students can do as opposed to what they cannot do. Every day as well as throughout day the children are told how much they’re loved. Not only is it communicated verbally but the children can see it on the bulletin boards and the walls. Each teacher greets their children each day along with the assigned “leader of the day”. The language is reinforced trough music.
4. Describe the culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences. Describe YOUR plan on changing the culture in this College.
I’m very new to the college, so I don’t know that I could say much about the culture or how it could be changed. However, what I can say is that the staff really stands behind the students. They work for much more than a paycheck. I feel that the staff really enjoys what they do and that they sincerely want to create amazing educators. The only change I would make to this culture is adding myself to the staff in my future.
Jameon, if you stay on the path you are on, you will be a tremendous asset to all of the cultures where you are a member. Continue to look on the upside of life and AAMU!
DeleteI liked how you said the school focused in on all the things the students could do instead of what they could not do. This is a key point. Even in our personal lives we will find we are all happier and more productive when we focus in on what we can do instead of what we cannot do. Profound concept. Don't believe me? Try it for a week!
DeleteI liked your positive attitude! On question number one I would have liked to see you expand a little more. The definition was almost exactly what the book said.Keep positive and think outside the box.
DeleteYou are so right practice does help you to remember things. I think the week is well spent as well because it helps kids get in the routine of the classroom procedures before they start instruction.
DeleteI always enjoy reading the positive feedback. Thanks a lot guys.
DeleteJameon, After being in the College for almost a semester what would you say is needed or what would you say is the best part of the College of Education. I would like your thoughts in comparison to the College you came from. Just some thought provoking ideas.
DeleteChapter 5: Unleashing a Culture of Leadership
ReplyDelete1. How is "culture" defined in the book?
The culture of a school or community can be hard to describe. It is a combination of the way people act and what they do every day. It is seen by observing the behaviors of the people involved. At A. B. Combs, every student and every staff member takes the time to understand their responsibilities as leaders and why they are an important part of the community of leaders. Language is an important part of a culture and can be observed in the way the students speak respectfully to their peers and elders, and in the positive and caring statements the students hear from their teachers every day. The artifacts or “things” that one might find at A. B. Combs illustrates the theme of leadership, caring, and positivity. Traditions are another aspect that makes up a culture. At A. B. Combs, the traditions include, making everyone a leader, building relationships, achieving academic success, community involvement, and creating lasting positive memories. If the folklore of this school were to be heard a hundred years from now it would depict a culture of people who were positive and caring leaders.
2. Each year, A.B. Combs takes the entire first week to establish the culture of the school. What are the pros and cons of this approach? In your opinion, is it time well spent?
The con of taking a week to establish culture is that they lose a week of teaching core subjects. The pros are that instead of dealing with discipline issues and lack of motivation they will have students that want to cooperate and be successful.
I definitely think this would be time well spent. We are told to spend the first day of school discussing the rules and procedures of the classroom and practicing these items to make them habits. If spending just one week on establishing the desired culture will give me the types of results that A. B. Combs has had, it would be foolish not to invest the time.
Dana, Harry Wong, the guru on Classroom Management would say the first week is the most important in establishing routines and procedures. I think the results you see at AB Combs and other schools bear witness to the importance of this.
Delete3. How is the leadership language seen and heard throughout the building.
ReplyDeleteThe teachers give the students positive reinforcement by telling them how well they are doing and someone believes in them. At the beginning of the day the students will hear Muriel telling them they are wonderful, that they are doing a good job, and that she loves them. The students are greeted every morning by complimenting them on how they look or an accomplishment they have made. Music is also used to communicate the importance of the students or the leadership skills.
4. Describe the culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences. Describe YOUR plan on changing the culture in this College.
The culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences is one of high expectations and diversity. We are taught to respect an embrace the differences of our students and ourselves. We are expected to be proactive and use all resources available to obtain profound meaning from our classes.
I would like to let some of the professors know that while it is good to have high expectations, it is not necessary for them to act as though they know everything and that because we do not we are not worthy of their time. Some professors act as though we are bothering them if we ask questions. I understand that it is important for us to try every avenue to get the answers, but sometimes we need guidance and an encouraging word. In order to change the culture of this college, I would like to give some examples of people that I feel do a good job of motivating me to be a better student.
Dr. Alexander is good at letting us know she has high expectations of us. She is also good at giving us positive feedback. She also encourages me to gain new knowledge by showing her interests in learning. I like the way she reacted to the presentation made by the reading coach at Providence. She showed genuine concern for the future of our students. I also like her comments at the end of her emails, such as “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” ― Albert Einstein
Another person that has inspired me is Dr. Hawley. I only had one class with him about six years ago but if he sees me he will say things like “There’s one of my students. How are you and your family doing?” or “I now you will do excellent!” He always acts as if I am important.
Dana I like Dr. A's quote as well and when teachers make you feel you are not worthy of their time keep going back until you get understanding anyway because we are in school to get understanding. Plus we pay a pretty penny not to get understanding and it is their job. I get fueled up even more when people seem like they don't want to help me or that i'm not worthy of their time.
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Deleteyou answer to number three reminds me of this quote.
DeleteRegard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys.
Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death!"
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War
As a teacher love your students as your own and you will have their attention.
William,
DeleteMy son is now in the military and your quote sent chills down my body. I pray daily for him and others that the leadership they have is a good one to follow. Powerful Thanks for sharing.
Chapter 5: Unleashing a Culture of Leadership
ReplyDeleteThis chapter discusses the culture change of A.B. Combs and what was invovled leadng up to their success.
1. How is "culture" defined in the book? The book says that culture is how a person behaves and how people treat one another on a day to day basis. Culture can be seen, felt, and heard.
2. Each year, A.B. Combs takes the entire first week to establish the culture of the school. What are the pros and cons of this approach? In your opinion, is it time well spent? The con of the approach is that students lose a week of instruction. The pros are that students get to know one another, students have the chance to feel connected, manners are taught,and etiqutte is taught. I feel the week is time well spent because the students are learning meaningful things that will help them be successful through the school year in and out of the classroom.
3. How is the leadership language seen and heard throughout the building. The leadership language is heard throughout the building on the intercom system, teachers and assigned greeters greet students at the classroom door,and groups huddle in the hall to share things. The language can also be heard through positive songs playing throughout the school. The language can be seen on the morning news reports and on bulletin boards throughout the school.
4. Describe the culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences. Describe YOUR plan on changing the culture in this College. I haven't been in this college long but i would say that the teachers have high standards for the students. Some teachers are more motivational and encouraging than others but overall i think all the teachers just want their students to be successful. I would change the culture by first working on myself because i am apart of the culture and if i don't set some goals for myself how can i want to change a whole departments culture. After setting my goals i would apply them and try to remain positive through hard times at school. I would also try greeting people more and looking people in the eye. i also plan to be more positive to my classmates because sometimes positivity can rub off.
I like your answer to number 4 "if i don't set some goals for myself how can i want to change a whole departments culture. After setting my goals i would apply them and try to remain positive through hard times at school." It reminds me of this quote
Delete"Where there is no vision, the people perish...." Proverbs 29:18
I agree with William about your answer to number 4. If we can not set change in ourselves how can we expect it from others? You make a great point about setting goals for ourself and then staying positive during the hard times.
DeleteVanessa, I'm so happy to read your comments about changing the culture by starting with your self! When you say you are going to look people in the eye and greet people that made my heart so happy! I have found you to be a great person to listen and offer encouragement and I'm glad we have become acquainted this semester. I hope you will follow through and greet people because there are many people here on campus that could benefit from the warmth of your friendship!
DeleteVanessa, I love how precise you put the definition of culture. So my question to you--what type of culture would you like in your work place and how would you develop such a culture. Each of you describe the College in "very interesting" terms. What would you like higher education to do differently? Just wondering. How would you make it happen??????
Delete1. How is "culture" defined in the book? The book defines culture as how people actually behave and treat each other on a consistent dailey basis. It can be seen, felt and heard.
ReplyDelete2. Each year, A.B. Combs takes the entire first week to establish the culture of the school. What are the pros and cons of this approach? In your opinion, is it time well spent? The cons are the expense of time in the first week teaching the 7 habits and writing a mission statement and not the core subjects. But the pro is that it prevents a heavy amount of discipline issues and the students build a connection between each other and the teachers.
3. How is the leadership language seen and heard throughout the building? The language of leadership is heard and seen through words of affection and inspiration from the teachers and the fellow students (such as the greeting the students at the door each morning with positive statements).
4. Describe the culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences. Describe YOUR plan on changing the culture in this College. I see that the school is building on the student teacher relationship where they are mentoring the students to be professional now so it will not be a shock for them when they start their career. Thus , I see a mentor culture and not just a knowledge giving culture.
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DeleteAlso if I was to change something about culture at A and M it would be the students dressing for success. I had to learn that dressing for success now in practice would be good for them because it would not be a shock for them later. I see that A and M is preparing them for that. I just hope more students would grasp onto that very soon and with vigor. I see a good number of the students dressing for success now. Doing it now would give them good habits.
DeleteI have to say that I love the idea of greeting the students at the door with greetings of affection. That is such a great way to start the day. I observed at a Madison City school that each day the kindergarten teachers meet their students at the door and the students could choose to receive a high five, thumbs up or a hug before the students entered the classroom. This is something I had said I would definitely file away to use when I teach but after reading The Leader in Me I will definitely use one day.
DeleteYour definition of culture is very clean and neat straight to the point but you did define so great job. I couldn’t wait to read my classmates’ responses especially to number two. I couldn’t really think of multiple cons for the situation because I really felt that teaching the 7 Habits for the week is a great idea. I would possibly do a week and a half. I enjoyed reading your perspective on the culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences.
DeleteA mentor culture? Interesting comment. I can see that some with some teachers. I wish it was MORE of a mentor culture. That would be awesome! I agree that even though we have a dress code on paper in the Department, there is much room for improvement with the physical reality. I firmly believe that dressing nicely has a positive correlation on behavior and learning preparedness.
DeleteLOVE your answer to number 4. I don't want you to respond in the blog--just asking who are your mentors in the College and how did you choose them. No reply needed. Just some thoughts......
DeleteChapter 5: Unleashing a Culture of Leadership
ReplyDelete1. How is “culture” defined in the book?
Culture is defined by how someone acts and treats others on a consistent daily basis. It is stated that culture can be seen, felt and heard. The book says that culture can not be proclaimed from someone’s mouth so it really seems to me that the culture comes from the heart.
2. Each year, A.B. Combs takes the entire first week to establish the culture of the school. What are the pros and cons of this approach? In your opinion, is it time well spent?
YES!!! I feel that it is most certainly time well spent. This is time spent investing and instilling traits into children that could bring success in the school year, as well as years to come. Usually a great deal of time is spent that first week learning and establishing classroom rules, so why not also use that time to allow the students to connect? The pros are that the students get to know each other, students are involved in creating list of acceptable and unacceptable behavior and they learn ways to give their “best”. It these things are dealt with at the very beginning of the year, and then this is a way of being proactive and preventing many discipline issues. If using that week prevents many discipline issues then that leaves more time throughout the year for learning. I guess that I am so sold on this program that I have a hard time seeing the cons of it.
3. How is the leadership language seen and heard throughout the building?
The students are told everyday that they are loved and about what they do right. They are greeted at the door by name and usually complemented. The teachers meet in the hallway to share encouragements. Also the news program is used to share encouragements with the students. Music is another way that is used to reinforce the language of the 7 habits. Celebrating and expressing belief in the potential of children is the language of A.B. Combs.
4. Describe the culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences. Describe your plan on changing the culture in this College.
I like to think that my way of changing the “culture” of the department is trying to be as encouraging as possible. This semester has been very difficult for me and there have been several people that have been so encouraging and kind, which has made the stress a little easier to handle. I like to think just by being kind that maybe I have made things easier for someone else. I feel that everyone, whether they are a college student or an elementary student, needs to be encouraged. Encouragement from others may not be a requirement for college student, but it sure can make the path to success much easier.
I always enjoy reading your responses and hearing you speak. The way you speak with your hands (like me) says that your passionate about what you’re saying, your serious, and your really thinking about what you’re saying. I guess I said that because I can visualize you doing this as I read your response.
DeleteYour statement that culture comes from the heart was very profound and I concur one hundred percent. I also agree totally with your response to the second question. I can’t see the students grasping the concept any other way. I was thinking the same thing about classroom rules. I was going to say that exactly.
Encouragement is key in success and I agree that we all should encourage each other no matter what. As I read your comments, I feel as though I am reading my own. Great Job April!
It's interesting to me how many teachers don't stand at the door and greet their students. That seems so simple to me. People always told me I would turn into my mother and I did. When we would get up in the morning we HAD to speak. Her phrase "I didn't wake up with you this morning" is now one I use often. Hello goes a long way.
DeleteI agree that encouraging others is important. I appreciate it when my fellow students encourage me with positive statements. Sometimes it is hard to be positive when you have tons of homework, a job, kids, and too many things to do to count. My peers have been very helpful to me this semester. We can do this!!!! Good luck to everyone for completing this semester.
ReplyDelete1. How is "culture" defined in the book? Culture was defined by several factors: behavior, language, artifacts, traditions/rituals, and folklore. I liked what the book said about the school focusing the first week of school in activities that not only set rules but also to “ensure the students get to know each other and feel ‘connected’”. WOW! How powerful because the culture is not only being created on paper/murals/visuals but it is also being created by building relationships with each other—person-to-person. Every aspect of what the school does creates relationships but also, by involving everyone in every part of “creating” the culture, they literally have ownership on the culture. In the artifacts category, it mentioned the international flags being displayed. I also saw flags at the Leader In Me school that I visited. My first thought in seeing the flags was “even though I am in Falkville, Alabama, I am a part of a bigger culture (as a Leader In Me school) and a much larger world. Even though I am here, I am part of something much bigger than myself (humanity)”. I wonder if others have similar thoughts when they see the flags?
ReplyDeleteI also like how the book stated that the culture gave the students confidence. Having confidence makes a difference in how a person perceives themselves and others. Having confidence also impacts how a person handles various situations that occur in a person’s life.
2. Each year, A.B. Combs takes the entire first week to establish the culture of the school. What are the
pros and cons of this approach? In your opinion, is it time well spent? I think spending a week on building up the culture is an excellent way to spend the time! As mentioned earlier, I think this builds relationships and activates ownership in the school and success. I think spending a week also lets the students know that involving them is important, and at least for a week, it is more important than grades. So rarely does a teacher (much less a whole school) get the opportunity to spend time on life skills as opposed to book learning. As others on the blog have mentioned, the main con would be the loss of instructional time, however, if the teachers establish the rituals for a week and then the students create fewer disruptions/discipline problems for the whole year, then have they really lost instructional time in the long run?
3. How is the leadership language seen and heard throughout the building? The language is displayed throughout the building on posters and in murals. The teachers and students use the 7 Habits language in their lessons and with each other. There are words of affection and kindness shared. The “language” starts each day with a greeter who makes everyone feel loved and welcomed. The encouraging language is continued as teachers and students strengthen one another to do their best.
4. Describe the culture of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences. Describe
ReplyDeleteYOUR plan on changing the culture in this College. I can’t speak for the College of Education, Humanities, and Behavioral Sciences because I am really only familiar with my department. What I feel about my department is very mixed. Some aspects of the department are very good but others could use some improvements. I think the best attribute of the department is the teachers and their high expectations. One area that could be improved upon is communication to the students.
As far as my plan on changing the culture, My plan is to be helpful and friendly to my fellow Normalites! In my first few semesters here, I felt lost because I didn’t always know things, like when registration started, additional tests I needed to take (Praxis II, GRE), and other such things. One day a fellow classmate mentioned something and I said, “How do you know all these things?” and she took me down to the Teacher Service Center and gave me my own planner (which I don’t think they have any more). Then she took me to the office and gave me a checklist to graduation. Then I knew more! So my plan to change the culture includes speaking and smiling to everyone, helping others when I can, encouraging my peers to keep trying hard to be successful, and being the best example I can be. Of course, these are characteristics that I try to achieve away from the campus too.
I LOVE your honesty. Thanks. :)
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