Week 26 - Current Issues in my Professional Practice

Current Issues in my Professional Practice

I found this task quite difficult as I have recently changed jobs and have been in my new school for only several weeks.  I will endeavour to delve into the culture of my new school as best I can and use it as an opportunity to understand how my contribution can influence the climate.

My school is very new and has only been open for four years.  It is located on the outskirts of Papakura.  It is zoned for a new and expanding subdivision where the median house price is over one million dollars.  It has a decile rating of 10 - one of only three schools in the area.  The Socioeconomic Deprivation Index (Parliamentary Library, 2012) indicates that my school has almost the least deprivation with a rating of 9.  QV.co.nz (2014) have gathered data relating to the ethnic make-up of this community and have stated that nearly 75% of the population are European, less than 15% are Maori, Pacific or Asian, and the other 15% are “Other”.

From the moment I walked into my school it felt warm, welcoming and well organised.  The existing staff try extremely hard to ensure that the climate of the school is one that immediately makes both staff and visitors feel welcome.  They ooze professionalism as well as passion and enthusiasm.  This climate is reflected in the students of the school who are as equally enthusiastic and welcoming.

Stoll (1998, pg.9) states that “In early years of a new school, dominant values emanate from its “founders” and the school makes its culture explicit.”  Being such a new school, the “founders” are still setting the foundations for the future and are currently setting the norms and culture of the school.  They are innovative, open-minded and collaborative.  They consistently seek feedback and input from staff as to how learning for students can be improved.  I see the culture of the school as one of “collaboration”, described by Stoll (1998), where teachers voluntarily work together, share ideas and resources, and are able to reflect on practice openly and honestly.

The issue that the school faces is the unpredictability of what tomorrow will look like.  They are unable to estimate how many students will be enrolled next year, how many staff they will have employed due to roll increase or decrease, or whether they will have enough buildings to accommodate the enrolled students.  The culture of the school has embedded that of a support network across the staff to ensure that everyone is equipped to deal with the dramatic, ever-changing situation of the school.  All staff are valued and important, and the norm that has been established is that a “bottom-up” approach to running the school.  Being such a new school they are agile and continuously looking for ways to improve student learning.  

          As I have been at the school for such a short time I’m sure that I will uncover more issues the longer I am there.  As the school ages, Stoll (1998) suggests that strengths and weaknesses will change, subcultures will begin to emerge and the most important aspects of the culture will be taken for granted.  I hope that this does not happen and the school will continue to grow and renew.

References

Parliamentary Library.  (2012).  Papakura Electorate Profile.  Wellington,

New Zealand: Author Retrieved from https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/DBHOH_Lib_EP_Papakura_TOC_1/f236e5856e0dec92b8f51cee4038df69a5c4bf47

QV. co.nz (2014).  Karaka, Papakura.  Auckland, New Zealand: Author

Retrieved from https://www.qv.co.nz/suburb/area-profile/karaka-papakura/658

Stoll (1998). School Culture.  School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9.  Institute of Education, University of London.  Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture