Morale isn't built in isolation ... and neither is it something tangible that we can point to and say, "There it is!" Rather, it is a force that builds and rises out of the ashes of our daily actions and interactions.
As educators and educational leaders, words such as data, accountability, and achievement have been ingrained into our daily vocabulary. We look for the tangible ... the visible, those things that we can monitor and measure. As educators, very seldom have we been able to avoid the words of W. Edwards Deming's famous quote, "In God we trust; all others must bring data."
And yet ...
There is another, you might even say "softer," side to what Deming is saying. It is necessary and needed if we are to build a "whole" culture. Albert Einstein does an eloquent job of summing that up with, "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
As educators and leaders, it is imperative we acknowledge that some of the most important pieces for building a whole culture are often those pieces we can't necessarily measure through data. They are the intangibles. They are those things we know exist, but can’t touch, put our finger on, or even see. But we know they are there ... and we know they are important because they affect our schools and organizations as a
3-10-14 The Whole Child Blog —Keep Students and Parents (and Teachers) Initiative Fatigue Free — Whole Child Education
Keep Students and Parents (and Teachers) Initiative Fatigue Free — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGKeep Students and Parents (and Teachers) Initiative Fatigue FreeMarch 10, 2014 by Kevin ParrLast week I entered a meeting feeling pretty good about my teaching life. I was sticking with my goals for the year, trying some new things outside my comfort zone, and achieving some success doing