Imagine a school with a culture so positive that everyone thrives: students and educators alike.
Classrooms are lively, students feel they're part of a community that cares about them, and teachers are happy and productive. Too good to be true? Not in a ridiculously amazing school.
There are many of them all across the country. What are their secrets to success? In this book, principal Tracey Smith and Jeff Waller, co-author of The 7 Mindsets to Live Your Ultimate Life, show how taking care of educators first-and cultivating supportive relationships-results in profound and positive changes. Smith and Waller explore the five key elements of what they call courageous schools: schools that understand it takes a "whole" teacher to teach the "whole" child. They reveal the one variable that stands out as a predictor of sustained excellence...and it isn't about leadership style, teaching practices, or demographics. There's no question that teaching is hard work with little instant gratification, and too many educators go to work each day feeling unappreciated and overburdened. But it shouldn't-and doesn't-have to be that way. Smith and Waller offer practical solutions and a road map to drive real and meaningful change within the school and classroom. It's possible to create a nurturing climate where teachers are respected and have the power to transform lives...not just their students' lives, but their own.
How To Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1: Courageous Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 2 The Three Conditions of Courage . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 3: Belief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Chapter 4: Clarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Chapter 5: Nurture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Chapter 6: Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Chapter 7: Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 8: The Journey and the Prize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Chapter 9: How To Make Your School Ridiculously Amazing . . . 125
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
High-Level Assessment Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Companion Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
About 7 Mindsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175