Bonehead Decisions

Fake consensus is worse than no consensus.

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Episode 35

From: Kerry
re: Decision-making
To: Chance sent - Gmail 6:13 AM

Hi Chance—

Spelling out decision-making at the school has already improved teacher morale. The teachers are constantly using the spreadsheet to remind themselves who is going to make each decision. Nothing is in stone, and we have already made a few adjustments to the lists. The empowering part is that the teachers know that their choices and opinions count.

So many of the teachers have been on a committee, either at their school or at the office, that turns out to be just a rubber stamp for a decision that has already been decided.

This new way of thinking about decision-making is a welcome shot-in-the arm to teachers. It is more work for everyone, but it definitely increases power and control……something that is sorely missing for teachers in public schools.

Teachers are demoralized and feel powerless much of the time. Changing how decisions are made is a welcome change.

Just imagine what would happen if doctors couldn’t make decisions about how to save a person’s life. They might have the education and experience to perform a miracle cure, but somewhere above them a decision has been made that prevents them from practicing medicine the way they think is best.

In today’s political climate, state legislators are passing bills that mandate what can and can’t be taught and how schools can operate.

What kind of a crazy system is that??

Kerry

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From: Chance
re: Decision-making
To: Kerry sent - Gmail at 6:15 PM

Hi Kerry—

I know exactly what you mean. I was on that committee last year.

The district was doing strategic planning, and I was asked to join the committee that would decide if the district was going to drop half day kindergarten and make all of the 4 and 5 year-olds go to school all day……That would mean that even four year-olds would go to kindergarten from 8:30 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon. It might work for some of them, but certainly not all of them. Some 4 year-olds still take naps in the afternoon!

I was against all day kindergarten for every child.

I worked with several other people to come up with hybrid solutions. We devoted hours and hours to alternatives that would allow some parents to choose all-day K, while other people could choose half day for their kids. We even had a solution which allowed some kids to transition into all day K in January.

All along the way, people nodded their heads and made us feel like we were doing real work.

When the strategic plan rolled out in the spring, it stated that all kindergarteners were going to school from 8:30-3:00. No exceptions….

The worst part was that my name was attached to the list of people who made this bonehead decision….talk about demoralized…that was my first taste of not having any real power or control over decisions……

I wanted to go over to the district office and walk through the hallways yelling: You can’t fool me: you don’t actually support consensus decision-making….or maybe just take a big black marker and write it on the walls….

Chance