What story do we tell as a school system?  Is it the story of meeting annual progress as measured in standardized testing results? Or is it the story of a thoughtful, inquisitive and reflective student; a school community that is part of a tapestry and not a pie to be carved up by those with individual agendas.

What is the story that the learner is engaged in as they study the arts and sciences of any learning process?  Do they see the lessons that unfold over the course of a year as a series of chapters that speak to their heart as much as their mind?

All of what we do as an organization and that which is rendered in the form of lessons that we impart onto kids is basically the telling of a story.  Each lesson, like each component of our learning community has a chapter title, and as such it should help us by revealing pieces of the story in an engaging way.

To see the process as that of telling a story reminds us of the importance of creating thoughtful chapters along the way.   The important elements of any story with plot twists, engaging characters, memorable language all conspire to give meaning to what we read or hear.  It also invites us to consider the importance of the reader (the student, or employee) in the way that they enjoy the story, can see themselves within it, and the way they are driven to want to read or hear more.

It refutes the sometimes mechanistic way that we can render the process of teaching and learning and/or the way that we live within a school community as an employee.  To be seen as a number, or to be viewed in terms of making progress along a continuum of standardized, technocratic measurements is far from a complete picture of any student or employee.  Think RTTT or APPR.

This all fits into the narrative about how society at large can be mislead into thinking that the agenda for success can be found quickly and easily in some slick report that analyzes strengths, weaknesses, and prescriptions for change.  The more accurate picture of success is a slow, methodical march towards understanding a vision that creates an emotional connection—enough to motivate and inspire all who live and learn in the schoolhouse.

What makes for superior engagement with students, much like superior engagement with employees is the quality of our story.  We write the story as much as we read the story or tell the story in a shared way.  The lines of any good tale leap off the page or flutter out of the mouths of a good storyteller.  This is what shapes culture—be that of a classroom or school community, and culture is what drives people to strive towards greatness—not the metrics of measurement.

Taking the time to be a storyteller is an essential element in the toolkit of any effective teacher or leader within any organization.  So what is the story that we will be telling as we plan for the 2012-13 school year?