Big Plans

This time of year, I seem to get more excited than at any other time. Yes, we are finishing up the school year, with only two months left to go. But, what's really exciting is the fact that I get to work on plans for next year!

Small school principals always have enrollment on the brain and it is difficult to budget when you have low enrollment. However, we also have the opportunity to work with staff to come up with new and different ways to attract students to our schools. We are always working on doing more with less.

One project I have the students interested in is a school garden. We are just waiting for the snow to melt completely and the yard to dry up so that we can get someone to help us get the plot ready. The students want to plant all sorts of vegetables and flowers. They also want to plan berries and fruit. I'm not sure how we are going to do all of this, but I already have some parents volunteering to bring rotor tillers. We also have some organizations and community members donating seed and a couple of trees for our garden. We just need to wait for the weather now.

The past few weeks I have been reading some of Ken Robinson's work and thinking of how we can broaden the opportunities for students to explore and discover their creative spirit. I've been talking to staff and students about what they would still like to learn. And, I've been thinking of ways in which I and my staff can be the inspiration for students so that they can find their passions. We also want to organize our teaching and learning so that they get the core and also be able to spend some time developing their God-given talents. One idea is to organize the timetable so that we can spend 1 afternoon a week "encouraging the spirit". That way if we have volunteers coming to help us, they only have to come to the school 1 day during the week. Also, this allows the students and staff more uninterrupted time to work on projects.

I would like to see the students grouped according to interest and ability, not age. That way, there can be more opportunities for mentorship, family atmosphere, and modeling by older and younger students. The older students would be more familiar with the tools and how things are done. On the other hand, the younger students are less intimidated by the media, are freer with their imaginations, and are more likely apt to take risks. This atmosphere could be beneficial for all.