[Ous-lp-rp13] EDAD 6020, Answer #1

[Dustin Tyler]

As an educator that enjoys and detects the benefits of self-reflection,
this question brought on more questions that I haven't thought about in the
past.  My educational experience has a wide range of specific duties and I
couldn't wait to dig in to the systems pertaining to Chillicothe City
Schools.  The idea of having a growth mindset and now looking at the bigger
picture is now very apparent when thinking about my school district.

Rational systems are systems that can only see the task related behavior
which can be a problem.  We deal with these systems in our school in many
ways including state standardized testing, academic content standards, and
through our TBT process.  Although, having an overarching system can allow
direction for some; it tends to take professionalism and creativity out of
the teachers hands.  Educators have to follow the guidelines of a rational
system in order to be compliant with the state of Ohio and federal
guidelines.

Natural systems are very prevalent in our organization or school community.
Natural systems are the people that make up a system and focus on the
organic model which includes motivation and behavior.  Chillicothe City
Schools attempts to build upon the motivation of every staff member in the
district and the students of our district.  Over the past several years, we
have been on a mission to develop good people through a Respect Campaign
and by using The Leader in Me Program by Stephen Covey.  The Leader in Me
program is a systematic approach of creating good people.  A few years ago
we noticed that our bus drivers are the first and last staff member to have
student contact.  The bus drivers set the tone for most children each and
every day.  CCSD wants to be sure that we are consistently on the same
mission to develop good people so we put the bus drivers through Leader In
Me Training which has been a huge benefit to all stakeholders of our
district.

Open school systems are defined as a system in exchange of matter with its
environment, presenting import and export, building-up and breaking-down of
its material components. We are currently in the process of taking four
neighborhood schools and moving them into one semi-centralized location.  There
is never been a better time to be excited for anyone in our district.  We
have been "sharpening the saw" by having team building days for staff
members.  We played games in an organized manner to jumpstart a culture of
motivation, building relationships and also developed an idea of oneness.  We
receive daily emails from our principals with motivating, inspirational,
and meaningful messages.  District wide we receive a "hump day" update from
our Superintendent that builds upon behavior and culture of our staff and
students.  Most importantly we are creating a society that understands
people as it is the most difficult and important leadership orientation
style.  At Chillicothe City Schools we are creating an environment of
educators that understand people. We have created Family Literacy Nights,
Free Lunches for kids in the Summer, and a staff that is passionate about
family needs.

Teachers in our district are not only instructors but we wear many hats.  On
any given day as an instructional I am a facilitator, disciplinarian,
counselor, communicator and a multitude of other jobs that come my way each
day.  It has become second nature for me to ensure that the needs of our
school community are addressed and hope that everyone in this open school
system contributes in as many ways as possible.
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