It’s the beginning of a new calendar year, and January is in full swing! Often this is a time when people examine the different aspects of their lives and consider what they want or need to do differently. But before we even do that, it’s important that we pause and remind ourselves of where we are trying to go. I believe it is important to go back to our foundational principles as we look to match who we are and what we are doing to reach the outcomes we want to see.
DCD is proud to offer an educational experience that:
PROVIDES to each child a unique educational balance of challenging academics, arts, and athletics;
EMBRACES an inclusive interdependent community of students, teachers, and parents that fosters trust and encourages children to take risks;
CREATES independent, resilient, lifelong learners through engaging, developmentally based teaching designed to meet varied learning styles;
INSPIRES students to become caring, ethical members of the larger world by emphasizing thoughtful citizenship and respect for self and others.
DCD’s mission statement offers us an opportunity to do this as a staff regularly, to examine ourselves, what we do, why we do it, the impact of our work, and how we show up in the world.
In the beginning of the school year, I asked teachers to look at the mission statement and break it down into its components and to identify the skills, concepts, practices and activities that they do that support each part of the mission. The document is chock-full of these at each grade level across the disciplines. As one of the newest members to the DCD community, this was particularly important to support my growth and understanding of what I can expect to see visiting classrooms and interacting with students and teachers.
While our mission statement is directed towards our students and families, it came to me that we should also consider how teachers and staff experience the mission statement at DCD. Here is what I believe that DCD strives to do for our faculty and staff: DCD
PROVIDES educators with unique opportunities to teach engaging, developmentally appropriate content, foundational and advanced skills transferable to a variety of subjects and aspects of life;
EMBRACES each colleague, all types of learners and their families in ways that encourage vulnerability, establish trust and celebrate risk-taking;
CREATES educators who are interdependent, collaborative, resilient, lifelong learners through professional learning opportunities both within and outside of campus designed to honor the expertise of veteran teachers while welcoming new, evidence-based methodologies;
INSPIRES educators and staff to model thoughtful citizenship and respect for diversity in thought and cultural backgrounds.
In the fall, I challenged Lower School teachers to write vision statements for their classes this year that were rooted in the mission statement. Vision and mission are different; a vision statement asks us to look to the farthest point of possibility into the future, while a mission statement discusses how we strive to achieve that vision now. I believe that it is equally as important to look at what we are doing now as it is to look ahead. Both of these statements should be made clear and be shared with the community. Both mission and vision statements require significant intentionality and thought. What I love about mission statements is that they allow us to maintain our focus on how we are moving forward while navigating the changes that inevitably will come. What I love about vision statements is that they encourage us to dream of something better, something more that will enhance the lives of those around us, as well as our own. During our first faculty meeting in January, I asked teachers to look back at their vision statements, make any changes if they chose to, and to create a vision board based on their statement.
Here are some of the results:
Each board was unique, personal, and inspiring, capturing a small portion of the depth of our teachers’ commitment to their students and to their craft. I encouraged teachers to place their vision boards in a place where they can see them daily, as reminders of what we are working towards for our students. This is not lost on our families too! I encourage you to consider engaging in a similar process personally and within your family. Guiding children to create vision boards is a wonderful way to help them get focused on the future and the necessary steps to get there.
Whatever you choose to call it, mission, vision, resolutions, goals or intentions, the idea is to identify our why, be intentional about our how, and make changes for the improvement as we move through our daily lives. Taking the time to evaluate the space between where you are now and where you want to be takes courage. We are fortunate to be a part of a community of educators and families who believe that we can create a better world together just because we’ve learned to dream.
Written by: Trelane Clark | Head of Lower School