High Achievement Cultures

Creating a Culture of High Achievement

Catch students reading not because they have to but because they want to.  Watch as student engage in a competitive game of chess and then congratulate their opponent whether they win or whether they lose.  Listen as students carry on a discussion about what they are learning in science as they head down the hall to their next class.  See students helping each other struggle with a math problem that stretches them beyond their comfort zone.  Welcome students early in the morning because they have an art project they need to finish.  

This is the kind of achievement oriented culture I hope to create at the St. Mary's International Middle School this year.  I am cautiously optimistic that we are on a path to make this happen but the path isn't necessarily straight nor is it necessarily easy and it will take the cooperative efforts of all of us who are part of the middle school learning community.  It also takes a sustained effort over a long period of time to make a cultural shift or to make a shift in habits so we all must be persistent as we hit bumps along this path.

Although I am far from anti-technology, I do have worries about the impact of technology on cultural norms and about students' abilities to interact in public places with appropriate behaviors and with appropriate communication.  I suspect there is some qualitative difference between interacting face-to-face with a person sitting a meter from you as opposed to shooting off a text message for that same person to read.  I find it particularly rude to being having a conversation with a person while they are, at the same time, checking their text messages every three minutes or so.  I believe there is value in having spontaneous conversations with people you might know or might not know as opposed to staying connected with more familiar people in your lives through chain cell phone calls.

Your efforts as parents are certainly welcome as we try to create this achievement oriented culture at the St. Mary's Middle School.  I visualize this culture as going beyond a good report card and includes supporting other students who might be struggling with some aspect of their life.  "Together Along the Way," the theme for this at St. Mary's International School, is about creating cultures of achievement together and to define the strength of this culture not by the strongest and the most competent individuals within the culture but rather how we help and empower those who are the most vulnerable.  This is my vision for St. Mary's and I ask for your support along the way.