Stephanie DiStasio chats about how educators can begin to rethink and reimagine our system of education in order to better serve all students in our state. She discusses the importance of mindsets, misconceptions regarding flexibility, and resources that can help educators continue progressing with the work of student-centered learning.
Q: Why do you think that this topic of finding flexibility within fences is an important one to think about or discuss?
A: Well, here's what we know: changing systems is not an easy task and that is not unique to education. Changing any kind of system is not an easy task and education is a system. It is rooted in our cultural and societal norms and it's a system that has both a direct and indirect impact economically on our communities, our states, our nation, and nations around the world. I think when we talk about flexibility within fences, that's about recognizing the need to disrupt the system. I say that in a positive way because when we're disrupting the system, we're doing that with an intention around focusing on innovation and continual Improvement. By taking action and making the shifts, those can become the catalysts to continue to fuel the larger system change. So it's not about getting rid of the system, it’s about making it better and making the system work for all. To me, flexibility within fences means we've got to start somewhere.
Q: We know that educator mindsets are critical to our work. How do you think that educator mindsets specifically impact opportunities for flexibility?
A: The word “self-efficacy” comes to mind. Self-efficacy is your belief in your ability to do something, your confidence in knowing that you can have an influence on your environment. Those are the types of things that help you stay motivated as you're moving towards the goals or the things that you're pursuing. If we're going to talk about flexibility, we have to realize that there are things that we have control over in the system. All of the people within the system have the ability to complete tasks, achieve goals, and have influence on that system. So, as the folks working in the system, that mindset of us being able to think about our locus of control is critical as we think about the purpose for the flexibility. The purpose for wanting to change the system is we want education to not work just for some, not work just for most, but we want education to work for all. So until all students are achieving their fullest potential, we have to keep changing, tweaking, and shifting the system. That's where the flexibility and that mindset comes in: you have to continually ask, “How do I make it better? How do I make it work better for the students?” so that we can make sure that they're all reaching their fullest potential.
Q: Educators can sometimes consider time, curriculum pacing guides, or assessment and testing as elements that are beyond their control. How would you reply to these valid concerns?
A: I think you have to be able to start somewhere. If you're in a system and there's something that you're wanting to change and you can't change it yet, what else can you change? Can you focus on the relationships you have with your students, their families, and your community? Can you focus on making the shifts in the ways in which you are interacting or the types of activities you're bringing to your students? Can you think about the way that you might be able to advocate and bring in community resources or think about an approach to assessment a little differently? If you're going to PLC meetings, what are the ways that you can begin to advocate? So you might not be able to start with the initial thing that you want to change, but you must be willing to start somewhere. As teachers, we do have a lot of autonomy around a number of things. So you've got to just start to ask yourself, “What are those things that I can control or that I can have an influence over?” Those things compound over time and if you're doing that from your heart with the goal of serving students, people are going to see the evidence of that. Changes will occur because no one can argue when our students are experiencing success. When that starts to happen, it's magic. You want more of it, and the students want more of it, and the parents want more of it. So I think just find something and don't worry if it's not the perfect thing.
Q: What are some misconceptions educators may have regarding flexibility?
A: We often hear the word “seat time.” When we talk about seat time, many people immediately think of attendance or being exempt from a class. In South Carolina, like in most states, we have a statute that addresses the instructional day and then there’s further articulation around that in state board regulation. For example, we have the defined minimum program for elementary, middle, and high school programs. So, when we use the word “seat time,” what people are usually referring to are those instructional hours and instructional minutes in the school day. But what if we could reimagine seat time or those instructional hours to not be about attendance, but to help us question some things? For example, why do we assume that every class in a high school needs to be allotted the exact same amount of time on a master schedule? It’s because the way our school days are organized is part of a systemic norm, cultural, and societal norm. If we want to start to think flexibly about that, let's think about why we are organizing it that way. Does it serve the purpose? Is there another way to do that?
Want to know more? Listen to our podcast episode here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/additional-resources/personalizesc/episodes/Ep--45---Flexibility-Within-Fences-Part-2-Flexing-Time-e24ko40
