Placing Educators at the Heart of Education
December 8, 2017
Let’s talk about why we are experiencing a teacher shortage. Being an educator is a calling. There are people entering the teaching profession who have elevated listening to an art form, they possess multiple intelligences, they are compassionate and kind, they are empathetic and positive-minded, they are connectors and community builders. They embody teaching as a work of heart. They inspire. They are leaving the profession. Why?
Their passion is pulverized by being overworked and underpaid. They are jumping through mandatory hoops that distract them from the focus of teaching and learning. They are beaten down by a spirit-crushing regime of standardization, testing and top-down control. They aren’t granted autonomy and are blamed for the inefficiencies of a broken system. They are undervalued and disrespected. They are trapped within a system that is engineering an industrial workforce in a post-industrial era. This sucks the life force from the passionate beating heart of an educator.
As creators, collaborators, critical thinkers and problems solvers, CCSLA has created a model that solves this problem. The success of the Finnish education model is based on the level of responsibility, leadership and autonomy entrusted to educators. It is less of a stifling system and more of a model adaptable to the success of educators, students and the community. At CCSLA, educators are placed at the heart of leadership.
We practice a horizontal leadership model that supports educators as professionals. We incorporate teacher-friendly principles of teacher leadership, democratic practices, equity, inclusiveness, quality and competency. The best teachers use their character, creativity and inspiration to bring about a child’s instinct to learn. We allow educators the freedom to align their teaching with the natural exuberance, curiosity and energy of the students in their care. CCSLA places educators at the heart of education.
