"Can I Hire the Next Great Teaching Corp?"
Part Two of the January People Talking interview with Brad Rathgeber
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Stony Creek Strategy news
Thank you to Rick Branson and the CT Association of Independent Schools for inviting me to speak to heads of school on the topic of school communications in a time of polarization on January 10. It was great to be back with this group and as a result of the discussion, there’s the possibility of an in-person workshop in the spring - stay tuned, CT!
Next Thursday, January 18th, I’ll be webinar-ing it up with AISNE, presenting on Priorities and Practices for Writing School Statements. We’ll explore some basic principles in connecting with your constituents in times of stress with some specific scenarios to discuss with peers. You can find this TOOS post of the same name (from December) here. The post has been un-paywalled and is free to all.
And then I’ll be presenting at the One Schoolhouse Academic Leaders Forum in June in Washington DC on communications. I’m looking forward to working with the OS folks to develop customized content for this group!
Upcoming Content for Premium Subscribers (and one bonus for all subscribers)
The Connections series kicks off next Friday, January 19th, with a communications directors cohort Zoom gathering at noon EST. This first gathering is open to ALL Talking Out of School subscribers. Subsequent monthly comms directors gatherings will be open for TOOS premium subscribers. Registration here.
Speaking of the Connections series, the first webinar will be offered in February - honestly, the hardest part is picking just one topic. Reimagining the Triple Threat Model is in the lead. More next week.
And we’ll kick off the Your Career series as I’ve set time aside between February 6th and 16th for 20 minute 1-1 coaching calls on salary negotiations - sign up here. Make sure you sign up using the same email used for your subscription! You can find my article on salary negotiations here (paywalled). It was originally created for the Carney Sandoe Women’s Forum but the advice pertains to everyone.
Hiring the Next Great Teaching Corp
Part Two of the People Talking interview with Brad Rathgeber, head and CEO of One Schoolhouse, where we discuss factors that hold schools back from reaching their full potential. This one is short but impactful!
Julie Faulstich
You deal with hundreds of schools at a time. What do you think are the biggest obstacles to changing culture in independent schools?
Brad Rathgeber
The biggest obstacle to me, and I felt this way ever since I heard Pat Bassett give this warning years and years ago at an NAIS annual conference, is that we've got to get away from the idea that “independent” means that teachers and/or administrators can shut the door to their classroom or office and do whatever they want to do. “Independent” means independence of mission, not individual independence. If we jump over that hurdle, it starts to unlock the potential for independent schools.
JF
“Independence” is about the education you're giving you the kids, right? It's not tied to state mandated requirements. It’s all based on the mission and what you are trying to achieve within that educational goal. It is not tied to the 1,000 silos within every school.
BR
And I think a lot of us within the industry can tend to feed that with all the best intentions, without even realizing we’re feeding it. Yet the tension between the expectations faculty and administrators sometimes have for their own independence gets in the way all the time.
JF
What I am concerned about is a narrative taking hold in our culture that teaching sucks. That someone would be a fool to go into this profession. That is an existential threat. And I think the default for a lot of independent schools is that the way to lure more people to work at your school is this idea of independence and freedom. Freedom in your curriculum, freedom because of all the vacation time. Independent school faculty have a way longer summer break than public school faculty. But it’s like trying to compel people because of what you don’t have to do, rather than an opportunity to make an impact.
BR
We haven't offered them an alternative. We haven't put the thought and work into how to shape the profession within our schools to harness all the things that are wonderful about working at an independent school.