Monday, November 12, 2007

Our Future... Our Dreams...

We all know that behind a great school is a well-thought out, articulated, and implemented vision. A strong vision allows schools to look into the future with focus and to set long-term and short-term goals to reach beyond the ordinary.

At CCE’s inception in 1998, teams of teachers with the principal poured over their beliefs and viewpoints to create a foundational vision that would lead Chets into the future. The team agreed on Chets Creek’s vision, mission, and learner expectations, and not much has changed in regard to these since those original planning days. Each summer, as we add new teachers, we spend a day explaining to them our history, our expectations, our vision. We hire those with the same philosophy.

Recently, I’ve given much thought to vision, and wonder if anything has fundamentally changed or if we still believe our vision aligns with where we are headed in our future. I wonder, do we still hold true to the same learner expectations or are there those we would delete or perhaps add? Much has happened in the world since 1998 especially in terms of the fiercely competitive global marketplace and technology. I’m thinking it is imperative to reflect on our vision, mission, and learner expectations to ensure our sustained success.

Where do we see Chets Creek in five years? How will we get there? When will we know we’ve gotten there? Where will our students be five years from now, or twenty years from now? Will our organization have prepared them to lead successful futures?

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