Role Play
The Board informed the Community of the Focus for the Strategic Plan
This was an interesting exercise. We had to pretend we were attending a meeting sharing the direction the school was heading. The Board Chairman was filling in for the Principal to explain the new direction with little information. We all had a different parental role, from immigrant, local hard-working single mothers to affluent lawyers and doctors who were unsure if this was the right place for their children and local tradespeople.
There was some polite but heated discussion as people tried to fulfil their roles in the community and gather information on the direction the school was heading.
Proposals for the direction of the school ranged from having a single focus to that of the whole school. Questions were asked regarding what teachers were doing in the class and how more able students were to achieve if their focus was only on the underachiever. As "the community", we tried not to blame others but when you thought you were doing the best for your child and you went through university and expected the same for your children you believed they were firmly grounded in the basics. So how were they being catered for?
Then there was the immigrant, who was quiet and didn't understand what the meeting was about. There was no consideration given to this person and why they didn't share their opinion. There was also the locals who worked multiple jobs to make ends meet who could be made to feel less regardless of ethnicity.
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