Amplifying One of Those Special Moments

Dear fellow school leaders, have you ever had one of those really special moments at school and wanted it to last forever? I am almost certain the answer is yes. As leaders, how can we capture these moments that sometimes only we get to see? How can we share them with others to promote and amplify the positive culture we have worked so hard to build and relive them ourselves later?

Sometimes the most memorable moments for leaders are the challenging ones, but they are memorable for the wrong reasons. The challenging moments beat us up, then we do a lot of soul searching and reflecting, and if we are lucky we learn a life lesson and the event as a whole sticks with us forever.

But what about those really special, soft, sincere moments, the ones that come as quickly as they go but also have something valuable to teach us. Why do these moments exist? What made them possible? What are we doing right? These are questions we don't often take the time to ask and learn from, but we should. Just as there are many types of challenging moments, there are many types of special moments as well. They are not all the same. My special moments have sometimes come when I spend time with students or teachers in the classroom or at recess. Special moments are often reflective of a greater process, the work we have done, such as when we see a student's struggle become success later on, for example with language or friendships. And of course nothing beats walking into a loud boisterous classroom when the noise is because students are thinking, participating and engaged. Countless of these moments go unnoticed yet capturing and amplifying them holds the key to a positive school culture and reinforces the hard work educators do on a day to day basis. So how can we document these moments?

Earlier this week, after a couple days of busy office work writing reference letters, preparing for the upcoming assembly and reviewing report cards, I took a mid morning walk around the school. This walk quickly transformed into one of those special moments that I mentioned above. Although it is hot season in Bangalore there was a lovely soft breeze pushing through the elementary hallways. The breeze brought with it a wonderful calmness and peace. Now don't get me wrong, quiet and calm is not my only definition of a good learning environment. There was just something magical about this moment in time. I wanted to document this moment and I knew photographs and tweets just wouldn't do, so I broke out my iPhone and decided to do a walkthrough video. I simply pressed record and walked through the entire school. No idea why. But it just came to me as the right thing to do. No cuts, no pauses, no edits. After getting back to my office and opening on my laptop I knew I had just recorded something special.

So, I present to the world the video, my special moment at CIS. After you watch the video read my rationale and other reflections about the video below.

Enjoy, and do let me know what you think in the comments section below.

​ Documentation Style/Choices: This video was taken in one continuous shot, with no cuts, voice overs, no cameos, no edits nor narration by me as the goal was to capture a moment in time, the peace, tone... raw footage is the only way to be true to this moment. During the longer walks between classes I chose to speed up the video (x4) in iMovie however I did not cut the video at any point. Notifying teachers: As you can see, I did not let anyone know I was coming around. I simply turned my camera on and came around. Since I am usually walking around, in and out of classrooms, documenting something filming teachers is not new nor a threatening situation for them. They also trust by now that footage that might embarrass either themselves or a student would and should never be published. Personal Reflection/Meaning: As I watch this video and think about what I see, it is clear that this moment was made possible by all of the hard work our teachers have done throughout the year.

• While most of our classes have 20 or more students, I see our professional development reflected in the teaching assistants who are engaged with instruction and the differentiated groups taking place all over.

• I see the new Read Write Inc. program being implemented effectively, with skill and enthusiasm.

• I see our core values assemblies, Wise Skills library time and morning homeroom circle time apparent in our students mature, independent, responsible behaviour and approach to learning.

• I see our club and house games time and Evolve Ed sessions in our student's positive relationship with each other and general happiness at school.

• And of course, I see our homeroom and specialists hard work with curriculum documents, learning objectives, parent communication and reporting shine through in our student's autonomous and successful engagement with their work.

#documentinglearning #video