Читать книгу The New Principal - Margaret Carter - Страница 9

The influence of the community informs every part of the student’s lives and largely determine how they show up for school. Is the school located in an affluent area or are parents struggling daily to survive? Are there businesses, libraries, and community agencies in the area, or is your school in a rural farm community? The school may have four walls, classrooms, and a roof, but the community may as well be inside your building.

Personal Experience

My first principalship was in a school that was located in a semi-rural location on the farthest edge of the city. In fact, my colleagues used to joke that “you have to take a lunch to drive there.” The majority of the homes were on at least one acre, and many farms and farm animals were in the area. The population was aging, with grandparents raising grandchildren. There was also a community garden across the street where the sponsor supplied us all with watermelons, squash, and other seasonal produce. At dismissal one warm spring day, students and bus duty teachers were all standing outside on the north side of the building, waiting for the bus to arrive. Parents in idling cars were waiting for their children. Suddenly, something to the west caught our attention, as we squinted into the afternoon sun, a horse and rider were galloping toward us at a good pace. Before we knew it, horse and rider had scooped up two children, almost without stopping, and rode off to the east. That’s when I knew I was in a very special rural school.