School Culture
“People commit their energy only to what they believe in, what captures their enthusiasm and imagination. The sad reality is that in schools lacking a culture of excellence, people labour without inspiration”
(Stolp & Smith, 1995, p.15)
Schools that lack a cohesive and comprehensive culture, lack shared meaning and values. When something loses its meaning, it loses its relevance and subsequently its power to invoke inspiration. Students cannot be expected to do well in environments that do not inspire or motivate them with teachers that only reinforce this lack of enthusiasm.
Culture is important because it is created based on a historic understanding of shared principles and values. As the definitions of teaching and learning change, the culture of a school must change to accommodate new definitions of teaching. This could mean reshaping the classroom from the standard rows of desks facing the teacher at the front, to a classroom design that promotes peer interaction.
(Stolp & Smith, 1995, p.15)
Schools that lack a cohesive and comprehensive culture, lack shared meaning and values. When something loses its meaning, it loses its relevance and subsequently its power to invoke inspiration. Students cannot be expected to do well in environments that do not inspire or motivate them with teachers that only reinforce this lack of enthusiasm.
Culture is important because it is created based on a historic understanding of shared principles and values. As the definitions of teaching and learning change, the culture of a school must change to accommodate new definitions of teaching. This could mean reshaping the classroom from the standard rows of desks facing the teacher at the front, to a classroom design that promotes peer interaction.