What are our school core learning values?
What fortitude is required to give our core learning values strength? Our core value learning content stemmed directly from the mission, vision and our characteristics—all developed over a decade.
We know values can set a school apart by clarifying its identity and serving as a rallying point for students, whānau, community and stakeholders. However, coming up with strong values—and sticking to them—requires real determination.
Indeed, any school considering a values initiative must first come to terms with the fact that, when properly practiced, values inflict pain. They can make some people feel under-valued, they limit strategic and operational freedom and constrain the behavior of students, whānau—and staff. They leave the Principal and Board of trustees open to criticism for even minor deviation. And they demand constant vigilance. The question has to be—are they worth the effort? We believe most definitely so. A good values initiative is never rushed. It is far more important to arrive at a values statement that works than, to reach a decision you may later regret.
The school evolves and so does our messaging. Values give us permission to make your story bigger. Values create trust. Trust is the filter through which all schools must pass. The content of values will only work if the’re Useful, Inspirational and Motivational and if we have a documented Strategy.
Trust is the one thing. It is the ‘soul’ of our school that shines through all our content. However, it is fundamental to remember the goal is NOT to be good at values content. The goal is to be excellent at our core business of “Learning” because of our “values”.
