Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

I have seen this tweet numerous times this morning. It’s been like a blaring alert, flashing in bright red letters almost. I’m taking it as a reminder for this upcoming school year for me specifically. I am going to be one half of a completely brand new administrative duo. The two of us are very like-minded in terms of creating systems and protocols to ensure our school is efficient and effective for our students, their families, and teachers. What’s more, is that in my new role, I actually get to teach 5th grade math; this has me overjoyed and ridiculously excited. Of course, I have already started preparing myself for re-entry into the classroom with researching best practices and strategies that I may have missed while I have been out of the classroom.

Then this reminder: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

I am a perfectionist to a fault. The idea of messing anything up literally haunts me at night. So naturally, I am trying to psych myself up for perfection in this new role: smooth sailing, no errors, everything in it’s place. This reminder about culture is the best reality check that I could receive at this point, because without relationships, habits, and widely accepted school-wide beliefs, my well thought out systems are as good as “fried catfish!”

I’m carrying this reminder into the new year with the understanding that as an administrator, this culture building falls on my shoulders in order for teachers to be successful. Similarly, in the classroom, this job belongs to teachers in order to empower students.