A topic of conversation across this great nation over the past year and a half has been equity. Equity is often misunderstood, and as an educator and school leader who is constantly striving to grow as a champion for equity, I would like to talk a bit here about what it means to Norton Creek.
For years now, I have talked about "building a school that works for everyone." In a nutshell, that's really what equity is all about. It isn't tied to any political, economic, or social agenda. Equity, when applied to the educational setting, is the belief that everyone should have equal access to reach the highest levels of success...and then putting systems in place to guide our students to it. Sometimes, folks worry that if a group of people are given more opportunity than they have historically had, that this will take away from their own opportunities. Put more simply, they worry about losing their seat at the table. In a truly equitable environment, no one loses their seat at the table - we just build a bigger table.
Equity is the lens through which any successful school should look at all of its decisions. Does what we do work for students who identify as female as well as it does for male? What about students with IEPs? Students with limited proficiency in English? What about students who are members of families struggling financially? LGBTQ students? Students living with mental illness? Students who practice a religion that the majority of school staff do not? Students who have divorced parents? Students who have lost a parent in death? Students with complex health histories? We need to ensure our programming meets their needs because these are populations who have been historically underserved by a system not designed with their stories in mind, while also continuing to serve the needs of our students who do not find themselves in these demographics as well.
With so many students' stories to be aware of, no school gets it right all the time. But, the important thing is that we try. Each student deserves to come to school everyday knowing, believing, and trusting that their school understands them - or at least will always strive to. Students should also see themselves at their school - in the books in our LRC, English Language Arts lessons, and so on and so forth. Norton Creek is stepping up our efforts in this endeavor. It is some of the most important work we will ever do as a school which means it will take time. It will also very likely never be "done." It's an ongoing process that will lead to continued refinement. As times change and society evolves, Norton Creek needs to evolve with it - while also providing the stability that our Eagles, families, and staff can rely on for years to come. That stability stems from our passion (for learning, teaching, and our school) and compassion (for our students, families, staff, and selves). That will never go away no matter how times change.
Tomorrow night is our annual Loop the Lake, and I want to thank Jessica Klepacki and Megan Kuczora for their amazing efforts putting an awesome experience together for our Eagles! Do yourself a favor and if you are able to attend, come on out, have some fun, and log some steps while you're at it!
Have a wonderful weekend making memories with your favorite people!
