Changing and Maintaining School Culture

I am sitting under a mango tree in Wewak typing this blog. It is 33o and humid. The power is off at the moment so that is why I am out under the tree. I have just been handed a green mango to eat and unlike other green fruit it is quite sweet and very tasty. Mind you it could be a Wewak thing as down in the markets one can buy green bananas which are the most delicious I have ever tasted. It’s not a bad life really, and to think I am being paid for it!!

So what has this to do with school culture? Nothing really. But yesterday and the day before I was running the last of the Pacific Bible In-services for the PNGUM. I had a group of around 30 teachers from the Sepik Mission which runs 3 primary schools and a high school up to Grade 10. This high school at Nagum, has had an interesting history of late. It was once an Adventist school which closed down a few years ago. The Government re-established it recently and then has handed it over to the Adventists to run. The current 96% non-Adventist student ratio is proving a real challenge to the principal and staff who have only taught schools with significant Adventist presence.

So how do we change and/or preserve a culture? I shared the following basic approach.

1. It is very important to know what the school stands for and what the long term vision is for your school. We often assume that everyone will know what we are on about, what is important to us, what our values are. But ask your staff and students those questions and see what answers you get back. Unless your values and vision has been clearly articulated and lived out they won’t really know.
2. Which leads me to the second point. These values and vision must be clearly articulated. This can be done in a group setting as in a school assembly, or one on one as in personal sharing with a staff member or student or parent. It can be spoken or done via a variety of media. It really doesn’t matter how the message is articulated, but it must be and done regularly.
3. As the vision and values become established they need to be affirmed and recognised. Both the concept and the people. When students are ‘caught’ upholding the values or progressing the vision they need to be congratulated and affirmed. It needs to be genuine of course but constant recognition carries a powerful message and reminder to the other students as to what is important in your school – the school culture in other words.
4. As well as people being affirmed there needs to be celebrations attached to the successful achievement of the vision and values. This will help all involved to value what it is you are trying to achieve.
5. Perhaps the most important factor in all of this both in terms of changing a culture and maintaining it is to live it yourselves. Role modelling is extremely powerful in conveying a message. When students know that you are prepared to live by the school values both in school and out, their respect for you grows and your ability to have influence in their lives is increased many fold.

The principal and staff at Nagum had made a start in a number of these points but admitted that in the area of affirmation and celebrations they could make some improvement. The trend of increasing non-Adventist enrolments in our schools can be considered a given now I believe. It increases the challenge of maintaining our school culture or special character. I believe if we are proactive in this area we have little to worry about. But to be inactive, or worse, unaware, will spell ultimate disaster as another culture is sure to be established.

Now if you receive this blog, then you will know that I have found a place where I can connect to and send. I tried this morning, but after connecting and staying on for an hour, and receiving no downloads – yes there are connections around that are still that slow – I gave up!

God continue to bless your efforts to maintain and improve your school culture.



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