Pub 10 2020-2021 Issue1

4 Being Intentional about the Culture and Climate of a School BY BLAKE CLARK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON ACADEMY T hree years ago, I worked as an Instructional/Literacy Coach in Iron County School District in Cedar City, Utah. As observations and coaching were a founda- tional part of this position, I would catch myself picking up on the culture and climate of every classroom or school that I entered. Some of the attributes that I distinctly remember were how comfortable the students were with following the expectations or not following the expectations that were posted. Did students feel safe participating in a whole-class discussion or small group discussion? Did the teacher provide positive feedback for the students? Were students receptive to the style of teaching that was being delivered to them? After my observation, I would later debrief with the teacher I had previously observed and ask them about these same questions that I used to guide my observations. Many times the teacher response I received to these questions was, “I don’t know, I think so.” I could tell from their response that even though they had inherently created a feeling or culture within their classroom walls, it was not intention- ally planned. Classroom culture and climate set precedence and an expectation for what the overall school feels like. The atti- tude toward peers and adults is then perpetuated through the classroom and streamed throughout the hallways and into the building. Solely, not one person or event can take ownership for a culture of a school or a classroom, but if it is not talked about, intentionally planned or executed,