If I Ran the School...Heh Heh

Oh, if only. 
Of course, this would also have to follow me winning the lottery.

I would love to run a PreK - 3rd grade school that also had an onsite licensed childcare facility that operated for working parents.The child care could run independently of the the school, but share facilities like the playground and cafeteria. Ideally, we would be housed near a senior facility as well, so we would have more opportunities for interactions across generations. Parents would be welcome at the school any time. Hopefully, the school would feel as much like a community gathering place as a place where our children come to learn. 

The school would have a covered outdoor area, so there would always be options for going outside, even when it rained. Schools in Washington State, where I worked for a year, had this and it was fabulous. Kids got recess, outside, no matter what the weather. The under cover area was stocked with basketballs, playground balls, riding toys, jump ropes, hula hoops, etc. There was also side walk chalk for four square and hopscotch. 

Teachers in my school would have to be dedicated to teaching all children who come int he door, regardless of ability. All of my teachers would be expected to be up to speed on the how to plan their classroom space with universal design for learning (UDL) principles and to approach all of their teaching in this manner. Teachers would teach in teams and have trained support staff to help them. Everyone would be trained in and implement Positive Behavior Supports and the Center for Social Emotional Foundation for Early Learning's strategies for addressing challenging behavior in young children. The social-emotional curriculum in the school would be as important as the academic curriculum.

Other things that would be priorities in my school:

• Technology would be supported and working. Teachers would get the technology that they needed to support their philosophy and pedagogy. In order for this to be a reality, my school would need to have two competent full-time education technology support staff. Why two? Because one is never enough.
• The copy machine would work and be placed in a space that is available and does not interrupt instruction of nay students. 
• There would be a teacher lunch room/kitchen that did not double as a storage space. 
• The library collection would be up to date and the school librarian would both love to read to children and be knowledgeable about technology. 

I am sure I am leaving out some things that would be necessities in a school if I were at the helm, but I have to stop writing. The bottom line is that the educators in the building have to trust each other and the atmosphere has to positive and welcoming. I would want the ability to let people go who did not support that in my school.