Does unity imply full agreement?
If so, I might argue that unity is bad for students.
Questioning, wondering, disagreeing is part of the journey to excellence.
When this topic was assigned to the #CompelledTribe of bloggers this month, I paused before writing about it and really thought about where unity fits in at Quincy Elementary. There are many ways we are united. Among those ways are:
- Making decisions in the best interest of students.
- Assuming positive intentions
- Focusing on strong, positive relationships
- Helping each other
- Finding joy in our work
Yet, there are places where we are not united. This ebbs and flows based upon get the information we have at the time. Our students deserve us to not blindly follow for the sake of unity. Nor should we question for the sake of being disagreeable.
Our students need us to have a perfect balance of push and pull.
They deserve unity in our quest to serve them better and better every day.
You don’t get unity by ignoring the questions that have to be faced. -Jay Weatherill
Questioning, wondering, & disagreement can be wonderful things if done in a setting that is safe and filled with caring staff. Sounds like you have that at Quincy!
Jon
Thank you Jon! You are absolutely correct…safe and caring comes first!
Thank you for writing and sharing this post. I too was questioning what unity looks like: does it mean that we all have to agree on everything, or that, despite our differences we come together for a united purpose? You presented a superb response!
Thank you for reading and commenting Barbara. Sounds like we had the same questions!