Upholding Values and Beliefs to Build Our Community

BY MATT BRADLEY

People are the heart of Highland Middle School, Highland Local Schools, and ultimately, the Highland Community. We believe that each of us has the unique responsibility to make Highland a special place to learn, work, and live. Our values and beliefs are the foundation, but it is our behaviors and actions that make it happen. We believe that each of our students can learn and find successes each and every day. At Highland, we aim to be aligned to set of values and behaviors that contribute to the success of our students. It is up to each of us to uphold it and make it happen.

One of our beliefs is that learning never stops in the pursuit of greatness. As the principal of Highland Middle School, I try to model being a lifelong learner. The two main ways I try to grow my knowledge are through books and podcasts. Recently, the most influential books that have impacted my work as a building principal are Chatter by Ethan Kross, How to Change by Katy Milkman, and Think Again by Adam Grant.

In Chatter, Kross describes “chatter” as the negative self-talk that happens to nearly all human beings. He then provides simple ways to combat the “chatter.” At Highland Middle School, our school counselor and I have used these strategies to guide discussions with students. Specifically, when students are dealing with stress (who isn’t?!), we use Kross’s strategy of “distanced self-talk” to “step back from the echo chamber of our minds.” We encourage students to speak to themselves in the third-person or imagine that they are giving advice to someone else dealing with the same issue. In How to Change, Milkman describes the research behind successful changes in behavior. At HMS, I encouraged our teachers at the start of 2022 to create a New Year’s Resolution or “One-Word” and then provided them with resources to Milkman’s “fresh start effect.” Milkman’s podcast Choiceology is a go-to listen for me, too. In Think Again, Grant describes the research in having an open mind and a willingness to “think again.” This book challenged me in many ways. Specifically, Grant encourages us to think like scientists: “Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively

“Another one of open-minded. It requires searching for reasons we might be wrong – our beliefs at Highland not for reasons we must be right – and revising our views based on is that community is what we learn.” Grant’s podcast WorkLife is another must-listen! built when everyone Another one of our beliefs at is known, valued, Highland is that community is built when everyone is known, valued, and included.” and included. In our building specifically, we aim to know our students through mentoring. Our mentorship program began five years ago. We wanted students to be known and have at least one adult in the building in which they had a deep relationship. This has grown to today’s iteration where the first 30 minutes of each day is dedicated to 1:1 check-ins and community building within the mentor groups. Knowing, valuing, and including everyone also means serving. At Highland Middle School, we provide weekend meals through our in-house food pantry. Community members donate items and

through the work of our amazing school counselor, students are given food to bring home each Friday. We also have a clothes’ closet where we provide clothing items that students or families may need.

Last, we believe that by creating a safe environment and empowering students at Highland, we have a great place to live, learn, and work. Many of the ways have been described above, but one additional way we create an emotional safe environment is by creating environments that are “psychologically safe.” This phrase was originally coined by Dr. Amy Edmondson of Harvard Business School (author of another wonderful book, The Fearless Organization). Psychologically safe environments foster a climate of respect, trust, and openness in which people can raise concerns and suggestions without fear of reprisal.

At HMS, we want students to feel respected and trusted, and that school is a place they are able to truly be themselves. We want students to be willing to speak or volunteer without fear or embarrassment. Our teachers, then, treat all students with respect and create an environment where all students are known and heard. But psychologically safety does not just apply to students: our teachers and staff must feel that safety as well. They trust and respect grade-level teammates and building staff and in turn, are able to speak openly and honestly without fear of reprisal.

In Think Again, Grant emphasizes the importance of psychological safety: “…rethinking is more likely to happen in a learning culture (vs. a performance culture).…the foundation of a learning culture is psychological safety. In performance cultures, the emphasis on results often undermines psychological safety; we also censor ourselves in the presence of experts who seem to know all the answers – especially if we lack confidence in our own expertise.”

As stated above, we believe that each of our students can learn and find successes each and every day. At Highland, we aim to be aligned to set of values and behaviors that contribute to the success of our students. It is up to each of us to uphold it and make it happen.

Matt Bradley has been the principal of Highland Middle School in Morrow County since 2015. He currently serves on the OAESA Board of Directors as the Middle Level representative. You can contact Matt via email at matt_b@hlsd.us and via Twitter @MrBradleyHMS.

References Grant, A. (2021). Think again: The power of knowing what you don’t know. Viking.

Kross, E. (2021). Chatter: The voice in our ead, why it matters, and how to harness it. Crown

Milkman, K. (2021). How to change: The science of getting from where you are to where you want to be. Portfolio.