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Reflections on My Early Years as a Principal in the Rural Partnership

by Jeffrey Lindgren, Principal of Walden School –2002


My first year as the principal in Walden someone in the community asked my if we were going to participate in the Rural Partnership this year? Sure I said. A retreat was being held and I needed to bring a team, I was told. I formed a team of teachers and myself. We brought some pictures of the events of the year before, which I was told, students participated in. We arrived at Ascutney Mountain Resort with our team. I sat back and figured I could listen and figure out what happening. I could listen and rely on the expertise of the experienced group. Sometime during the morning session I found out that none of the teachers had the faintest idea what the rural partnership was. They had been involved in the activities at the school but not active in the organizational meetings. That was to change from that moment on. We began discussing what the rural partnership was? How it could benefit our small school? What are needs were?
This was a turning point in the history of Walden School. Only four years earlier there were four one room schoolhouses. The new school was built. A lot of new things were quickly added to meet the curriculum needs and all the excitement of the new school soon wore out.

We need each other to support our unique characteristics and to have
the time to develop programs that support our beliefs in students.

Teachers needed to control their own destiny and this was an opportunity to begin the collaborative process. What were the resources around our school we could use? We began discussing what was unique about our school and how we could preserve our own identity.
Thus began our journey to discover who we were and what direction our school needed to take in order to be successful. During the next two years different teachers, staff members and parents attended the retreat. The understanding of the purpose of the rural partnership was being intertwined into the culture of the school.

Our middle school science teacher began working with Helen Beattie and the Vermont Leadership Center to develop leadership skills for our students. Each year students went on a overnight field trip where they canoed and demonstrated their leadership skills by taking on a variety of roles. This was very successful and was well supported by the community.

The middle school team integrated leadership skills into all academic areas. Primarily this was where the most success over the last several years had taken place.

Small schools are very unique and mirror the image of their communities.
Pressure from the educational institutions both federal and state are slowly
eroding what has made these schools an integral part of their communities.

Big Changes in 2000-2001
Last year four teachers announced that they were moving on to greener pastures.

Joseph Kieffer came to our school and with the teachers, mapped out our curriculum. This would benefit our new teachers and help us to determine what areas in the curriculum needed to improve. This document showed that we needed to develop science and social studies curriculum.

Joseph also during the year had done an analysis on, Mapping Our School's Curriculum of Place. This document purpose was to determine what types of activities were taking place and how to sustain the unique story of Walden's Natural and Cultural Heritage. The results of Joseph's work clearly demonstrated that Curriculum of Place was important to the teachers but we lacked a clear direction of how to develop and integrate using the standards.

This year four teachers have developed units on the history of Walden in grades one through four. Thus begins our journey of creating curriculum of place units that will greatly enhance the uniqueness of this town. These teachers will lead us on our journey next year in creating a social studies curriculum that will incorporate the important components of what makes our community special.

We will continue on our journey as a rural partnership school in creating an environment where we can preserve our uniqueness and creating an awareness of the importance of small rural schools.

We do not want to be like the dinosaurs, extinct because we are unable to adapt to the changes in the educational environment.


Why is the Rural Partnership Important?
Small schools are very unique and mirror the image of their communities. Pressure from the educational institutions both federal and state are slowly eroding what has made these schools an integral part of their communities. Are we do be like boxed stores, the same old thing, the same shape, and selling the same things? I say no.

We need each other to support our unique characteristics and to have the time to develop programs that support our beliefs in students.

Because we are small, each person's role in creating a positive environment is vital to the success of the school. No one in a small school can stand a lone.

Many times we lack the resources needed to make affective change. We do not have the time to research the best practices. Therefore we need each other to determine the best course of action in order to meet the many demands of our society and yet to keep those special qualities of our schools preserved.

The sharing of ideas and learning about the many projects that each school in the partnership have been doing, enables the creativity energy to flow and to prosper. We are not alone on our journey. We need each other for support, exchanging of ideas, and the opportunity to grow, on our journey as educators.

More Info on Walden School