Culture Builder

The Culture Builder

The culture of a school is not determined by staff or students. It is created by the building principal. When I think of culture, I think of the environment in which one works or live. As a new principal and even at the beginning of a new school year, it is important to build a culture conducive to learning. At the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, North Panola Junior High (NPJH), first year’s principal, Valeree Barnes attempted to come in and change the culture. In order to change the culture, you must first determine what needs changing and what can remain the same. Instead she came in trying to change everything and was unsuccessful. According to McEwan (2003), culture building is a more challenging assignment than you might think. At the conclusion of this school year and seeing Mrs. Barnes attempt to change the culture as unsuccessful, I can attest to it being challenging.

Before changing a culture, leaders must have an idea of what good culture looks like (p.93). As a new homeowner, you identify things you want changed by assessing and prioritizing areas of need. A principal can assess the school’s culture by examining documents, through observations, and group interviews. From observing principal Barnes failed attempt to change the culture of NPJH, I understand it is a challenging task to build the schools culture. In my opinion, she did not successfully assess the school. She aimed to change the school based on the negative perception she created. She admitted to the leadership team, she came in changing somethings which did not need to be