Leading a Complex System During a Time of Great Complexity with Scott Bain

Phenomenal Teaching with PEBC

Michelle Morris Jones caught up with Scott Bain to unpack how he and his staff are taking on the challenges associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic and its impact on the "Open School." Scott, a PEBC Leadership Lab Host, is the principal of the Jefferson County Open School which is a P-12 progressive school of choice in Jefferson County, Colorado. Supporting the whole child, believing that every learner is inherently curious, and fostering self-direction are keystones of the Open School experience. In addition, the Open School embraces and implements the instructional practices of Planning, Community, Workshop, Thinking Strategies, Discourse, and Assessment as described in the PEBC Teaching Framework and published in Phenomenal Teaching by Wendy Ward Hoffer. In this episode, Scott shares the complexities of leading a complex system of four schools within a school, the importance of leaning into one's beliefs, and actions he is taking as an instructional leader. Scott has found that leadership during this time requires: Maintaining a Strong Collective Vision Delegating Leadership Responsibilities Trusting Teachers Tending to Community Shifting from Crisis Mode to Creative Thinking Scott and Michelle also discuss how the concept of "Beautiful Constraints" has allowed the staff to move beyond worrying about the things they cannot control to thinking about things differently. Through this lens Scott's team and staff have adjusted their instructional model to meet the needs of in-person, hybrid, and remote learning in unique ways. From creating cross curricular intensives to shifting resources to create artificially small class sizes for social distancing, the teachers have reimagined systems, structures, curriculum and assessment to meet the needs of their students. The Jefferson County Open School prepares students to "Create the World that Ought to Be" and Scott is wondering if the constraints put forth by the pandemic will encourage the education community to see new possibilities when we all return to a new normal.