The Trouble with Instituting PLCs

The Trouble with Instituting PLCs

I sat through the keynote speeches, excited by the prospect of finally bringing true Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to my school. Having witnessed well-functioning teams around the state, I knew that this could be a powerful process for supporting student success. I had studied the PLC process in one of my classes at the University, and felt like I was going in with enthusiasm, but at the same time, with both eyes open. In another of my university courses we had read articles on the watering-down of PLCs, and pseudo-PLCs (most often in the secondary setting), which in the end rendered the term PLC practically meaningless. I was determined that with my help this would not be the case for this school.

At the end of the second day, my enthusiasm had begun to wane. Sadly, some of the sessions were disappointing – great content with dull presenters versus charismatic presenters with not much content. Following that, we were asked to meet with our teams to work on our implementation strategies. Everyone talking at once, bits and pieces of information flying around the table: a complete lack of organization. The third day was a half day, so the principal asked everyone to stay and work for a couple of hours again at that time.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, that was the night I fell ill. The thought of two more aimless hours of disorganized brainstorming was more than I could bear. This is a frustration I feel in this “Twilight Zone” of being not quite a teacher, but not actually being an administrator. As a part of the administrative team, I would have had the clout to say “Hey, let’s not put the cart before the horse, and let’s start at the beginning before it all gets jumbled up and becomes one more great idea we tried and couldn’t hold on to.”

I’ve been afraid to ask how that meeting went, and no one has volunteered to share. Educators are an enthusiastic bunch in general, but often rush in without a plan, and not taking the time to realize that true change does not occur overnight, and normally not without some pain and sacrifice along the way. I think it’s time for me to gird my loins and find out where the process stands. I hope to yet be a voice of reason, and to share my ideas initially with the principal and maybe one or two others, with the dream of keeping the process on track so that the school will truly be a Professional Learning Community in every sense of the word.