We spent the first part of the first day (a teacher only one) doing some future planning with a visiting guru.
Strategic planning. I've done a fair bit of it over the years in a variety of guises: studied it; made diagrams; written charters; lectured others. Which always makes me laugh.
I'm not one for making plans in my personal life as it happens.
One of the nonsensical thinks we did (sorry, but it was) was reflect on what we thought would be happening in education in the next 3 to 5 years.
After we did this the visiting guru acknowledged, correctly, that he didn't know, actually - nobody did!
So, nonsensical then.
But anyway - back to me! Much to the current Mrs Purdzilla's frustration, I have never been a planner. SHE'S a planner!!
I am much more of the moment and so I struggle with all the strategic planning until 2020 stuff. I agree we need to think of possibilities but 2020?? If we have no idea what things will be like in 3 years time, why would we know anything more about stuff 5 years away?
Concepts like future proofing are similarly flawed. I'm suspicious of that stuff. I prefer to try things for a while and adapt as I go. I like Leadership Freak's phrase that 'planning something you've never done is pooled ignorance'.
I prefer short range goals/plans/objectives/aims - call them what you will. That way I can adapt as I go.Which is why I enjoyed last year's staff inquiry process so much. Tangible and anchored in the here and now, with collaboration via the change action groups, that ended in change.
But I'm swimming against the strategic tide I suspect. That's what is underpinning me if you drill down on this journey going forward with not much skin in the game. Sigh.
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