236: Culture Questions From Claude Part II

Show Description:

 | Last week I asked Claude AI to give me 12 questions I could answer that would help elaborate on school culture. We answered the first six questions last week and will do the second batch of six this week. 
 I have to say, I was quite impressed by the quality of the questions. As was the case last week, I have not read or prepped for the questions, so we will see if Claude can continue to impress. 
 As a reminder, here was my prompt… 
 …I'd like to do this show as a Q and A. I would like you, Claude, to represent my assistant principal (AP) listeners. Pretend you are a panel of several APs and you are interviewing me. Please come up with 12 questions related to school culture. Please include some questions that make it easy for me to give examples, and make suggestions for remedying common issues in a school's culture. 
 Okay, let’s go! 

Celebrations:

My Ohio State Buckeyes: From fear to fun

The Big Idea

I am answering these questions cold, because I wanted to feel like I was being interviewed.

1. "Dr. Buskey, we hear a lot about 'culture' but it seems really abstract. How do you define school culture in a way that actually helps us understand what we're dealing with?" 

1. "I'm seeing low morale among our teachers, especially the veterans. What are some warning signs of culture issues that we should be looking out for?" 

1. "Can you give us a specific example of how misalignment between different parts of a school system creates culture problems? Maybe something you've seen in your work with schools?" 

1. "As a new AP, I feel like I have very limited authority to make changes. What are some small but meaningful ways we can start influencing culture from our position?" 

1. "We're dealing with a lot of new teachers who came through alternative certification. How does this impact school culture, and what can we do to support them while maintaining high expectations?" 

1. "I've noticed that different grade levels or departments in our school seem to have their own micro-cultures. Should we try to create one unified culture, or is some variation okay?" 

1. "When you talk about aligning resources, what does that actually look like in practice? Can you walk us through an example?" 

1. "We implemented several new initiatives this year, and teachers are overwhelmed. How can we tell if we're asking too much of our teachers?" 

1. "What role do you think physical spaces play in school culture? Our building is old and not very inspiring - how much does that matter?" 

1. "Can you share a success story of a school that significantly improved its culture? What were the key steps they took?" 

1. "Sometimes it feels like external pressures - testing mandates, parent complaints, district initiatives - really damage our culture. How can we protect our teachers while still meeting these demands?" 

1. "How do you balance being supportive of teachers with maintaining high expectations? Sometimes it feels like focusing too much on teacher well-being means accepting lower standards."

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

How I think Claude did with these questions…

If there is a question you have about school culture, that you think maybe Claude missed, I would love to hear it. If you think I got something wrong, please let me know. I appreciate you investing your valuable time with me, on our journey together. I have written the introduction to A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Culture and I’ve posted it on a hidden page on my website. If you are interested, you can go to https://www.frederickbuskey.com/culture and read it. It’s just the intro, so nothing earth shattering, but it is a way I can say thank you for listening.

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

Close

• Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.
• You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/
• I love hearing from you. If you have comments or questions, or are interested in having me speak at your school or conference, email me at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn.
• If you are tired of spending time putting out fires and would rather invest time supporting and growing teachers, consider reading my book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose. The book is available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html 
• Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.
• Remember the secret to good leadership:
   
  • Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for others
•  
  • Be fully present
•  
  • Ask reflective questions
•  
  • And then just listen
•  
  • Don’t overcomplicate it, the value is in the listening.
•  
• Have a great rest of the week!
• Cheers!

Frederick’s Links:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting 

Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a 

The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0...