C30: Creating an Internationally Minded School Mission

by Lu Gerlach

​It took me a long time to understand the importance of a school’s mission statement.  I guess this has a lot to do with my prior experiences with a mission statement and how it guided a school’s vision of the learning and teaching.  On some campuses, I wondered if there was a mission at all, because my day felt like I was winging it all the time.  At others, the mission was so fixed that there was very little flexibility to add your own flavor.  With these far extremes, I tended to zone out the school’s vision of what learning should look like and focused on my own.  

​There are three main issues for running our classrooms on our own:

It diminishes the collaborative process 
It undermines the whole school approach to learning
It creates a division within grade levels

We can eliminate the divisiveness by co-creating a school mission statement with staff, students, and parents.  This will provide an anchor of academic, behavioral, and social expectations.  More importantly, it will reflect our goal to become more internationally minded.

IB Mission Statement

​As a PYP school, we need to create a mission statement that is aligned with the philosophy of the IB.  This requires us to become familiar with the IB mission statement, so we can interpret and apply it to our own.  Here is the IB mission statement: 

“The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.” (IBO, 2020)

We use the IB mission statement as a model and inspiration for our own to reflect our students, our community, and our learning needs. One way to examine the IB mission statement is to pull out any words that resonate with you or that make you ponder.  Use synonyms for these words in your own mission statement.  

Do we see examples of international mindedness in the IB mission statement? 

Crafting a Mission Statement

​When crafting our mission statement, we need to first reflect on our school values.  

• What is our school culture? 
• What are some non-negotiables in how we operate? 
• How are our values reflective of international mindedness? 

Once you have brainstormed ideas by answering the questions above, you are ready to move forward to craft your mission statement.  Remember, this is a highly collaborative process, because we want all school members to have ownership of the statement.  If the staff derives it solely, the students and parents won’t have as much buy in.  

How do we manage this process successfully? Here are some possible steps: 

• In ad hoc groups, create a portion of the mission statement
• Bring the pieces together and have everyone evaluate it before it become published
• Make adjustments and place in a prominent place at the front of the school and within classrooms

Here is an example of my school mission statement.  It reflects the big ideas from the IB mission statement, but also reflects the culture of my campus. The teachers each took a beginning letter from our school name and crafted a line of the mission statement.  It was presented to the PTA and students for review.  Now, it is showcased in the front office and we say it aloud each day during our morning announcements. 

​At Foster Elementary, we…

• Form a more peaceful world,
• Overcome obstacles that hinder global learning,
• Strengthen our minds to explore beyond our everyday experiences,
• Train thinkers
• Empower each other to become leaders, and
• Redefine ourselves as resilient risk-takers
  
• ​

I am a leader, you are a leader, we are global leaders.  We are Foster Elementary. 

Regular Reflection & Revision

​As our school grows and our demographics change, we will need to modify the mission statement to reflect it.  Our campus went from being predominantly Black American to a mix with Mexican families moving into the neighborhood.  As the numbers have grown, we’ve had to consider if our mission statement still fits the needs of all members. 

This process of reflection and revision is normal and is strongly encouraged.  The school mission statement showcases the beliefs, hopes, and values of a campus.  It shouldn’t be taken lightly, but should be stated from the heart.  

One thing to consider, if our school mission reflects the IB, then it will naturally promote international mindedness.  Whew, doesn’t this make you relax a bit more? See you in our next episode. 

Be sure to check out confessions #32-34 to apply our learning of agency, action, the learner profile, and international mindedness!