One More Thing Separating TSS and Eddie Bauer

Chris Agnew
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read

“Don’t be Eddie Bauer.” Remember them?…or more precisely, remember what they used to be? How you define this brand typically gives away your age. Expedition outfitter — you’re over 60. Leisure wear king, Gap wannabe, and outlet mall ubiquity — you’re over 30. Retro label making a comeback into technical wear apparel — you may be part of Generation Z.

Craig Wilson uses Eddie Bauer’s evolution from the 60’s to the 00’s as a study in misdirected evolution and growth in his book “The Compass and the Nail”. Beginning as an expedition outfitter, Eddie Bauer became distracted by “casual interest” users in the 80’s and 90’s. Without any connection to a core organizational identity, blandness led them to bankruptcy in the early 2000’s.

“Don’t be Eddie Bauer” essentially warns against growth through broadening and broadening until who you are is meaningless. Our focus is different. All of our work and all of our change must drive us to the core essentials of TSS. We’ve just stepped into year two of our three year OneTSS strategic plan. Let’s track what’s possible in our next three years beginning with the 2020 — 21 fiscal and academic year — our first year after our current strategic plan .

2020–21. A truly unique graduate program preparing educators to move fluidly between formal and informal education with a full second year placement in our independent school. An independent school operating as the hub of a network of place-based schools. Multi-faceted career paths for our educators with opportunities to further their craft through adjunct teaching with the Teacher Learning Center (TLC) or Graduate Program.

2019–20. To create the above, in 2019–20 our independent schools operate in a more integrated fashion. Our first year graduate students are recruited with a seed set for a second year placement. Advancing as an educator doesn’t require moving to administration. When available and interested, our veteran educators can step away from the classroom or Field Education to teach TLC programming for the growing Place Network Schools around the country.

This year. For us to begin with the end in mind, this school year (2018–19) must focus on laying the groundwork for greater independent school integration next year, for additional Place Network Schools, and for a graduate cohort that would be with TSS for two years. Once we’ve settled into the start of the school year, I look forward to more faculty voice and planning in this process after the October 18th Board meeting.

How do we avoid the pitfalls of Eddie Bauer? Our different program areas and growth must amplify and strengthen the core. Evolutions of the Graduate program improve our independent schools. Growth of Place Network Schools creates more Field Education visiting schools. Teacher Learning Center work in Place Network Schools creates teaching opportunities for Independent School and Field Education faculty. Several weeks ago I shared work we’ve done and work to come. With each spin of the flywheel, momentum builds on itself and the wheel begins to spin on it’s own around the axis of our mission.

    Chris Agnew

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