Crafting an Ethic of Excellence
This year's 2024–25 school year launch began with our Professional Learning Week, inspired by Ron Berger's book Ethic of Excellence. Every teacher, staff member, and leader took time in their summer to read the book in preparation for the new year. Faculty members in the Assessment and Communicating Student Learning Committees read the book last school year as part of their learning. These committees have engaged in research and discussions to inform decisions to evolve our current practices.
With intentional efforts over the past three years, we have taken the time to define the essence of the Montcrest culture. We are now connecting the dots of our learning ecosystem in meaningful and intentional ways. The last piece has been developing The Story of a Montcrest Learner.
“The key to excellence is this: It is born from a culture.”
When we came together to debrief our reading, the group was led through a text protocol with quotes from the book. The quotes woven into this blog stand out as significant to members of the Montcrest team. When seen as a curated collection, they beautifully set the tone and intention of the year to come.
The conversations inspired by the quotes were a rich tapestry of all the many ways we already uphold an ethic of excellence at Montcrest. To illustrate the connections, each element of The Story of a Montcrest Learner has been paired with a quote from the book.
“I believe that work of excellence is transformational. Once a student sees that [they are] capable of excellence, that student is never quite the same. There is a new self-image, a new notion of possibility. There is an appetite for excellence. After students have had a taste of excellence, they’re never quite satisfied with less; they’re always hungry.” pg 8
When they begin to make discoveries that impress their classmates, solve problems as part of the group, put together projects that are admired by others, produce work of real quality, a new self-image as a proud student will emerge. p.65
“I believe the achievement of students is governed to a large degree by their family culture, their neighborhood culture, and their school culture. Students may have different potentials, but, in general, the attitudes and achievements of students are shaped by the culture around them.” p.34
“What could you possibly achieve of quality in a single draft? Would you ever put on a play without rehearsals? Give a concert without practicing first? How much editing went into every book that we read? Students in my classroom often take pride in their dedication to drafts.” pp.89–90
“We try to begin with the author/designer of the work explaining [their] ideas and goals, and explaining what particular aspects of the work [they are] seeking help with. We critique the work and not the person. We try to begin our critique comments with something positive about the work, and then move on to constructive criticism. We try to use I statements when possible: ‘I’m curious why you chose to begin with this…?’ Or ‘Have you considered including…?’” p.94
“In carpentry there is no higher compliment builders give each other than this: That person is a craftsman. This one word says it all. It connotes someone who has integrity, knowledge, dedication, and pride in work — someone who thinks carefully and does things well.”
“There is almost nothing more exciting in education than being engaged in genuine research — research where the teacher and students are exploring new ground together.” p.75
“If I want my students specifically to write a great message, to design a strong experiment, I need to show them what a great essay or an experiment looks like. We need to admire models, find inspiration in them, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. We need to figure out together what it is that makes this work strong.” p.83
“Schools need to consciously shape their cultures to be places where it’s safe to care, where it’s cool to care. They need to reach out to family and neighborhood cultures to support this.” p.35
“…when students know their work will be displayed, presented, appreciated, and judged — whether by the whole class, other classes, families, or the community — work takes on a different meaning.” p.100
Schools are fast-paced, dynamic places to work. The people who choose to teach and take on roles to support school operations do so because of their beliefs about learners and learning. At Montcrest, we are a community of learners. We belong to a place that deeply believes in the potential of every person in our community.
“I have no blueprint to share; this isn’t a quick fix. It’s an ethic, an approach, a way of thinking…. This ethic means expecting much more of teachers and students, investing them with much greater responsibility and accountability, and expecting and supporting them to succeed…”
“For [leaders], it means involving school faculties and individual teachers in decision-making in genuine and significant ways, including determining school priorities, organization, finances, and hiring…. It means that teachers should assume a parallel perspective toward their students: higher expectations in everything, more trust, more responsibility, and a deeper and broader accountability.” pp. 150–151
We look forward to the year ahead, living our shared purpose and enriching the learning experience. Please stay tuned to learn more about The Story of a Montcrest Learner.
