newly ancient

After returning from EduCon 2.0, I have become increasingly energized about the possibility for change in our schools. Primarily, the Science Leadership Academy showed me how very possible a meaningful and technological education is. From the amazing experiences I had there, I have decided it is time to finally at least attempt to create change within my own school. Obviously, this is going to be a long road uphill—especially since I am working from the bottom of the power chain (student). Of course, I also have nothing to lose (well, not much)—so I can experiment with change without having to worry about losing my “job.” In case I succeed, I have decided to document the process here for anyone else to follow along with.

It is important to note that this method has never been tried before—it is a work in progress. Then again, all great work is in progress.

Find Allies

This is the stage I have just recently completed. In my opinion, it is the most important part of the process. It is really hard to affect change on one’s one, so finding an ally is critical. Your ally or allies can help you throughout the process and will provide that support when you think it is impossible. Your ally will be the one to stand there and keep you from rolling back down the hill when you find it gets too steep. In short, in any movement you need an ally to help you:

• Keep your sanity: your ally will keep you on track and focused on your goal, reminding you what the objective and purpose are.
• Certify your sanity: just as your ally can keep you sane, your ally can prove to others that you are sane when it becomes time to do the “selling.” One change agent is a rogue, two are a movement.
• Test the waters: if you cannot convince your ally of the value of something, it will likely be prohibitively impossible to convince the skeptics of it. For this reason, I think some of the best allies can actually be those who were originally the most skeptical.
• Network: chances are, your network is not the same as your ally’s. Your ally can help you to meet different people who are interested in change or are worth talking to. The more buy-in you get from a variety and diversity of parties, the easier it will be in the long run.
• Encourage you: when you think it is all impossible or that change will never happen, your ally can get you energized again. It is much easier to be excited with another person than by yourself.
• Sell: in the end, you are going to have to sell the need for change. If your ally is a great salesman, it will be much easier to convince others of the need for change.
• Provide leverage: your change ally can give your idea leverage, either because they are well-respected or are in a position of power.

Now that you know why a change ally is important, you need to find one. However, not just anyone will be a good change ally. You don’t need another enemy. When finding an ally, I look for these qualities:

• Skepticism: if your ally is a skeptic, it will be much easier to test the viability of your ideas. You can test arguments on them and gauge the reaction.
• Power: this should be obvious, but the more powerful (either obvious or subterranean) your ally is, the easier it will be to talk to the people you need to. Just don’t hire the mafia.
• Salesmanship: it definitely helps to have a good salesman as an ally, especially if you aren’t great at it yourself. You’re looking for the Barack of your school. You want the ally who can create change we can believe in.
• Inversity: you want to find an ally who is the inverse of you; if you are a geek, look for a teacher. If you are a (non-geek) teacher, find a geek. You will both bring different things to the table which will make you a much better team. You don’t need a clone, you need an ally.
• Passion: your ally should be passionate about what they do and the potential for change. If they are too cynical, they will drag you down with them. Your ally needs to be the one to tell you yes we can.

Now that you know what to look for in an ally and how to find one, go out and sign some treaties! Remember you might find the best allies in unexpected places: a student, an art teacher, or a skeptical colleague are all potential allies. What tips have you found useful in getting allies? How have you allies helped you? Have any alliances ever ended badly?

1. Photo by ~Prescott on Flickr
2. Photo by zenera on Flickr
3. Photo by Robert L. Knudsen via pingnews.com