Improving School Culture

Abstract

Much is written about the culture of a school in terms of maintenance as well as change. Cultures tend to be stable and yet subject to change. When technology changes rapidly, culture tends to change more quickly. The latest in home appliances, automobiles, houses, and technology, among other items, has made for rapid changes in values, ideals, goals, and culture in general. The Old Order Amish are known for their resistance to change. Horse drawn farm machinery is generally used in farming; carriages or buggies drawn by a horse are used for transportation. Electricity is not used in the home setting. Eighth grade education is terminal in Old Order Amish one room parochial school houses (Ediger, 1992). Plain colors of clothing are worn which distinguishes the Old Order Amish from other people in society. Worship services are held in homes, or barns if the weather is favorable. And yet, culture among the Old Order Amish is changing rather rapidly. No longer do the majority of these people make a living from farming. Recent studies that have been made indicate that about one-third earn their livelihood from living on a a farm and engaging in farm work; one-third do farm related work for others to earn a living; and one-third engage in nonfarm work. With large families and farm land being expensive, it becomes too costly for Amish to live and work on their very own farms. Thus an Old Order Amish man may make furniture for others, make horse collars for sale to other states and abroad, put in storm doors and windows for others, paint buildings, own a feed mill, or operate a small grocery store. Ingenuous ways may be found to have a large number of laying hens, such as 10,000, and yet be somewhat automated without the use of electricity. These large laying houses for egg production are very much like the latest in automation involving large scale farming operations (Ediger, 1995). Culture then does change rapidly, or slowly and surely where there is more resistance to change. Now what about school culture? Are there elements that should remain stable? What about changing certain patterns of behavior in school culture? The Athletic Culture I would like to indicate certain facets of school culture which may be quite prominent. At a basketball game, the bleachers are filled with patrons from the local district. The crowd is waiting for the boys' basketball team to enter the court. Here they come with their flashy, enviable uniforms, ushered in by six cheerleaders and an applauding crowd. Basketball team members truly look impressive with their convincing shots at the basket during warmup and in anticipation of the game. There are continuous cheers lead by the cheerleader and numbers played enthusiastically by the pep band. The crowd cheers lavishly as the referees indicate it is time to start the game. Much applause comes forth when a player scores by sending the basketball through the hoop. Each player on the court receives much adulation and praise, unless a fowl is committed. There may then be occasional booing by a spectator. The booing is made over a call made by a referee which goes against the side favored by the spectator. In the weekly paper of the city involving the local basketball team, there are large pictures of the players who played heroically if they won. There are equally large size pictures in the weekly paper of players of the team who lost in the hard fought game. Students comment much about the players on the local team and value highly the latters contributions to school. They can hardly wait for the next game to come. Pep assemblies are held during the school day prior to each basketball game. Much cheering and introducing of each player on the basketball team is in evidence during the assembly. The pepband also plays a few numbers to spur on efforts in winning the basketball game that same evening. Those on the honor roll pertaining to the academics have a very small write up listing their names only, for a semester, in the local weekly paper with no pictures of the involved students. …