A symbol of Innovation

In our annual magazine this year, we chose the theme of innovation.  This was due to the cascading effects of the pandemic of 2020/1. The world did a summersault and people in every continent had to land on hands and knees. There were many scrapes and some cases of serious injury. But we all got up, dusted ourselves off and faced the ‘new normal’.  Interestingly, we have also adopted a symbol this year to demonstrate the visible and invisible impact Montessori has on learning: the symbol of an iceberg. In the same way, the impact of innovation from the pandemic was hidden initially by many negative events that slowly surfaced, and indeed are still surfacing, but continue to show us new ways to enhance teaching and learning.

A crisis makes us more innovative

There is nothing like a crisis to develop creativity. The idea of innovation provided a sense of forward momentum; a sense of leaving behind many challenges and finding ways to extract our new found talents to put into action. How did we express innovation at CMS? I have chosen to share how leadership addressed innovation in 2021.

Innovation this year started with building a new story. The story had many characters and most of them looking for treasures within themselves and within the environment. This set the scene for how my leadership could enhance their journey.

Innovation – Scene One

We needed confidence in the future so provision of security and safety had to be communicated. We needed a rich happy environment, therefore resources were sought and laughter provoked. We had to be given extra time to breathe while we were recovering from the pandemic impact, hence time was provided in different formats. The environment had been taken care of and would continue to be reviewed.

Innovation – Scene Two

The protagonists of the story had to be carefully selected for the role they wanted to perform. This task was a little more complex because each character had many qualities and talents and working to find the right script and space at times needed a longer dialogue. The people involved are all generous, flexible and clear about own capacity, therefore we did find the perfect ‘fit’ for each. Our staff were more than up for the challenge.

Innovation – Scene Three

To innovate and create a story that was different and creative, changes were required. The changes that were made were additional characters that augmented capacity and were able to tell the story in a complete new format. We included a marketing person, new administration staff and new teaching staff.

Now, the performance for 2021 could start and what a fantastic year it has been! Innovation was achieved in our educational program, in our professional learning and in the management of the school. But wait there is more: we are now closer to establishing a secondary school and when this happens the story will include new roles, new characters and new scenes. We are ready, are you? Stick around and become part of this evolving narrative.

Innovation in your family’s education

If you would like to know more about enrolling at Caboolture Montessori School, please visit our website enrolment section, and commence the process by downloading the Application For Enrolment and emailing it to school.secretary@cms.qld.edu.au