Guiding Your School Through Transformation

During the Spring Break, my daughter and I visited Butterfly Wonderland. We enjoyed watching over a thousand butterflies flying around us. It was also a great opportunity to learn more about this wonderful creature. I can’t help but notice that the life cycle of a butterfly is a perfect example of Transformation.  

For the past few blogs, I have been focusing on Data Step 3: Transform. I was reflecting on that visit and wanted to share some thoughts about transformation as it relates to the butterfly life cycle. 

The transformation process from a caterpillar to a butterfly can serve as an informative analogy for the process of school transformation. The life of a butterfly goes through three main phases:

• The caterpillar phase.
• The chrysalis phase.
• The butterfly phase.

A butterfly starts its life as an egg, from which a caterpillar emerges. As you may have known, this phase isn’t pretty. In fact, sometimes caterpillars can even be considered a nuisance. They can eat through a garden and cause havoc as a pest. 

If you are a leader of a school that is not achieving results, it can feel pretty “wormy,” not only for you but also for your staff. Poor results don’t feel good, and you can consider the root causes as “pests”. It takes courage for a school leader to tackle those “pest-like” roots and lead the way to a new way of thinking. 

During this phase, the caterpillar might outgrow and shed its skin 4-5 times. You can describe this “shedding” as a time of growth and letting go. Once it is ready, the caterpillar will shed its skin one last time which will create the chrysalis.

Have you ever thought of what is happening inside the cocoon? This is something that I’ve wondered about as a child. How can a caterpillar become a beautiful butterfly inside that shell? In the chrysalis phase, the caterpillar is in a state of transition. It’s in a stage where it’s not quite a caterpillar, but it’s not quite a butterfly either. 

The caterpillar begins to shrink and shed its skin to form the chrysalis. Its organs dissolve and the caterpillar begins to die. But then, after some time, a new creature begins to emerge. Old habits, old ways of thinking, and old mindsets must die if you are going to transform poor results into excellent student results. 

Somethings to think about if you are struggling to transform your results:

• What beliefs and attitudes about student learning exist at our school? 
• How do these beliefs and mindsets impact our results? 
• Do any of these beliefs and attitudes need to die to create room for something new?
• What are the current solutions and instructional practices that were adopted to improve results?  Are they working? Do we see continuous improvement?
• Do any of our former solutions or instructional practices need to die to create room for something new?

A school leader working to change mindsets and beliefs can be challenging. Leading the way and supporting new solution implementation is also not easy. It takes courage and determination to stay on the course of action towards real transformation. It will take time before implementation issues start to settle down and real change takes place. As school leaders, we should be the source of encouragement and support as the school goes through this phase.

As we left through the gift shop, there was a quote on a t-shirt that caught my eye:

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.”

Before real transformation occurs, it may feel like everything is in disarray. If you’re implementing proven methods that fit your situation, continue pushing for it. Give it time to take hold and use your data to monitor continuous progress. 

Most of the caterpillar’s old cells are dissolved inside the chrysalis, while a few cells remain. These remaining cells, called imaginal cells, switch off the caterpillar instructions in their DNA and switch on the instructions to make a butterfly. When this happens, the new creature created is nothing like the old one.

When a school implements solutions that meet the needs of students and releases all the old ways that didn’t work, the pathway for amazing results is formed. It’s not about a one-time event, but a series of good choices that are best for kids! School leaders have a step-by-step plan of action and are focused on long-term success. 

It sounds easy, but we all know it can be challenging to lead transformation. Transformational leaders are not only concerned about the process but also help every member of the group succeed. They know how to provide them with support, guidance, and inspiration. 

Schools led by this type of leader are often successful! When transformation occurs, staff give a lot to the team and care deeply about the group’s ability to accomplish the goals. They are committed to helping students succeed.

The challenges faced by the school leader to bring about this transformation are rewarded when the beautiful butterfly emerges! 

“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”

Richard Buckminster Fuller

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