Start Where You Are — My Small Win Plan

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Start Where You Are

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At Abbott Elementary, a public school in Philadelphia, the teachers rarely have the supplies, staff or support they need. Janine Teagues, an endlessly optimistic second-grade teacher, keeps trying to fix things, sometimes brilliantly and sometimes disastrously. Veteran teachers Barbara Howard and Melissa Schemmenti have seen it all and know how to get things done quietly. Their principal, Ava Coleman, is more interested in herself than in the school, at least at first. We treat the show as a case study in making change from the ground up, and you don't need to have seen it. Principal Ava Coleman requests money for classroom supplies, including rugs, but spends it on a new sign. Janine complains to the superintendent, but the email is forwarded to Ava, who embarrasses Janine in front of the staff. Barbara, Jacob and Melissa stand up for Janine, and Melissa has a friend get rugs for the teachers by means the show plays for comedy (the friend steals them). What do you notice about how things actually got done there?
Who gets things done, and how?
What does Janine's energy make possible, and what does it cost?
What do Barbara and Melissa know that Janine doesn't?
What would you call Ava's role?

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