CMS 'heart' report

I bet I wasn't the only person whose eyes widened to see the "CMS has a crisis of heart" piece on the Viewpoint page of Sunday's Observer.

It's not that I was shocked to read about a pervasive climate of fear that stifles the joy of teaching.  Anyone who has been paying attention has heard similar complaints,  including plenty posted in comments on this blog.

It's that two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools social workers confronted the issue in print,  with their names attached.  After all,  the whole thing about a climate of fear is that it tends to drive resentment underground.  I can't even tally the times CMS employees have urged me to write about adult bullying or bad morale but said they wouldn't dare be quoted.

Sherman

And that's exactly why Barry Sherman,  who's starting a new post at Bruns Academy this year,  thought it was important to do what he did.  He says he was driven by a combination of frustration with what he's seen in recent years and hope that Superintendent Heath Morrison is serious about creating a better climate.

Sherman has worked for CMS off and on for about a dozen years,  and been assigned to about that many schools.  He has seen the ranks of fellow school social workers slashed by budget cuts.  He has heard teachers and principals complain privately about a hostile, punitive climate.

He was also inspired by what he read in Morrison's entry plan about making sure employees feel energized,  engaged and valued.  Morrison has asked employees to work with him to make that happen.  Sherman thought a public letter might inspire others.  "When fear and silence and isolation take root,"  he said,  it can be hard to embrace optimism and take a chance on change.

Sherrill

Sherman says he wrote a first draft in June.  In the ensuing weeks,  he shared it with half a dozen trusted people who don't work for CMS and about 10 who do.  He said he wanted to make sure he was accurately reflecting the mood,  and that others thought it an open letter would be constructive.  He wanted to recruit several co-authors because  "I do not want this to be a Barry Sherman thing."  But the folks on the Observer's editorial staff limited him to two authors,  he said.  Bevelyn Sherrill,  a social worker who is also starting a new assignment this year,  agreed to sign on and help him with the final version.

When Sherman and Sherrill learned their piece was about to run,  they notified their principals and sent Morrison a copy,  Sherman said.  Morrison thanked them and encouraged them to be part of the ongoing discussions  (see a schedule of meetings for the public and employees here).  After a panel discussion on education Monday night,  Sherman introduced himself to Morrison.  "He expressed excitement,"  Sherman said.  "It was awesome."

Since Sunday,  Sherman says,  he and Sherrill have been getting compliments from current and former CMS employees,  as well as community members.  One teacher said she started crying as she read the piece aloud to her husband because it hit so close to home.

So what's next?  Morrison will lay out his plans for CMS sometime after his 100th day in the job,  probably in early December.  In his former job in Reno,  Nev.,  he worked with staff to craft a  "Culture of Respect"  agreement.  That was slow work,  and it's pretty clear that making deep change in a workforce of more than 18,000 will take time as well.

In the meantime,  I'll keep reporting on the process and the challenges.  And here's what I'd ask from readers who are in the thick of things:  Let me know about the people and places that are leading CMS in the right direction.  The heart of CMS may be ailing,  but I know it hasn't flatlined.

Pinewood teachers at the Firebird

The other morning,  for instance,  I came across a group of Pinewood Elementary teachers running around the Firebird statue, flapping their arms like wings.  They were doing an uptown scavenger hunt and learning to make movies with their iPads.  Their joy and energy as they prepared for a new school year was a much-needed reminder that it's not all about test scores.  And they volunteered their enthusiasm about their principal,  Trish Sexton,  whom I'd profiled a few years ago when she was taking on a tough assignment in her first post as principal.

I know there are others  --  principals,  teachers,  and yes,  high-level administrators  --  who defy all the obstacles to create a culture of heart.  Let's hold them up as an example.