Some schools are mega size schools, bigger than some villages. Having had the experience of serving both in small and big schools, I can testify that managing a small school is relatively easier than navigating the terrain of a big school.
What is more, managing community high expectations of a school is another daunting challenge. Nobody expects a school to faulter in its mission of offering its best self to students. So, school systems that maintain a high culture of performance are those that constantly remind themselves of their very purpose of existence. When confronted with many challenges and perpetually competing interests, it is possible for a school to go adrift and lose its essence. Elizabeth A. City and Rachel E. Curtis have observed that, “Schools and school systems are noisy places, crises, big and small, come one after another. Local, state, and national politics with all the interests they represent add to the din.” A school that understands its purpose and mission would always listen to all voices but above all pay most attention to the voices of its students.
