Build it Before You Fly It

As you reflect on this video, compare what you viewed to how we as educators normally do business in our schools. Do you see the brilliance of what the engineers in the video accomplished? They built the airplane and THEN they flew it. What do we tend to do in our schools? Do we typically design our systems, construct them carefully, and test their ability to function as we expect thoroughly before we call our systems into action? Do we tend to be proactive in our approach or reactive? The reality is that many of us, including me, tend to build the airplane as we fly it.

Now let’s just take a moment to think about the logic of that maneuver. We can rationalize our ability to improvise and prioritize in the heat of the moment. We are busy! We have a lot on our plate! We are under a lot of pressure! We are so experienced with working things out as we go that some of us are quite good at it. We get the job done!

All that being said, let your common sense prevail and consider the benefits of building your airplanes at your school before you schedule them for frequent flier service. Collaborate with your team. Establish your goals based on your needs and assemble a specific action plan that will fly you toward success. Anticipate the outcomes you may encounter and plan the adjustments you will make for each possible result. Imagine the quality of the systems you will empower your team to build if they have the luxury of focusing on the development of these systems without simultaneously managing the responsibility of implementing the untested and often incomplete plans. Build a plane at your school before you fly it and enjoy your flight!