The Echo

Ground Rules
Sep 16, 2009
By Elizabeth Scheinberg
 

There's a saying in the health care industry that folks from direct care givers to management live and breathe by. Million dollar lawsuits have been won and lost on eight easy words; If it wasn't written down, it didn't happen!

Incident reports, the distribution of meds, doctors notes, care plans, etc. I could tell you that I gave Mrs. Wilson her prescription every day for the last year. And you might believe me. Or I can give you a log of the dates, times, and doses and suddenly my word takes on new meaning.

Though I left a career in health care many years ago, I continue to practice this philosophy in every facet of my professional life. And I've found that the implication of those eight words translates well into my role now as school board member. If you have a plan, write it down. If you have results, don't just tell me. Show Me. If you have policies and procedures, they need to be in writing because the unwritten rule is the one that seldom gets enforced uniformly and with fidelity.

The flip side to this coin is that it implies that I lack trust in our system. But, it is not an issue of trust as much as it is one of accountability. It's not about people, it is about climate, system change, function, and value. It is very much about evidence-based practices, best practices, data-informed decisions, common sense and compassion.

I have reached a point in this journey where I have had to ask myself very some difficult questions. While running for this position, I publically urged both our state and district-level educational leaders to make bold decisions, to move away from an era of what appeared to be rubber-stamping, and to start questioning everything, to build policy that promoted growth, and to back-up their good intentions with results.

Ultimately, I have to be able to sleep at night. I have to know that I have considered and valued the balance between what is right for our tax payers with what's good for all of our students. The breadth of my experience is minuscule compared to that of some seasoned board members and I respect that. I am guided by an awareness that history can and does repeat itself, a strong strength in my convictions, and a dedication to both students and constituents.

And, in the end it will always come back to these eight words, If it wasn't written down, it didn't happen.