My breakthrough question:

How could we bring systemic work more into the picture at school?

Ina Fabritius
Netherlands

Posted May 2008

What was your question all about?

At a small, growing school in the Netherlands, one Board member has been assigned the task to guard and develop the three cornerstones of the school. The cornerstones are: neuro-linguistic programming, solution-focused practice and, more recently, systemic work.

Having introduced and embedded the neurological programme levels (NLP) the next task was to bring systemic work more into the picture at school.

What things did you try?

Within the staff team we first explored the principle order of 'Time'. We experimented with and spoke about the oldest, then the youngest children, first about the lower grades, then about the upper grades. In the same way as in a family, first the eldest then the youngest child.

We have developed routines in the school to help us to always work like this, e.g. in announcements, schemes, in any place where groups are mentioned. Some examples of our work include:

• in each class there is a list featuring all children from the oldest to the youngest
• there is a genogram of all staff and children; everyone belongs, nobody is excluded
• at tutor reading the older child sits at the right side of the younger one; the older one is the leader.

What did you learn and what insights did you get?

You need a lot of training to change attitudes and raise enough awareness to make yourself completely familiar with it. You must learn in a way so you can completely internalise it. It is not sufficient to mention this once in a while or even just to talk about it. It is a state of being

How does your insight affect what you're now doing and what difference is this making?

This simple action has had a settling effect on the school. Now that everyone has a good understanding of their own place within the school, it has turned out that the pecking order has actually become less noticeable. The oldest child at school is really the oldest one (and not the tallest or the most insolent one, or...) and is perceived by the children as such. And already now it can be sensed who will be the oldest next year when the former leaves school. It gives some peace. There is no discussion about it. You have your own place.

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Further comments from ecl moderator Terry Ingham

Ina, as a senior member of the governing school board, brought her experience in working systemically into her school. She knew that even a simple introduction would need to be carefully managed because it was asking a lot from the staff.

They began the process by exploring one key aspect of systemic work - the ordering forces of Time and Place. They learned through talking but also through doing, quickly getting their ideas into formats that enabled them to work with the children on a day to day basis.

They report a calming effect on the children who have stopped having to test out what their place is in relation to each other.

Words of Appreciation

My gratitude and acknowledgement goes to Johannes B. Schmidt, Bouke de Boer, Dorien Groot, Marike Soutberg and Wiea Oosterhoff.