Dan Heath UPSTREAM The Quest To Solve Problems Before They Happen
Heading upstream. Working smarter, not harder. It makes sense, but often in the moment, we are blinded by the urgency in front of us. In Dan Heath’s recent book, Upstream, The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen, he reminds us of the parable of two men saving several children who are floundering in the water as they arrive one after the other from the swift current upstream. Near exhaustion, one man leaves, leaving the other in a panic, realizing he will now be alone in his rescuing efforts. When asked why his buddy is leaving, his friend answers, “I’m going upstream to tackle the guy who is throwing all these kids in the water.”
OpenAI summarizes Upstream in this way. “Heath argues that many of the biggest problems we face as individuals, organizations, and society as a whole could be avoided or minimized if we focused on taking proactive measures upstream.” His goal is to encourage us to shift our efforts upstream “to prevent problems before they happen '' rather than “react, react, react” after the fact. As a school leader, it makes sense. Much of our work involves systems thinking. Rather than having a fifth grader leave our school community as a non-reader, we create foundational teaching and learning systems to avoid that inequity from happening.
I summarized Heath’s Upstream ideas in this way to organize my thinking and next steps. It starts with owning my own mindset. Some days are tough. We may not have created the challenge, but we can shift our thinking toward equitable outcomes.
What often makes me smile, is the solution is usually not as complex as it appears. Leaning in, listening to others, and gaining a deeper perspective, the path to a solution for students and staff can simply be a “move your chair” adjustment. Providing ongoing professional development for teachers and adjusting the schedule to include community circle time for students moves us upstream. A bonus, it allocates time for the commitments we have prioritized.
The effects of the pandemic are still lingering for our students and staff. As educators, we have our theories, but the aftermath is real and leading us to a new normal. Change is complex, indeed, with no quick fixes, but if we accept it as an opportunity, we can move forward in a new way using what we now know and can do. Distributing 550+ Chromebooks in just a few days changed the outcome for students, eased the ‘suffering’ of parents, produced a different teaching and learning system we didn’t even know was possible, and moved us all upstream.
Looking back, we realized, “We can do hard things.” Although without reflection, the struggle goes unappreciated and devalued. Instead of going back to what we have always done, our course remains the same, and feedback from students, teachers, staff, and families becomes our tool to continue to learn and prioritize our commitments, goals, and values in a new and better way.
