Many a times we get asked about how to go about working out the vision & mission of the school. Here is how I like to think about this question:
Vision: Simply, it stands for what I want to be seen as, or what I want my organization/school to be seen as, or what my “brand” should be seen, or known, for.
For example, a school might decide on the vision/brand of the school as – “A school which helps every child become a winner”.
A vision is always a work-in-process, that is, it is never achieved 100%.
Most of the time people speak about vision and mission in the same breath, and therefore it is not clear what is the difference between the two. A useful way to look at mission is to see it as specific goals, achieving whom will help us move towards our vision.
For example, if we have a vision of – “A school which helps every child become a winner” – then our mission for the next 3/5 years could be:
- Every child becomes an Independent/Self-directed Learner by Std. X
- School will provide support/nurture for every interest/talent
- Build entrepreneurship mindset among a significant proportion of students
Therefore, in my scheme of things, mission are specific goals. Therefore, instead of vision & mission, we can also work in the framework of vision & goals.
Once we are clear about our mission/goals (which in turn are derived from our vision), we need to work out a plan to work towards them (while the normal functioning of the school goes on). We monitor the progress towards the goals, and make necessary corrections in the plan as we go along.
It is a good idea to review our vision from time to time because the world around us will keep on changing.