Workforce Development: The Stage

Modern fine dining is almost synonymous with French cooking techniques: The foams, gels, dots, dashes, flowers and flourishes, the braise, broil, and saute. Arising out of the genius of August Escoffier, the French brigade system simplified each aspect of kitchen work down to the core functions with each section led by a distinguished and capable leader.

French cooking has informed the English language but with the hit FX show "The Bear," we were introduced to a fascinating aspect of the culinary world: The Stagiaire, or stage (St-AH-zh), French for "intern."

An individual would be transferred for up to a few weeks to learn techniques and abilities or different culinary traditions to work in another chef’s kitchen. This dynamic transfer of human capital is often the starting point of activating a je ne sais quoi that continues to improve a chef’s ability. Thomas Keller, chef of the longest continually awarded 3 Michelin star restaurant in America, said of staging: “If you want to become a great chef, you have to work with great chefs. And that's exactly what I did."

Strategic Staffing - Teaching and Administrative Staging

Just as staging enhances a chef's culinary prowess, strategic staffing through teaching and administrative staging can profoundly enrich the capabilities of educators and school administrators. Borrowing from the culinary tradition, educational institutions can adopt this model to foster growth, creativity, and continuous learning.

Imagine teachers being given the opportunity to "stage" at high-performing schools, observing and participating in different classroom environments and pedagogical approaches as well as professional learning community meetings. They return invigorated with fresh techniques, ideas, and perspectives to implement in their own schools and feel like a leader when they bring these ideas to fruition. Likewise, administrators who stage in innovative districts learn new methods of management, community engagement, and policy implementation that they can adapt and integrate into their leadership practices.

This transfer of human capital does not just benefit individual educators but enriches entire schools and districts. Similar to the way chefs bring new flavors and ideas back to their home kitchens, staged teachers and administrators return to their schools ready to introduce and implement new strategies, igniting creativity and enhancing overall educational quality.

By strategically integrating staging into workforce development initiatives, schools invest in their staff's professional growth while simultaneously building a collaborative culture of shared expertise and continuous improvement. Much like culinary stagiaires, educational stagiaires could contribute to a rich exchange of ideas and practices, ultimately creating an educational environment marked by innovation, adaptability, and excellence.