October 17 Independent

I had a wonderful teacher in 4^th grade. She persuaded me to try things that I never would have dared try without her encouragement. 

She encouraged me to write.  So I wrote.  To this day I can clearly remember a story that I wrote in her class about a baseball game told from the baseball’s perspective.  I learned about voice, tone, mood, and setting, all because she created an environment that helped me learn not only the mechanics but also the art of writing.

She encouraged me to learn history.  So I did.  I participated in one-act plays with my friends, acting out some of the most memorable events in New Mexico and US history.  Through this simple strategy, she helped me learn and remember my history lessons.

She also promised a dollar bill and a Hershey candy bar to any student who had perfect attendance for the year.  I never missed a day of school.

I look back fondly on 4^th grade.  My teacher used a variety of strategies and approaches to keep me interested in school.

Yet activities and strategies that worked for me probably did not work for everyone in the class.  An approach that I really enjoyed probably was not enjoyed by everyone.  I am sure that there were times and there were activities that I did not enjoy. 

That is the mystery of teaching.  Why does something work so well for one student but not so well for another student?

As I move around the district I try and get into as many classrooms as I can.  I want to see how our teachers are trying to reach our students.  What strategies are our teachers using to encourage and motivate students?  How do our teachers help our students learn?

Teaching is both art and science.  Teachers have to know their subject but they also have to understand students.  Teachers need to have a toolbox full of strategies and approaches and they need to know when and where to use those strategies.

One of our district goals is that teachers and administrators will collaborate to find, use, and monitor effective instructional practices.  In the report How the World’s Best-Performing School Systems Come Out on Top (McKinsey and Company, 2007) improving instruction is heralded as the most effective way to improve outcomes.  This report goes on to say that there is not a single documented case of a school successfully altering its pupil achievement trajectory in the absence of talented teaching.

If our district is to meet our objectives, we have to focus on instruction.  It is a collaborative effort between administrators and teachers.  District administrative leadership must know and understand what good teaching looks like and teachers must be able to identify and use classroom strategies that are effective.

I have been fortunate to have great teachers throughout my life.  My 4^th grade teacher was a wonderful example.  She used strategies and approaches that drew me in and helped me learn.  

We have great teachers in our district, teachers who work hard at their craft.  Our goal is to support our teachers, encourage them to find, use, and reflect on their instructional strategies so that our students can be successful at learning the lessons that they need to learn.