Professional Development and Twitter

Party Before School Starts

Today I had the opportunity to meet an amazing group of people. We had a goodbye to summer and welcome to the school year party. There were many smiles, laughs, stories, greetings, and introductions.  I met talented educators who have the best interest of our students at heart. An amazing group of positive people who see the best in our students and want to make a difference in their lives. I am fortunate to work with all these people and the many who I still have to meet.

Thank you to all those who came out. Sorry to those of you who missed it, there will be a next time...

Reflecting on the Power of Evaluation

I have always said, and meant it, I enjoy the evaluation process. What I love most, is going into classrooms and seeing the amazing things our teachers are doing on a daily basis. Then, to make it even better, I get to talk with them about what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how they can continue to grow for the benefit of our students. Most the time I walk out of an observation and a conversation with a teacher thinking, "Wow, I wish I could be a student in that classroom!"

Today, I received another round of training on this important process and reflected on my true feelings about being an evaluator.

I believe the final summative rating of a teacher, is not what is ultimately important or even the change agent in the process of becoming more effective in the classroom. In my opinion, the change agent is the reflection and the conversation that is held between the teacher and the evaluator. The change comes from the understanding of what effective looks like in a classroom, deliberate practice of being effective, a focus on student learning, and then the reflection on what was great and what needs to improve from that lesson.

We all have areas to grow and we owe that growth to our students. Our students are our number one priority and the reason we all come to school everyday.

Welcome Back to School