Vision Statement Assignment

For this next assignment for our class, I need to reflect on the question: “If I ran our school system”…

If I ran our school system, I would be under a whole lot more stress than I currently am, just running my classroom, that is for sure.  There are several layers that make up the school system, and they all need to be knitted together – all woven tightly into a single piece of “cloth” – and that is,  to all understand our common task. It would require everyone, from the bus drivers, to the secretaries, the janitors, the paraprofessionals, and all the teachers to understand where we are headed. They all need to be informed about the current news in education and the changes that are taking place. This would include safety, curriculum and assessment, happenings with teachers as well as students, and in the area of technology.

To start off with, the curriculum seems to be constantly changing for the teachers/staff right now. With the addition of the common core standards, there needs to be adequate training and understanding to these new standards. I would invite professionals in. I would allow the teachers to have time to have small break-out sections – first with their own teaching team, then with the teams below them and above them. I believe that this is important so that each teacher will not only understand their role in teaching the standards that they have been given, but also gain a better understanding of where the students have come from and where they will be heading next.  I would give teachers the opportunity to explore with these professionals as to the reasons why certain curricular aspects were changed, moved to different grades, or omitted altogether.  If teachers don’t understand the reasons behind the changes, then they aren’t going to be on board with getting the students taught the requirements that need to be mastered. Lastly, I think that teachers also need to meet with other grade level teachers across the county as well as given adequate planning time – if we are all out for the common good of educating today’s youth, then it should not be a “we against them” type of mentality, but rather, “all for one, one for all” thought process.

The teachers need to feel as though they are respected for their knowledge and the job they are doing. I know a lot of teachers that are feeling so defeated and losing their passion. I believe that this starts from the top – it will be a trickle effect.  Teachers are great support for one another and this should continue. Teachers who work well together, should continue to do so, knowing that their goal is to do the best job possible in educating today’s students. These same teachers also need to proper training in order to do their job well. Conferences and best practice seminars should be mandatory in attendance. Teachers should be able to pick an area of interest and explore that area – bringing it back not only to their classroom, but to their staff as well.

As these teachers communicate these vital lessons to their students, the students and parents need to keep up their part as well. There needs to be some follow-up at home, if the child is falling behind. It may mean that there will be an after school tutoring system in order to catch any misconceptions that the student may have. Personally, I would also like to see the school move to a year-round school calendar – same amount of time off, but spread more consistently throughout the year. There would be less time off during the summer months to help with the retention of the material taught.

 Assessments are a vital component to address the success of the child’s learning. However, there can be too much assessment as well. With teacher’s evaluations tied to student achievement, it must be done carefully as to not create an environment of “teaching strictly to the test”. Rigor does need to happen in today’s classroom, but too much assessment is not good either. In the elementary classroom, students are checked several times a year to make sure no child is being overlooked. Benchmark meetings that are scheduled sporadically throughout the year ensures that the entire teaching staff knows about these students and if the student warrants further testing. From this vital information, RTI groups can be assigned – however, adequate leaders for these groups must be maintained for it to be a success.

Technology is also an area that is so vital in today’s classrooms. However, before you can teach these students in the best methods that involve technology, it first must be taught to the teachers. There needs to be a system sin place for that before rolling out any type of technology. The teachers must be taught first. If there are teachers who understand, let them pilot what works best. There should be a technology coach that is required to meet with each teacher, identifying their strengths and weaknesses in the area of technology.  A certain amount of time in each staff meeting should be set aside to educate teachers in the area of technology. This coach should model lessons/activities/apps, etc. that work best and for which grade level it would be appropriate for. There should be professional development that is done throughout the year that allows teachers to dig deeper into this area in order to gain a better understanding about it – thus creating a higher level of confidence as they bring this into their classrooms and lessons that involve this technology.

“If I ran the school system” is such a dream statement – rather fun to think about – especially, when funding isn’t an issue. To me, it is amazing to see the growth that comes through students with the limited supplies that are given to the teachers – all the while engaging, motivating, and helping each of those students capture that love of learning each and every day.