Well, many of our elementary students are doing it… teachers
are doing it… figured I should too!
And it is a great way to build relationships, connect with other
educators, sustain learning, and support
the best job in the world… teaching children! Seems like a great reason to start blogging!
Throughout my experiences between two different
administrative positions and working with well over 100 teachers, I continue to
ask each day; how can I make the experience for teachers more positive so that
all students will benefit? One way is to encourage and support my staff each
and every day, providing them with tools to enhance best practices in the
classroom, while building trust and honesty throughout the school culture. The
development of relational trust decreases teachers’ stress, while simultaneously
creating shared leadership opportunities. This helps to increase educator
accountability and develop ownership for one’s own professional growth and
student learning. In turn, this will enhance any building’s culture. Teachers
have many expectations/responsibilities and it is my job to support and
encourage continuous improvement, without making it seem like “it’s one more
thing” that they are responsible to manage within their day. Building trust and
positively sustaining professional growth, surrounding an every changing
landscape in education, is key!
My blog will focus on sustaining professional growth,
sharing accolades of amazing teaching that I see each day and providing ideas
to support learning. The goal of this
blog is to share my educational philosophy, support educators and learn
together. I plan to focus on the core of what we do every day… Student Learning.
I will share my thoughts regarding 5 characteristics that
are noticed in professional teachers:
1. Positive relationships – Professional teachers’ classrooms are built on
relationships; knowing students’ level of development, backgrounds, cultures,
and interests while supporting students' self-awareness and acceptance of
differences. Culture and climate is conducive to student
social/emotional/academic learning in positive collaboration with parents,
teachers, and other stakeholders. They
create flexible, patient, empathetic, caring, nurturing environments (through character education/classroom management/relationship building strategies) where students enjoy
spending their days and can be risk takers within the learning process.
2. Student Engagement- Professional
teachers will maximize instructional time for all learners focused
around knowledge of pedagogy, lesson planning and best practice instructional
strategies, with the ability to impart knowledge through relevant lessons while
integrating technology - supporting 21Centruy Learning. Educators are consistently empowering students throughout the day, maximizing time cognitively and creatively engaged with students in the learning process.
3. Leadership – Professional teachers are
positive leaders within their classroom and throughout the school. They are prepared in all educational settings
(IEP, Child Study, Conferences, PLC’s, Staff Meetings, PD, etc.) and can
withstand the strains of teaching. Educating
children is their true calling and they enjoy spending their days (positive
attendance and attitude when at work) with children and colleagues. Teachers are learners who reflect on their educational
craft and focus on professional growth.
4. Can teach them all – Professional
teachers have the ability to meet the needs of all students. They collaborate
with other building leaders to meet individual student needs while
differentiating academic and behavioral instruction for all learners. Teaching style matches all learning styles
and able to support most challenging students.
5. Assessment and data analysis drives
instruction – Student growth is evident within a professional teachers’
classroom. Educators have the ability to
use formative data to inform teaching during the learning process, reviewing
and reflecting on longitudinal data to guide teaching practices over time and
from year to year. I will be posting my
assessment philosophy in a future blog! assessment philosophy
My hope is that this blog will support a positive learning environment
and energy for others, which I experience each and every day in my building. I plan to post information related to the 5
characteristics that are noticed in professional teachers. I
know… it seems like a lot, and our job can be overwhelming! The good news, educators usually have long
careers with lots of time for growth. We
should have a strategic plan that changes with the ever-changing landscape of
education throughout our careers. We
should be focused on the things that we can control, creating amazing classrooms where students are excited to learn! Thank you for being great and enjoying the
best job in the world… educating children!
Keith Howell
Twitter:
@principalhowell
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