As a critical thinker, it's imperative that I stop now and then to note the positives. I stay in my school system because there are so many positive aspects to teaching there. While, like every school system, there is room for growth, there are the following positives in place.
Highly Supportive Parent Community
Parents in the community care deeply about education and contribute time, funds, and energy to support that.
Wonderful Readers
Thanks to the passionate efforts of reading specialists and ELA directors, our students mostly love to read and read well.
Magnificent Mathematicians
We are beginning to make the same strides in math that we have made in reading, and this is good.
Lots of Technology
We have lots of tech access and tech tools. This is a good start with regard to worthy tech integration.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
The system has supported PLCs with time and structure, and this has resulted in stronger teams and better work.
Response to Intervention (RTI)
In many cases, RTI helps us to better personalize, differentiate, engage, and empower learning. I believe we know our students better and teach more because of RTI.
Resources
We have lots of great resources.
Community Funded Innovation
Community members run a fund that supports innovation. This has enabled us to develop our programs.
METCO and Immigration
Our school is wonderfully diverse thanks to the fact that we're a METCO community and we have many immigrant families. This makes the education stronger for everyone. This helps all of our students ready for the diverse world they will live and work in.
Beautiful Playgrounds
Our schools have big, grassy, wonderful playgrounds and plenty of recess to enjoy those playgrounds with.
Sensational Specials
Each week students have the chance to study art, music, specific technology and library, physical education. From third grade on students have the chance to learn a specific musical instrument and play in a band or orchestra.
Field Studies
Every grade visits signature local venues in order to learn in the field.
Before and After School Program
Students can extend their learning with before and after school programs that include multiple special classes and learning opportunities.
Summer Study
There are a number of summer study options open, some with a fee and some without a fee.
Kindness Matter
Our school motto is evident in so many ways including student service projects, collegial support, weekly school assemblies, and multiple special events.
In many ways, our schools are good models for any school. We have so many wonderful elements in place to teach well. We continually grow these efforts as well to make us all stronger and better at what we do.
So for this critical thinker whose always looking for better, here's the list of what's already good!
