What matters for me as an educator going forward?
Advocacy for Greater Distributive Leadership and Teacher Voice and Choice
I do believe that more modern structures, schedules, and roles related to greater distributive leadership will modernize and improve schools. I will continue to research, discuss, advocate for, and create models for this.
Math Education
I want to continue to dig deep with regard to optimal math education. I am pleased with the efforts to date in this regard, and will continue to consult the research, colleagues, families, students, and math teaching/learning experts as I grow this practice.
Science/Social Studies Education
The new state standards have pushed us to move our science teaching/learning deeper and towards more research/evidence-based efforts. This movement is positive in terms of providing students a good holistic education. There's lots of work to do here to build our efforts in this area. Similarly we'll face new social studies standards next year, and I'm sure it will be a similar process of development.
Warm, Welcoming, Culturally Proficient Learning Environment
I want to contribute to and develop our grade-level, school, and district team's goal of offering students a warm, welcoming, culturally proficient learning environment. We've made some good headway in this regard in multiple ways including representing diversity in educational materials, signage, teaching, and voice, updating our orientation efforts to be more inclusive and welcoming, creating comfortable student-focused classrooms, and more. We want students to want to come to school and be happily engaged and learning lots while they are there.
Collaboration and Teamwork
My school and school community is filled with dedicated educators, students, family members, and administrators. Together we have terrific potential. I want to contribute to this potential in ways that are worthy and forward moving. I truly enjoy working with and learning from this amazing educational team.
Since this is the main framework that I will follow, what will I leave out? Since, in many ways, I am at the sunset of my career in my school system, I will leave most decisions (with the exception of those related to distributive leadership) related to the forward organization of the school system to those younger than me, and those who will be here longer. Also since I work in a shared model where I take a lead in math and share leadership in science and possibly social studies in the future, I will leave the leadership in writing and reading to my gifted colleagues and others related to those areas of teaching. I will also be less involved in organizations outside of my school system in the next several years as I want to devote my time to the work I do with students, their families, and my team. Having a framework helps us to make good discussions and leads us to where we will put our energy and effort with the limited time and resources we all have. None of us will have the same framework as our frameworks depend on our career paths, interests, talents, contexts, personal responsibilities, and more.
