Editorial: Final Assignment :)

Standing Up For ALL Students

If you think back to when you were in school there will be teachers you remember, classes you loved and classes you didn’t, activities that you were engaged in and others that you couldn't wait to be done with.  Why is this happening in our schools yet today?  Times are changing but schools are on a slower learning curve for a variety of reasons.  I am not here to nitpick the reasons why but rather to explain how students should be our focus rather than time, money and contracts.   Do you want to be the person that stands beside students, stands up for students or just simply stands down?  I am not about to stand down and here are some ways to stand up for all students while you are learning alongside them.
First let’s address instructional leadership which is a huge topic however it all focuses back to student learning.  Teacher effectiveness is tied to student learning and it is our job as professionals to stay current and up to date on best instructional practices as a way to continually motivate students.  All staff development will be centered around student learning and helping teachers improve, gone are the days of sit and get and then forget.  New teachers will be assigned mentors, teachers will be given time to collaborate and to observe other teachers and rather than an evaluation being to judge you it will be used as a goal setting tool.
Next let me address employment issues.  We want the best candidates and we need to sell our school in order to attract these candidates.  The recruitment process needs to highlight student accomplishments and growth and this could happen without also highlighting the amazing ways teachers connect with students.  The hiring process must be student centered, we want candidates that “love kids”.  We set high expectations for our students and teachers we also need to set high expectations for our candidates.  The interview process needs to focus on students from beginning to end.  Once the best candidate is selected we need to continue to stress the importance of instructional leadership which I have already defined.

Finally, the culture of our school needs to be one of trust, respect, dignity, collaboration and lifelong learning.  Each of these elements will strengthen our stance to promote student growth and increase student learning.  In order to improve, changes must be made and changes can’t be done efficiently if people are standing down or not collaborating and certainly if there is no trust or respect.