I love my superintendent. He is able to think on his feet, explain things magnificently and truly wants what is best for our students. Tonight, he moderated a meeting to discuss Alabama's Accountability Act and how parents and students have the choice to go to a different school if their school qualifies as failing. My super said he doesn't say "failing schools" but uses the term "low-performing schools".
There are two plans in place, as there usually are in the United States - one for the state level and one for the national level. The Alabama legislature has put in place an Accountability Act to allow students to transfer schools but our state also has Plan 2020 which sets specific targets for specific students. Three of the schools in our system are on the "failing schools" list, however one school has made tremendous progress in the past three years. Might I also add that our state super, Dr. Tom Bice, is pretty awesome as well.
One thing that struck me tonight was my super saying (in my interpretation) "You can look at a required percentage as a minimum or a ceiling." A parent then commented that we should expect more from our students than the minimum, to which my super agreed. Later, the meeting ended on an incredibly positive note. A teacher closed the meeting with her philosophy of education. Here (again in my interpretation) is what she said.
"I will not expect just 79% from my students. They are my students. They walk through my door. I'm going to push them to more than just 79%, and they're going to push back because they're kids. But we will work hard, because they're in my class and they're better than 79%...We've also got to remember it does take a village. It is everyone's responsibility to teach. Find a kid and teach them something, teach them anything."
One man's ceiling is another man's floor. Am I treating others like they are more than 79%? Am I giving more than 79% at work? We have got to expect much from our students, teachers, and community. Because we have more than 79% to give, people. And we are more than 79%.
While everyone was shuffling out, one parent said "It's not about where your kid goes to school. It's about what they do when they get there." May we give more than 79% to care about what every kid does in our schools.
There are two plans in place, as there usually are in the United States - one for the state level and one for the national level. The Alabama legislature has put in place an Accountability Act to allow students to transfer schools but our state also has Plan 2020 which sets specific targets for specific students. Three of the schools in our system are on the "failing schools" list, however one school has made tremendous progress in the past three years. Might I also add that our state super, Dr. Tom Bice, is pretty awesome as well.
One thing that struck me tonight was my super saying (in my interpretation) "You can look at a required percentage as a minimum or a ceiling." A parent then commented that we should expect more from our students than the minimum, to which my super agreed. Later, the meeting ended on an incredibly positive note. A teacher closed the meeting with her philosophy of education. Here (again in my interpretation) is what she said.
"I will not expect just 79% from my students. They are my students. They walk through my door. I'm going to push them to more than just 79%, and they're going to push back because they're kids. But we will work hard, because they're in my class and they're better than 79%...We've also got to remember it does take a village. It is everyone's responsibility to teach. Find a kid and teach them something, teach them anything."
One man's ceiling is another man's floor. Am I treating others like they are more than 79%? Am I giving more than 79% at work? We have got to expect much from our students, teachers, and community. Because we have more than 79% to give, people. And we are more than 79%.
While everyone was shuffling out, one parent said "It's not about where your kid goes to school. It's about what they do when they get there." May we give more than 79% to care about what every kid does in our schools.