THE OTHER
SIDE OF AN EDUCATOR’S LIFE
At this week’s staff meeting we updated each other on the myriad activities
and committees happening around the district. In the midst of the meeting,
it occurred to me that every one of us truly has two jobs. The one you see
is the instructional educator, teaching your children based on our grade
level curriculum and belief in differentiating instruction for every child.
The other facet of our job is preparation for instruction and tending to
the
vision of the district for continuous improvement. Here are some examples
of
groups that generally meet after school hours:
* Our Best Schools Leadership Team will soon be looking at the issue of
"time" and how we can restructure our school day and yearly calendar to
maximize time for instructional and teacher collaboration.
* Our Assessment Committee meets monthly and is discussing how to respond
to
the changing state tests, the Federal "No Child Left Behind" law. We are
considering a creative standardized testing alternative to add to our
assessment options.
* The HMS Playground Committee is driving the changes to our playground
while collaborating with the Maple Street School Playground Committee to
jointly fundraise.
* The Progress Report Committee directed the redesigning of our HMS progress
reports this year. You saw the fruits of our labors in the First Trimester.
We continue to meet to insure the smooth transition for the rest of the
year’s progress reports.
* The K-6 Spelling Committee is working on a new direction for spelling
instruction throughout the district. Each committee member has been assigned
a current spelling program or approach to present for the group with an
eventual decision made by the end of the school for implementation in 04-05.
* The UBD Committee has been organizing our work with Understanding By
Design, a highly regarded instructional and assessment planning approach.
We
have dedicated significant professional development time to implement UBD
in
our classrooms.
* The Technology Committee is in charge of maintaining our technology vision
in the district and "taking the pulse" of our technology curriculum and
instruction K-12.
* The Professional Development Committee directs all of our "PD" efforts,
ensuring that teachers have the resources necessary to implement our
curriculum and provide challenging and appropriate instruction.
* The SPEDMIP Committee works regularly to review our efforts on behalf of
our students with disabilities throughout the district.
* The Leadership Team, made up of the building administrators and central
office administrators, meets weekly to look at the "big picture" of the
district, help set vision, and engage in creative problem solving.
These groups (and many not mentioned) complete work away from the eyes of
the public, but the implementation of their work is essential to the success
of our schools.
-Bill Carozza
Reprinted from the January 23, 2004 Parent Flash