December 1, 2011, Memo

DECEMBER 1, 2011, ELEMENTARY TEACHERS' MONTHLY MEMO
THIS MONTH'S READ
An article about excellence from Carol Ann Tomlinson, "Notes from an Accidental Teacher" from Educational Leadership, August 2011. My favorite quote from the article, "Excellent teachers never fall prey to the belief that they are good enough. The best teachers I have known are humbled by how much more they need to learn. They don't add to the chorus of voices chiming, 'I already do that.'"

What builds a solid teacher? The right setting, a sense of calling, a zeal for learning, and a renewable energy source.

I've always liked the title of Anne Tyler's book The Accidental Tourist, perhaps because much of my life—and certainly my teaching career—seems accidental. I'd love to say that I never wanted to be anything but a teacher. In truth, I aspired not to be a teacher.

My mother was a teacher—a very strong one. For one year in my early adolescence, I went to the school where she taught. It was a dismal year for me. I was the new kid in my class, having just moved with my parents from another town. I was too tall for 6th grade. My hair was too long (until I made an argument for getting it cut, and then it was too short, too straight, and too stubborn). The school was very different from my prior school, and I couldn't quite figure it out. I was pathologically shy.

The teachers in the school were good people and good educators. That made no difference. From time to time, a teacher would say something to my mom about me and the comment would innocently make its way into dinner-table talk at home. I hated the feeling of being watched and talked about. I vowed with rancorous fervor that I would never under any circumstances be a teacher.

I didn't major in education in college. My first job out of college was stultifying and had nothing to do with teaching. One Friday in late October, finding the morning at work to be particularly tedious, I read the want ads in the local paper at lunch. There was a teaching vacancy in a town an hour away that I had never heard of. I took the afternoon off, applied for the job, and began teaching the following Monday.

To say that I didn't know what I was doing when I entered the classroom redefines the word understatement. I planned to finish out the year in that little rural school and then get a "real" job. That was four decades ago, and I've never since had the inclination to do anything but teach.

Nonetheless, my career evolved—as it began—more by happenstance than by design. Teaching works for me, my work is satisfying, and I feel proud—at least on many days—of what I do. But when I reflect on why all this is true, one thing is clear: It's not because I had a clear sense of direction at the outset!

I've learned a great deal about high-quality teaching from things that worked in my classroom—and things that didn't—and from watching teachers whose work speaks of excellence. Of the many elements and practices that make up the architecture of effective teaching, I offer here five that I have come to believe are foundational.

Find a Place That Fits You Teaching is hard. Teachers at every stage need to be cultivated. That's certainly the case in the novice years, when a teacher is practicing who he or she will become. It's important for each fledgling teacher to find an environment that nurtures fearless practice and discovery. Early in my journey as an accidental teacher, I taught in three settings for roughly a year each. In each place, I learned an immense amount, and each place contributed significantly to my understanding of teaching. Two of the schools had relatively toxic environments; the third was neutral. I'm not sorry I worked in any of these settings, but I would have been a very different teacher—and not as good a one—had I remained in any of them for long.

The fourth school in which I taught was precisely the right setting for me during the years I was there. It was relatively small; in a larger place, I would have been lost. It was, when I began teaching there, fairly unsophisticated in its pedagogy and expectations. That, too, was right for me; I'd have felt like a failure in a cutting-edge place. The community was embracing; and I needed the sense of being known, welcomed, and trusted. The district leadership was, for the most part, open to new ideas. In that way, the school was an incubator for creative teaching.

During the years I worked at this school, the community, the district, and the school changed in a way that mirrored my own development. We grew up together, which continued to make the place fresh and challenging for me for nearly two decades. Leaving there was wrenching. I wanted more than anything to continue teaching in that place that stretched and nurtured me.

Serendipitously—accidentally?—an opportunity to be part of a university faculty opened up just at the point when the district leadership changed. I would not have accepted the university position, however—I would not even have noticed it—except that the new leadership felt pernicious to me and I sensed that remaining in the school would erode my growth rather than contribute to it.

I wasn't able to articulate all my thinking at that point, but here's what I know now: The places in which we teach shape who and what we become. If they don't feed us as human beings and as teachers, we atrophy. In teaching and in life, if we are not growing, we are losing ground. So a school, school district, and community need to be the right fit at the right time to fuel our professional and personal evolution.

Understand Teaching as a Calling A job is something that has to be done to receive a paycheck. All legitimate jobs are worthy, of course, but a calling is something more. It challenges us to be more than we think we can be and to draw on capacities we didn't quite know we had. A calling becomes a way of life, offering us the opportunity to affect individuals in a profound, enduring way.

I once asked two nurses in difficult hospital settings why they each did what they did. The first said, "because I am most fully alive when I'm here." The second responded, "because I can give people hope when they are in pain and companionship when that's all that's left." I found it interesting that neither spoke about the actual medicine they were practicing or the routines they followed every day. Those things were integral to their success, yet these two people did not see their knowledge and skills as ends, but rather as tools in service of something greater. If I get sick, I hope I'll have the good fortune to be aided by someone who is knowledgeable about medicine, but who also, like these two nurses, feels called to do everything feasible to help me heal—and who feels most fully alive while doing so.

Great teachers are like those nurses. They feel called to connect content and kids. They understand that they interpret shared human wisdom, codified in the academic disciplines, to young people who need to make sense of life. They look at both the content they teach and the people whom they ask to learn that content with considerable reverence, and they find what Steven Levy (1996) calls the genius in both content and in students. They dignify whom and what they teach by making the act of learning dynamic and compelling.

Know You Don't Know Excellent teachers never fall prey to the belief that they are good enough. The best teachers I have known are humbled by how much more they need to learn. They don't add to the chorus of voices chiming, "I already do that."

High-quality educators are determined and often voracious learners. They seek daily to understand their content more fully, to probe the mystery of the young lives before them more deeply, and to extend their pedagogical reach beyond yesterday's boundaries. They know that the parameters of their own lives are extended every time they extend possibilities in students' lives.

These teachers seek out the best professional development opportunities. They read about education. When a district or school fails to support their learning meaningfully, they become their own professional developers.

Two years ago, as I conducted a multiday workshop in the late spring, I became aware of one older man within the group. His questions were interesting, and it was clear he was engaged with the ideas. At a break, this man came up to ask me another question. During our conversation, he remarked wistfully that he would soon be retiring after 40 years as a classroom teacher. My first response was to ask him why he'd chosen to come to a professional development session on a complex topic so close to his retirement date.

"Oh," he replied, almost surprised by my question, "I promised myself that I would learn something new every single day I was a teacher. I've kept that promise for four decades. I'll keep it until the day I close the classroom door behind me." He paused for a moment and continued, "How else could I have been the teacher my students needed?"

Associate Yourself with Quality The pursuit of quality occurs on at least three levels.
Develop friendships with colleagues who set high standards. Such educators are in every school, and their partnership provides both light and energy for professional growth. It's as true in the teaching life as in high school that we take on the attributes of those we hang out with. When we spend what little free time we have at school with colleagues who watch the clock or who have ready reasons to dismiss whatever threatens the status quo, we're more likely to have our aspirations lowered than raised.

I am a better teacher many times over because of people like Diane Wiegel, Judy Schlim, Debbie Kiser, Nancy Brittle, Sandra Mitchell, Mary Ann Smith, Dick Rose, and so many other colleagues who constantly reminded me of what excellence in the classroom looks like—and what is required to achieve that level of quality. Those teachers are roughly my own age. But I also learned much from Mrs. Gardner, who taught next to me during my accidental first year of teaching. It was her final year as a classroom teacher. She modeled excellence in everything she did, answered my naïve questions efficiently, listened when I was discouraged, and offered suggestions she knew were within my reach. She informally provided my first meaningful course in education over the eight months that I knew her.

As a more seasoned teacher, I learned from top-rate new guys on the block like George Murphy. Teachers like George, infused with the brash energy of youth, brought knowledge and strategies that I found fresh and renewing. For example, George taught his high school biology students to understand the scientific process in an indirect and potent way by involving them with a mock archaeological dig staged by students from the previous year, which involved hypothesizing about what was revealed by the artifacts they discovered. Then he reinforced that understanding by having them stage a dig for the next year's biology students. Through this project, students had to encounter uncertainty, look for clues, hypothesize, test conclusions, and so on.

There's something to be learned from everyone, and there's rarely a reason to be unwelcoming to anyone. Nonetheless, it makes a difference when professional friendships multiply your effectiveness rather than deplete it.

Develop a keen sense of what quality looks like. Such organizations as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Middle School Association, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals have delineated the attributes of high-quality teaching. Many books now exist that break down the elements of great teaching—Charlotte Danielson's Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching (ASCD, 2007); James Stronge's Qualities of Effective Teachers (ASCD, 2007); Ron Brandt's Powerful Learning (ASCD, 1998); or the National Research Council's How People Learn (National Academies Press, 2000), to name just a few. These would have been a godsend to me as a young teacher. I was largely on my own to discover the characteristics of high-quality work; my focus would have been sharper and my progress faster had I had such resources to draw on. Great teaching is both a science and an art, and many educators who are both scientists and artists can provide rubrics that point the way to excellence.

Seek quality from students. We compliment young people by asking them for their best and supporting them in achieving it. Ron Berger (2003) talks about building "an ethic of excellence in the classroom" so that students take pride in producing work that reflects their highest possible effort. Clearly this not only benefits both individual learners and society, but also benefits teachers. When we ask students to give their very best, we are obligated to be sure the work we assign is worthy of that level of effort. In learning how to explain quality to young learners, we become clearer about how it looks in our own work.

Generate Your Own Energy It's a reality that in every human endeavor, those who are most successful work the hardest. In Outliers, in which Malcolm Gladwell (2008) describes boundary-breaking people in fields from technology to music, Gladwell notes that it was relentless effort more than raw talent that helped these professionals reshape their fields. We have no reason to assume otherwise in teaching.

Most teachers can mount a defense that they work hard. What makes the difference in the work ethic of high-quality teachers is that their work is regenerative; they draw energy from what they do. They achieve the state that Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (1990) calls flow, a highly satisfying condition in which an individual feels aligned with a task and the work becomes its own reward. Some educators experience flow in teaching because they find their content fascinating, some because they find it rewarding to make a difference in students' lives, some because they love the creativity involved in making instruction work for a diverse group of students, and some because of the personal growth that stems from their work. Whatever the reason, teaching generates their energy rather than depletes it.

Most excellent teachers I know have "alternative energy sources," passions outside the classroom that renew their teaching energy. Those passions not only feed their teaching, but inform it as well. One teacher explained that his love of mountain climbing revealed things about himself and about the nature of teaching that he would likely never have understood without that pursuit. Another teacher said, "I give a lot of my life to teaching, and I wouldn't have it any other way. But I am a better teacher because of the times I can leave it behind for a while and give myself fully to something else."

There is no off-the-shelf blueprint for building a highly successful teacher. Yet excellent teaching, like excellence in all human endeavors, comes in significant measure from the right fit, a higher purpose, hard work, and perseverance. The truly good news is that those things are within our reach.

References
Berger, R. (2003). An ethic of excellence: Building a culture of craftsmanship with students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: HarperCollins.
Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. New York: Little, Brown.
Levy, S. (1996). Starting from scratch: One classroom builds its own curriculum. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Carol Ann Tomlinson is William Clay Parrish Jr. Professor and Chair of Educational Leadership, Foundation, and Policy at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville; cat3y@virginia.edu.

TEACHER OF THE YEAR AND JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHER HALL OF FAME - Congratulations to the following teachers:

SCHOOL	Teacher of the Year	Jax State Hall of Fame
Bluff Park Elementary	Amelia Callaway	Stacey Stocks
Deer Valley Elementary	Nicole Stokes	Laurie White
Green Valley Elementary	Linda Brown	Teresa Speake
Greystone Elementary	Mandy Fox	Wayne Roberson
Gwin Elementary	Amanda Daniel	Rhonda Keeling
Riverchase Elementary	Sara Carpenter	Kinsley Hyche
Rocky Ridge Elementary	Lisa Cranford	Michelle Reid
Shades Mountain Elementary	Perry Wright	Carla Marchant
South Shades Crest Elem	Betsy Crowley	Peggy Eason
Trace Crossings Elementary	Debbie Sessamen	Kathy Self
Berry Middle School	Karen Howell	Joshua Whitt
Bumpus Middle School	Jan Price	Sue Martindale
Simmons Middle School	Debbie Simms	Ricki Deaver
Brock’s Gap Intermediate	Amy Morgan	Carrie Pomeroy
Hoover High School	Sabrina Stanley	Nancy Malone
Spain Park High School	Suzanne Culbreth	Melisa Guthrie

HPTC CITY LEADERS' CELEBRATION - 3RD AND 5TH GRADES Let's aim for 100% participation again this year!  3rd grade students will write poems honoring our firemen. 5th grade students will write essays honoring their SRO or our policemen in general if they have not had their Too Good for Drugs classes. Your principal will assemble a selection committee to select your top 3 poems and top 3 essays. These school selections are due to me by JANUARY 13, so please make sure you get them to your principal prior to that date.

ARBOR DAY ESSAY CONTEST - 4TH GRADE
In order to encourage students to apply their writing skills to practical purpose and to arouse awareness of the importance of trees to our community well being, the Hoover Beautification Board has elected to sponsor this 2012 Arbor Day Essay Contest.
WHO CAN ENTER?
Any fourth grade student in the city of Hoover is invited to submit 1 short essay.
WHAT TO WRITE?
The central theme of the essay should be the importance of trees in my neighborhood and in Hoover.
Students are encouraged to focus on personal experience, and to remember that originality and reasoning are major factors in judging.                                                        
HOW TO ENTER?
Essays should be 300 words or less, and the original work of the student. 
Essays must be printed or typed.
All essays must have the student’s name, grade, school, and teacher’s name printed or typed clearly on the back.                                                                                          
Entries are to be submitted no later than Friday, February 3, 2012

Submit entries to:  Your Elementary School Principal

Final judging will be by the Hoover Beautification Board

JUDGING

Members of the Hoover Beautification Board will judge the entries by the following criteria:
Originality of Thought (20%)
Clarity of Reasoning (30%)
Accuracy of Information (20%)
Spelling and Punctuation (10%)
Grammatical Usage (10%)
Neatness (10%)
AWARDS
The author of the first place essay will receive a 1-year family membership to Aldridge Gardens, a book about trees, and a gift certificate from a Hoover business. This student will be invited to read his or her essay at the city Arbor Day ceremony on Saturday, March 3, 2012.  Recipients of Honorable Mention will receive a 1-year individual membership to Aldridge Gardens and a book about trees.

SPELLING BEE
The deadline for school spelling bees to be held is January 13. The date for the school system spelling bee is January 24 at 9:30 at the Hoover High School theatre.

ARI PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Our next session will be held on January 11 at Shades Mountain Elementary School. The topic will be the ARMT+ reading item specifications. Two repeating sessions will be held so that both principals and assistant principals can attend with the reading coaches. Let's cross our fingers that the item specs are published this month!

CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS SESSIONS Dr. Vivian Elliott will return the week of January 17 and the week of March 5. The Elementary Planning Committee determined that each elementary school would be given the option of sending a small group of teachers from the school leadership team for a day-long session with Vivian OR having Vivian conduct a 2 to 2 ½ equity snapshot of your building. I will send a sign-up schedule to your principals soon.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PLAN (CIP) REVIEWS These meetings will be conducted in January. In addition to discussing your CIP, your principal and I will include the reading coach for a discussion of the implementation of Tier I reading instructional standards.

60 MINUTES EPISODE ON HOMELESS CHILDREN Very heart wrenching, but the two students they spotlighted are an inspiration to us all.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57330802/hard-times-generation-families-living-in-cars/?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

Happy Holidays to you and yours! I hope you are able to get some much deserved rest.
Deborah

NOVEMBER 15, 2011, ELEMENTARY TEACHER MEMO

Last month’s reading was a chapter from a book regarding equitable and culturally responsive teaching.  This month we’ll address empathy……this time among the adults in our buildings.

Turn Me to We: Get Along, Work Together, Protect Kids from Adult Arguments –
Vicki Davis, Cool Cat Teacher Blog http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/
True organizational greatness is about turning Me into We.  It is sad when you see a team take their eye of their goal and turn upon each other. When you're busy fighting each other, you lose sight of the main mission and cannot achieve it. We human beings can only handle so much. We are finite in our ability to process and finite in our ability to mete out self control. When we are under attack, we use all of our resources to fight or flight even if that attack is from those who are supposed to be on our own team.
Friendly Fire Kills Cooperation
This "friendly fire" comes from out of the blue often from those who are supposed to be our rear guard. From those who are supposed to be watching out for us. We think we have the same mission and goal but then somehow we've become so factioned that our goal is no longer the "we" of working together towards a common mission but the "me" of self preservation. This is a sad state to be in for an organization and an individual.It will wear you out.  Ron Clark said some wise words last week as he spoke to us at the GISA conference.
"If teachers are not getting along, it filters down to the students, it just does."  Yes, it does!
Kids Hear Everything
The same if anyone is not getting along in front of students. Kids perk up their ears and hear far more than you think they do. It may provided a moment's respite from the day as kids quietly work (so they can eavesdrop) but adult conversations about adult disagreements should never happen in front of the students.
When we tear each other apart we reduce each other's ability to reach the kids that take the most effort to reach. It is completely exhausting to truly reach a child who is drifting away. The child who has untied his mooring to the dock and is just looking out towards sea and letting the tide take him to the beckoning sunset does not know that he is in danger. It takes a vigilant teacher to notice the drift and to reach out (and sometimes swim out) to pull him back to shore. But when teachers argue, their eye is no longer on their students it is on another teacher. Teachers are on the dock arguing while kids get in their boats and drift away.
Petty squabbles between teachers or teachers and staff are some of the biggest time wasters and resource drainers of a school. But to pretend that problems don't exist is also a problem.
We Need Interpersonal Masters
We need people who are masters at interpersonal relations to lead us and to be in our midst. We need to show students a better way to live and be. We must treat each other with respect to engender the respect our profession deserves.
Some of my greatest regrets are the conversations where my children were eavesdropping and I didn't know it. Now, Kip and I take a drive. He can vent his frustration at atomic-level without having to be overheard by anyone but me. He can move past it as adults do... but kids never forget.
Don't worry about the false fear that kids are going to think the world is a place where everything is perfect. They won't. But they should see teachers getting along, enjoying being together, working hard. Principals need to ask themselves about the things that they are doing or have done to cause petty jealousies to break out.
It would be easy when times are tough to turn on each other, but let me ask you these questions:
So, times are tough and you may have to spend less. Do you want to spend less money AND work in a hostile work environment?
Would you rather spend less money but enjoy working with your staff members?
Many of us would happily make less money and work in a place where we enjoy people, where we laugh, where we are validated and appreciated. I've seen studies that show this. 
What if we try to make our school a better place?
But for this to happen it has to start with you and me. There are things you can do to make your work a better place to be. What if each of us tried to do 3 things "on the quiet" to make work a better place?
Bring special coffee to the teacher's lounge
Find a funny cartoon and post it on the bulletin board in the lounge
Write a note to someone praising something they did well
Buy someone their favorite drink and put it on their desk just because
Notice when someone is tired and encourage that person
Let someone talk about himself/herself without interrupting to tell your own "one up" story or offering any advice
Laugh with someone
Laugh at yourself
Life is tough enough without having a place to work that is upsetting. I love the person I work next to at school and like seeing her each day! It makes a different.
Just remember that the ONLY thing you have control over is yourself. As I have people say in my 21st century influencer and 10 habits of highly effective 21st century teachers keynotes, "I can control me."  Say that to yourself. "I can control me." If enough of us "me's" out here decide that we want to be better, more friendly, kinder, more thoughtful and keep our focus on the main thing then me does become we.
Can you disagree professionally?
Think about your work environment and how you as a staff handle disagreements. Can you think of ways you can disagree that treat others as professional and preserve the integrity of the classroom. Politicing and infighting are poison especially if these things go on in front of students.
Remember that teaching is a noble calling but that when you are acting unkindly and disrespectfully to another teacher that you are not acting that way. Getting along with others is hard and sometimes I just want to act ugly.
But beginning a fight is like unleashing a dam: it is almost impossible to put things like they were before and you never know who is going to drown in the end.
Remember your noble calling, teacher [or administrator]. Let's work every day to treat others in our profession nobly too.

Teacher of the Year and Jacksonville State University Hall of Fame Nominees
Names of nominees are due to me by November 18, 2011.  If you are selected for either recognition program, please look for an email from me on Friday afternoon with further directions.

HPTC City Leaders’ Celebration – 3^rd and 5^th Grades
Once again the Hoover Parent Teacher Council has requested that 3^rd grade students write poems honoring the firemen in our city and the 5^th grade students write essays honoring either their SRO (if they have received their Too Good for Drugs Training) or our police officers in general  (if they have not received their training.) 
Your principals have been asked to form a selection committee at your school who will choose the top three poems and the top three essays.  These pieces are to be submitted to me by JANUARY 13.  A selection committee here at central office will select the top three pieces from each grade. 
These students and their parents will be invited to the celebration on January 26.  The students will read their pieces at that time.
I ENCOURAGE ALL TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS TO PARTICIPATE in order to support this important parent/family group and our city leaders.  This event also provides a real world opportunity for our students to write for authentic purposes.

Life in a Crowded Place Book Study
The next meeting is Tuesday, November 15, from 3:30-4:30 at central office.  If you would like to follow our Edmodo discussion, email me for the code.

Nook Pilot Project
On November 16, Barnes and Nobles executives from the corporate office in New York City along with our Pearson contacts will visit our two pilot classrooms at Green Valley and Gwin.  Please follow the teachers’ and students’  progress this year on their blog http://elemereaderjourney.blogspot.com  Some dates and times will be established during second semester for demonstration visits for administrators and teachers from other schools.

District Professional Development Day – November 21
See an earlier post on this blog for more details.  Don’t forget your  math packets!

Elementary Science Academy
Audrey Ann Wilson, Education Director, at Aldridge Gardens is hosting a “lunch and talk” session for these teachers from 11:30-12:30 on November 22 at the gardens if they are willing to attend and you have secured permission from your principal.  Please let me know if you plan to attend.

Math Documents on Intranet
More math documents have been added to the intranet.   You can access these files in the following manner:
1.  Go to the Hoover website
2.  Click on Departments
3.  Click on Curriculum and Instruction
4.  In the upper right hand corner....click sign in.....if you are at home....your user is however you sign into your computer.....with hoover/ in front of your user name.
Example: hoover/astone    Password - whatever your password is to login
5.  On the left-hand side (navigation bar) you will see elementary curriculum.....click on that link.

Spelling Bee
The deadline for school spelling bees to be held is January 13.  The date for the school system spelling bee is January 24 at 9:30 at the Hoover High School theatre.

ARMT+ Item Specifications
We’re waiting…….we’re waiting…….Nancy Clarke, our ARI contact, said there is no definite date for release of these documents.  I will let you know just as soon as they are posted on the SDE's web site. 

I have enjoyed seeing you and your students during my school visits.  I wish all of you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving!  Don’t hesitate to contact me if I can help in any way. 

November 21 District Professional Development Day - Elementary Administrators and Teachers

·         We will meet at Trace Crossings Elementary School.  Thank you, Ms. Litaker, for hosting us.

·         Here is the schedule for that day:

8:00 – 11:00  K-2 - Steven Layne. 3-5 - grade level sessions on math Common Core Standards                    

11:00 – 12:30 Lunch on your own.  Enjoy this time of fellowship with your colleagues!

2:30 – 3:30   K-2 - grade level sessions on math Common Core Standards. 3-5 teachers - Steven Layne.

·         Your school’s math facilitator(s) will give you a grade level packet to bring with you for the math session.  Please remember to bring your packet with you.  

·         A morning sign-in sheet and an afternoon sign-in sheet will be on tables for each school.  Please make sure you sign in both times.

·         A session in STI-PD has been created.  Look under 158cie.  The title is Elementary District Professional Development Day.  Year is 2011-2012.

·         After that day you will need to complete an evaluation form before you will be granted credit.

·         We will have signs and/or people directing you to the correct rooms that day.

 If you have any questions, let me know.  Looking forward to seeing everyone for a productive day of teacher learning!

Let's Stay Together

In addition to this blog, I am also communicating through Facebook, Edmodo, and Twitter.  You can find me on Facebook at "Deborah Camp Hoover" and on Twitter at "dgcamp".  My Facebook page is strictly professional.  Every post relates to education, and the only information I read about my Facebook friends are what responses they make to my posts or direct messages they send to me. My Twitter posts are primarily related to educational technology. I have an Edmodo group for our Life in a Crowded Place  book group.
To find curriculum documents, click on "Departments" and then "Curriculum and Instruction" on the Hoover City Schools web page.http://hoover.k12.al.us

What is E4?

Welcome, Hoover City Schools administrators and teachers, to my new blog.  This is how I will communicate my monthly memo/newsletter for teachers from now on.  I will make a post informing you about November happenings soon.

Why did I choose the title of this blog?  Well, I have been investing a lot of thought and study in the areas of emotional intelligence, equitable services for all students, and excellent instruction delivered on a consistent basis.

• Empathy: Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, posits that in order to have EQ (emotional intelligence), a person must possess empathy (awareness of others' feelings, needs, and concerns) as well as self-regulation (managing one's internal states, impulses, and resources).  Not only must we educators demonstrate our own EQ, we are compelled to help our students develop EQ as well.
• Equity:  Our school system is a microcosm for our nation.  As the nation has become more diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religion, so has our school system.  We have an obligation to make sure that ALL children are treated fairly, have access to a guaranteed curriculum, and receive equitable instruction regardless of the school they attend.  
• Excellence:  Isn't this what our school system was founded on?  Almost 25 years ago the citizens of this community agreed to support a new system in many ways, including paying higher property taxes, because they wanted more for their children.  Our students deserve the very best cutting-edge instruction that we can provide. 
• Everyday:  Consistency and persistence are among the keys to teaching with empathy for equity and excellence.  I love this quote from Richard Allington, "Are we creating schools in which every year every teacher becomes more expert?"  I would go one step further and ask, "Are we creating a school system in which every year every district administrator and every building administrator become more expert?"  I know I certainly haven't arrived yet, and that's why I depend on my professional reading, networking, and collaboration with other educators both within our system and others to keep me current.  

I look forward to communicating and collaborating with you in a new venue.  As always, let me know what I can do to be of service to you.  I appreciate your hard work and the dedication you have to the students and parents of our school system.  Leading schools and teaching students are among the most fulfilling but difficult jobs in society.