What is your impact?

Our staff spent most of yesterday listening to me, and working with each other, focused on high-impact teaching strategies. These are those strategies that teachers can use that have been shown to be more powerful than poverty, home impact, parent involvement, etc. According to John Hattie,(click on name for research) there are 30+ things that teachers can do in their classrooms that trump whatever a students bring with them. And his most recent research shows that Teacher Collective Efficacy has a 1.56 effect size. 

The highest impact on student growth is having a team of teacher who work interdependently, believing that every student on their team can and will achieve. Hattie found that this strategy can yield 3 to 4 years of growth in a single school year.

The average teacher can increase a student one years' worth of growth, as long as that student comes from a middle class (or higher) home life, has parents who are involved and engaged with the student, and the student has a good relationship with the parents.

A team of teachers working together can make every student meet or exceed standard, regardless of the student's home life.

We have the moral obligation, as educators, that when we know better, we must do better. 

I have teams whose students will make the most amazing growth of their lives this year. 

I am so excited for Monday!

Only 4 more days until school! I'm so excited!!

What does this year hold....

I'm so excited for school to start!

We have been talking about our district's reconfiguration for years and we are now only days away from the first day of our new school, John Campbell Primary.

We have the most amazing teachers. We have the most amazing office staff and paraprofessionals. We have the most amazing support staff, specialists, and administrators.

Students, we cannot wait to see you! Hopefully you'll be able to attend our Back to School night on Aug. 27, from 5-6pm. Join the PTO ice cream social from 5:30-6:30. And parents, please join the PTO! We only have 2 parents that have volunteered to fill the open positions and they really need your help to help our students have an the best year possible.

See you soon!

"Viking pride starts here!

Things NOT TO SAY when interviewing for a teaching position....

I really enjoy hiring teachers. I've been very fortunate to have rich, deep candidate pools for most of my positions. However, sometimes the person we see when screening their paperwork isn't the same person who shows up for an interview. I'm amazed at how some dress, how some sit in the chair, or how their nerves get the best of them sometimes.

Here are some actual responses I've received during an interview over the past few years:

• This really isn't the grade I want to teach, but it's better than nothing.
• I remember you (pointing to another teacher on the interview team.) We interviewed for a similar position last year. Why did you get the job over me?
• I wanted to get into teaching because my last job was too stressful.
• Is the salary negotiable?
• I really didn't come prepared to answer most of these questions.
• When asked if he had any questions for us after the interview questions were finisned, he said, "No, but I have a comment. I was accused of spanking a 1st grader last year but it didn't happen. I appreciate you taking the time to interview me today. Thank you." He then packed up and left.

Can you add to this list?