ELA 101

By the time you reach the top level of any school or workplace, there’s a level of comfort and in some cases a sense of entitlement that begins to penetrate your thinking.  In the four days we’ve been in session, we’ve had several rousing discussions about the changes being made around this building. 

And while there may be some lingering sentiments of frustration or confusion, I feel that we are really starting to see things differently – both students and staff.  I am extremely pleased with the way students are openly discussing and critically thinking about how a culture of respect can improve the atmosphere within our school.

This week students have shared information about themselves, discussed ways in which they can be leaders within the school and helped define what respect looks like through acrostic poetry.  With close to a 100% return on student homework and far less distracting behaviors in the classroom, I am confident that these young men and women have what it takes to far exceed my expectations for this school year!

After the first week of school I can say without a moment’s hesitation that things went swimmingly.  I have been thoroughly impressed by the level of responsibility and accountability the students have demonstrated this week.

We’ve spent a great deal of class time talking about this year’s motto, “Building a Culture of Respect” and what that looks like on a daily basis.  Students have crafted poems, shared in small cohort groups to improve those poems, and presented to the class in an Author’s Chair format. 

In nearly every class there has been close to a 100% return on homework and student behavior has been tremendous.  Weeks like this have not been the norm for me, so I appreciate it and look ahead with hope (and confidence) that it will continue!