Celebrating Winter!
Winter is a great time to reflect on everything that has happened this year - both challenging and positive - and to make wishes and plans for the year ahead. Now is the time to reflect on our own professional journeys as well as how we can grow and develop to be better for our students and each other. As educators, we strive to grow in our practice, to build greater competence in teaching and learning, to become better in culturally responsive ways, and to create learning environments where all students are eager to participate and take initiative. We want all students to have a sense of fulfillment in school and positive feelings of well-being. As we begin the new year, we must work collectively to validate, affirm, build and bridge so that we are creating opportunities for meaningful experiences in schools.
“This is important. You can do it. And I won't give up on you!” These messages expressed by Dr. Jon Saphier go to the heart of what we believe as educators. The ability to do something, anything competently - mathematics, race car driving, dancing, public speaking - is primarily determined by the effort we invest and our belief that we can become proficient at it. For students to accept this message, they must hear that their teachers believe in their capacity. Students must be surrounded by environments that send these messages based on what we, as educators, say and do.
In this edition of ACCESS, we will explore ways in which we can foster a learning environment (Performance Area #1) that supports all students to learn. The extent that students feel known and respected and that their individual culture and identity is valued, is influenced by two high-leverage practices: setting standards and communicating expectations.
We also spotlight four educators who, through their daily interactions and communications, demonstrate high expectations for learning and achievement. These educators do not “just talk the talk” of a growth mindset, but they embed high standards and high expectations into every aspect of what they do in their school environments, modeling for both staff and students how to make their efforts more effective.
