From November 14, 2014

This week felt like we had two Mondays. By now you know how I feel about Fridays, so a week with two Mondays just didn't feel right. One thing that did go right this week was a lot of talk about the good things going on at Greene Central and in Greene County. We had some publicity this week for our STEM program being recognized by the state.  We were the only comprehensive high school in the east to receive that recognition. Later, a group of us sat on a panel to share our digital learning ideas with other principals from across the state.  One of the questions brought before us was how to manage student growth when you are learning to innovate in the classroom.  We are judged in our profession by test scores, while we know that the things that we teach in our classrooms cannot always be tested.  I think that when we teach students to think, communicate and persevere within the standards of a curriculum, the test scores will come. The skills that students learn aside from what the state assesses may never show up on a growth score, but they do make good students and future citizens that can work in our community. If the state is not ready to assess that or place a value on it, then maybe we should do it for them.  Don't get me wrong, I love that we make or exceed growth and I value what that means about our instruction, but test scores only come out one day a year.  There are many other instructional days that we should be celebrating and promoting great accomplishments in our school.  That starts with us.  I want to get your classroom accomplishments out there for everyone to see.  Please send me pictures or blurbs about great things going on in your classes so that we can celebrate how great it is to be a Ram every day of the school year! You guys rock, and the world deserves to know it!