Esther Troyer

One of the complaints I hear from students is their frustration of the lack of feedback they get from their teachers.  I appreciated the focus on reviewing answers with students to address issues and build confidence.  I also like the emphasis on being clear in the what and why of an assignment.  Relevance and clarity is important to all of us!

Structural Integrity info included some great reminders about organization - even in the traditional classroom it is easy for students to get lost when multiple pieces of information are thrown at them along with the changes that occur along the way. Very helpful for all students but especially students who deal with ADHD or anxiety to have a clear understanding of what to expect and when.  That plays right into the navigational simplicity and the importance of having access to the needed materials readily available and easy to access.

I see a lot of similarities in what we want to see both in the classroom and between leadership and staff.  I'm picturing staff meetings as similar to classrooms and looking for the behavioral, cognitive and social/emotional engagement and remembering how often I've heard "teachers are worse than students!"  Do the staff feel physically and psychologically safe?  Do they understand the expectations and know what the lerning outcomes are.  Do they feel respected and heard?  

I think the emphasis on collaboration and focusing on student learning rather than teaching methods was important too.

I loved the message that great teachers are more than just subject knowledge but also encompass student knowledge and pedagogical knowledge that are combined together to create the best teachers.  Our teachers need to be encouraged, supported and their knowledge acknowledged!  I also liked the reminder about the issue of perception in communication and how important it is to be clear both in your understanding of what is being said as well as in what you are saying!

The 7 characteristics of effective coaching feedback and the 4 points on giving effective feedback were very helpful in evaluating my own feedback practices ... I also see this as useful not just in peer to peer feedback but in teacher to student as well - I also see it as part of the learning that needs to happen for students both by modeling and allowing them to develop their skills.

Making sure that the feedback is timely, actionable, specific and related to agreed-upon outcomes.  What do we want our student outcomes to look like and wht do we need to do to achieve that...

Also having the evaluator be knowledgeable in the subject matter - there have been times... :-) 

I think also the importance of have leadership value, appreciate, and be vocal about great work that is being done - letting the teacher know how valued they are and the appreciation of the difference they are making in student lives...

grade level teaming to explore data, strong leadership with high expectations, involvement of students/staff in decision making have all played a part in building excellence...still much to be done though!

collaboration between content areas, incorporating the relevance for students in core classes with how information is used in real world situations, using data to make gains towards the end result of being college/career ready...horizontal leadership rather than vertical provides a sense of ownership and team building which can make for stronger programs...

Relationship building has seen an increased focus this year although it's been a part of our values for awhile.  Increasing collaboration between subject teachers and collaboration across subject areas also a focus this year

CTE programs with thier hands on learning increases engagement, improves graduation rates, allows students ownership in the process, allows for greater networking within a community and increases a sense of belonging for students.  CTE programs bring relevance to the school and build students in order to build our future communities.