As we begin the second week of school, I pause and think of the many amazing things that occurred in our schools the first week. There is so much to celebrate! The Department of Personalized Learning is so proud of the hard work our teachers and students are doing! Hats off to you all!
This past week in schools we saw the building of classroom climate and culture. Many teachers developed a Shared Vision and Code of Cooperation with their students. We like to think of the Shared Vision as the "Why" or "Purpose" for school. This is like the roof of the house.
Supporting the roof are the walls. This is what we call the Code of Cooperation. Developed with student input, the code helps support the vision by providing structure. We like to the think of this as "how" we will achieve our vision.
Additionally, in classrooms this past week, we saw teachers and students working alongside each other to craft and practice SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). These SOPs promote both independence and efficiency within the classroom and include procedures such as morning arrival, lining up, and walking in the hallway. SOPs make up the internal support structure within the house. They are the "nuts and bolts" that make everything run smoothly.
All of these processes together rest on the foundation for any successful classroom, the learning community. During these first few weeks of school, strengthening this foundation is our focus. We can't wait to see what fantastic things our teachers and students do this week! We look forward to a tremendous year full of growth and success! Let's kick it into high gear and personalize! iPersonalize...do you?