From the Schoolhouse

As you may know, Jon Sills and I try to build into each week several visits to our schools.  We join meetings between teachers and administrators, participate in special events or professional development, and visit classrooms as frequently as possible. Not only does this participation build relationships with students, families, and staff, it also helps us to ground our leadership decisions and priorities in the everyday reality of our students and their teachers.

Last Monday, for example, I attended an 8th grade open house for social issue art projects created by Candace Banks' 8th grade students. Students worked with a partner or in small groups, researched a social issue that concerned them, and then created a three-dimensional art project that conveyed what they learned about the issue and their position on it.  As we toured the open house, students presented and explained their projects. Here are projects on anxiety and depression, and on homelessness.

Later that day, I attended the elections at Davis and Lane schools. Davis students voted on whether to have a "wild hair" day or a "choose your own table at lunch" day. Students went through a process for campaigning and voting that mirrored our election process.

 Fifth grade students at Lane ran the voting process there, complete with signing in, completing a secret ballot, dropping it in the slot, and earning a voting sticker.

On Tuesday, the professional development day, I spent most of my time at Davis where teachers spent the morning discussing the writing process, how it is taught and assessed, including what one year's growth looks like at each grade level.  During the afternoon, I participated with a mixed-grade group of educators who were grading together writing samples from each grade level using a rubric, and then discussing the next instructional steps in each case.  These were rich discussions that helped everyone understand the K-2 process as a whole.

Later in the week, I joined technology instructional coaches in their staff meeting.  I had a chance to get their feedback on a progress monitoring system we are considering and heard in more detail about their work at JGMS and BHS, including their plans for professional development embedded into high school faculty meetings.

The culminating event of the week was a brief orchestra concert scheduled in the high school library during break time, conducted by Phil Moffa. The audience was standing-room-only and the string players were in fine form, especially considering the busy venue and potential interruptions over the loudspeaker.  They played with aplomb.

These school visits, as always, give me a profound sense of gratitude to work in the Bedford Public Schools with such dedicated educators and engaged students.  MLS