Celebrate wins at home

Two weeks ago I traveled to Baltimore County Public Schools as part of the League of Innovative Schools. The visit was phenomenal. I walked away with hundreds of pictures on my phone, ideas that inspired, and a to-do list of at least 347 things that I want to get started with. Students were amazing. Teachers were impressive. Learning was at the center of what I saw, and I feel beyond blessed to have experienced it.

 While walking through a hallway during a school visit, a colleague from Utah turned to me and said, “You’re doing these things in Juab. This is why people tour YOUR schools.

 I realized in that moment that OUR schools are more amazing than people realize. There are good things happening in classrooms every day that no-one knows about — that I don’t know about. We too-often talk about classrooms based on anecdotal evidence instead of actual observations. I also realized that I am not spending enough time in our schools. The next Monday, I began the process of correcting that.

Based on my time in Baltimore, I created a professional learning menu, a collection of ways that I can help teachers grow as professionals.

I scheduled visits in each school, a dedicated day in each classroom with two questions as my guide:
  • How are things going?
  • What do you need?
I created challenge cards for teachers, little calling cards of sorts that are used to document time spent in classrooms in a simple way.

 I updated some of our social media and found places to begin to tell our story. 

 It's so important that we celebrate wins at home, that we take the time to see the good in our own sphere. While it was an amazing trip, it was also a reminder that I don't have to travel to Baltimore to see incredible learning experiences; I can see amazing things right here.

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