The North Carolina Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year were asked to share the meaning of excellence in teaching and learning during a session at the Collaborative Conference on Student Achievement in Greensboro, NC. Here is what I shared.
As I reflected on what excellence in teaching and learning means to me, I couldn’t help but think of the many educators I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years. We all had one thing in common and that was to give every child we served a great education. A great education is key to our children reaching their goals and aspirations in life. And I believe this can happen for all children if we set the right learning conditions in classrooms across our great state. Excellence in teaching and learning requires the right educational conditions to be set daily by teachers and principals. Setting these conditions is no easy task as you all know, but committed school leadership understands that it is our duty and moral obligation to ensure all children receive a high-quality education.
How does a leader set these conditions? Well, a great leader sets the bar high and maintains a standard of excellence through establishing a clear mission and goals. Excuses are unacceptable, non-negotiables are established, and accountability means “responsibility” to those who around us, not a consequence for poor performance. School leaders are responsible for hiring great teachers; who are committed to teaching children, and while teaching them, they love them. Loving them through all of the challenges and problems they face on a daily basis. Allowing them to extend their curiosity beyond printed text in a book and the four walls in a classroom, to discovering knowledge on their own. I’ve always believed in students learning through discovery. Discovery is “learning by doing” and engaging in problem-solving. When children are able to explore their own curiosities, the world around them comes alive—learning truly becomes personalized.
Excellence in teaching and learning consists of professional learning communities in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. The PLC process is a powerful tool for educators. I have seen this process take a school that was in school improvement for nearly ten years to a school that is now producing high outcomes for students which has given teachers confidence in their work. What does it mean to be a part of a professional learning community? It means our work is intentional. It is a collective commitment to establishing results-oriented goals to use as markers of progress.
To be intentional is to have well-defined learning objectives, utilize researched-based instructional strategies that are aligned with learning objectives in order to help children reach their goal, and consistent progress monitoring by way of assessing for the purpose of continuous improvement. Being intentional in this manner establishes excellence in teaching and learning. Why? Because we are able to clearly articulate the method to our madness. As principals, asking our teachers why they use a particular instructional strategy or why are certain rules, expectations and procedures are in place; pave the road to teaching and learning.
Professional learning communities is also a commitment to continuous improvement. We maintain this commitment by asking ourselves four questions and remaining focused on 3 things--4Q3T: 1. Are we teaching the right things? Are we teaching them the right way? 3. How do we know our students are learning? and 4. What are we doing for those who are not learning? In addition to those questions, Professional learning communities help us focus on 3 things: children, leadership and results. In reality, PLC’s are about the adults sitting around the table. Sometimes we believe PLC’s are only about reviewing data to see if our students are learning, and, yes, that is a part of what we do. But in actuality, it is about our own learning as school leaders and teachers. How do the conversations about our children change us? How does it change how we approach teaching a new concept or building upon known information? How does it change how we reteach utilizing new instructional strategies? How does it change what we ultimately believe about our children? PLC’s should help us embrace the wide belief that all children can learn. And, they can learn if we set the right conditions.
I also believe that excellence in teaching and learning is about inspiration. Inspiration is not just a “good feeling.” Inspiration was the reason the Berlin Wall was torn down, inspiration led to the civil rights movement in America, and as a young girl, Malala Yousafzai defied the Taliban in Pakistan and demanded that girls be allowed to receive an education. And because Malala was truly inspired, she still continues in her commitment for supporting education for girls around the world. Malala considers herself to be a “global” teacher.
Those are a few examples of how one’s inspiration led to change. So how will you show you have been inspired? How will you show your motivation? How will you motivate and inspire your students to impact the world in a positive way? Genuine inspiration comes from deep inside, it speaks loud, it speaks boldly and it speaks without fear. Imagine how we could impact public school education across North Carolina if we allowed our own positive inspiration to lead the way by voicing our opinions in educational policy! I am committed to using my voice to make a positive difference for all of our children in North Carolina.
Policy also has its place in excellence in teaching and learning. The North Carolina Public School Forum understands what Excellence in Teaching and Learning means. They released an annual publication highlighting the TOP 10 Education Issues. We focus our attention on 5 of the top 10 that we believe are paramount.
1. Direct adequate resources to public school, teachers and leaders.
-return funds for Professional Development
-invest in training great principals (great principals produce, great teachers)
-encourage legislation to be written that lifts/value our public schools,
not harm them
2. Transform the profession to make NC a teaching destination again.
-pay teachers and principals well
-provide opportunities for teachers to advance without leaving the classroom
-respect the profession itself, value the work of principals and teachers
3. Elevate Race as a Focal Point of Public Education
-recruit and retain more teachers of color
-understand that it is not only about access to education but how we serve students
daily. People can have access but practices still remain inequitable. Do you believe
all children can learn? It’s about good pedagogy.
4. Support the state’s struggling schools.
-the letter grade system does not produce results; so use it as a motivator; less
punitive measures by state and feds.
-rethink low-performing identification and invest in funding our low
performing schools. Low performing schools need more resources
-craft policy to attract, recruit and retain great leaders at high-needs schools
5. Maintain high standards for North Carolina.
-maintain the Common Core State Standards
-listen to the input of educators on how to tweak the standards and engage in
discussion regarding the professional development needed surrounding the
standards.
So if excellence in teaching and learning means,
directing adequate resources to our public schools, teachers and leaders,
transforming the profession to make NC a teaching destination again,
elevating race as a focal point of public education,
supporting our state’s struggling schools,
maintaining high learning standards for North Carolina,
then, North Carolina we must be excellent!
And that’s what excellence in teaching and learning means to me!
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