No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.”
– George Washington Carver
People don’t really understand what a superintendent does … I can state with confidence that it is quite possibly the most rewarding “job”/”calling”/experience one can have. As the lead learner in the school district I am surrounded by amazing teachers every day. I’m surrounded by amazing administrators every day. I am surrounded by amazing students every day. And in Deerfield, I’m surrounded by an amazing community each and every day.
In our District we are so fortunate to have the latest and greatest training, support, working conditions, parent investment, and on and on and on. Often, as a superintendent, I lead through asking questions … some questions are shared in this post:
What is it all about in education?
Why do we devote our lives and professional mission to Engaging, Inspiring, and Empowering students, staff, and community?
Why do we support technology as an accelerator to enhance excellent pedagogy?
Which “OGY” should drive our work?
Do your students know how you learn?
Given pictures would you be able to clearly articulate which of those would look the most like 21st century/modern learning – learning we want to see in our own schools, communities and district?
In my opinion Pedagogy – that’s the OGY about which we focus on … The study of becoming a teacher … looking at the word origins (from WikiPedia): child – paidos, lead – ago
Pedagogy – to lead the child – LEADERSHIP is what it’s all about!
At a conference I recently attended, the presenter, Lance Rougeux from Discovery Education, shared the 5 top traits/skills desired from/by employers
-work in a team
-make decisions solve problems
-plan, organize, prioritize work
-communicate
-obtain and process information
I’m proud to report and share often – via Twitter (#Engage109) all of the amazing examples of modern learning from our teachers – teachers who are leaders – from our students – students who are leaders – and from our administrators – who are leaders!
As I close this blog post – hopefully you’ll reply to one or more of the questions with a comment or two – or three – I share a radio chat in which I was recently interviewed about a leadership program in which I am participating through the American Association of School Administrators – AASA.
National Superintendent Certification AASA and The SUPES Academy