Back after being away from all this for a spell. I have spent time renewing my National Board Certification that involved formal reflections on my practice and took most of the appeal of blogging away. On the other hand, the old blog helped me to recall the experiences of the past couple of years on the reform which proved useful in my renewal process.
The last year with a new administration team proved a success. We doubled our number of graduates and reduced the number of dropouts by 50% or so. We showed a Student growth percentile of 54 in Math and 62 in reading over the year with about 40 students participating in all three measures. These results caught the attention of the state in a positive way. We were able to apply and receive another $100,000 to follow up on the grant.
I stepped away for several reasons. The perceived lack of an audience discouraged me. I found better ways to reflect on my experience mostly through long walks and internal reflection. The drama and stress that developed during the first two years of the TIG grant. I kept positive in my conflicts with administration. So much so that I still socialize with my former principal. Two of the teachers were not able to handle the changes and they directed their anger at our new administrative team, affecting a transfer to new schools for this year.
The change has been dramatic. The Project Based Learning that other teachers proposed has given me the chance to be a driving force and not the lead element. I can sustain change through my energy and hard work. Here we are near the end of the first session, showing more engagement on the part of our learners and becoming a pilot program for the district. Soon we will again become a model program in the state.
No comments:
Post a Comment