If you are a teacher or principal in NYS, you have probably found yourself in the same position. I spent last week entering state provided growth scores for teachers. I spent a few minutes this morning trying to guess where my own score would fall. Tony Sinanis, a principal from "downstate" published a blog entry that resonated with me yesterday. He talked about being a 9. A 9, according to NYSED, is the beginning of the effective range. Something like being in the deep part of the pool but still holding onto the side. I look up to Tony so I was relieved to be in such good company. You see, my state provided score was also a 9. I should have left it there. Instead, early this morning, I sketched out what my final score will be and it is in the developing range. Just barely...think kiddie pool. I was pretty upset when I first realized this today. But, then I thought of my teachers. I thought of the teachers whom I know are HIGHLY effective and did not earn that rating. I thought of the teachers who are EFFECTIVE and did not earn that rating. I thought of the teachers that we will be required to develop a TIP plan for this year. That's when I decided to look to my left and then to my right. This was my first year as a Principal. (My previous experience has been in support services and special education.) I never worked harder than I did last year. For my nine, I have amazing principals like Tony standing next to me. For my developing rating, I will stand next to some of my teachers. In both situations, I am in pretty good company.
Our work in school leadership can often come in waves. Some days you are happily swimming to shore while other days you might feel as though it is taking all of your energy to stay above the water. The latter is often what March feels like. There is something about March that has always felt like a difficult month for me, at least personally, as an educator. Maybe it's the impact of a long winter, access to less sunshine, or the absence of any scheduled downtime in the month. It's also the point where we are able to look back on a school year and see how much we have accomplished but at the same turn how much there is still to do. But, the difference is the proverbial finish line that June brings. We all know, whether we like it or not, what we planned or were even assigned to accomplish this year is now connected to an imaginary stopwatch that is counting down that time. We can see the end to the year and that can be stressful. What about all the things still le...
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your story. NYS, and specifically your school, are incredibly fortunate to have leaders like you. Leaders who are transparent. Leaders who are passionate. Leaders who are looking to serve their community. BRAVO! As a fellow NINE, I am proud to call you a colleague and friend!
Tony
Thank you for being such a supportive peer and awesome part of my PLN.
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