Coaches' Corner

We are all familiar with the "dog days of summer" which refers to the hot and humid weather between July and August. I think it is fair to refer to March as the "dog days of the school year." Students and staff have been grinding through another year filled will unique challenges. It would be easy to fall into the rut of monotony as we work our way towards a well deserved Spring Break.

However, these last months of the school year are critical as we prepare our kids for the rigors of ILEARN, NWEA, and semester exams. With that in mind, I have a challenge for each of us: students, parents, staff. There is a motivational poster in my office (the accompanying picture). It says "Tenacity: You have a choice. You can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face." I challenge each and everyone of us to approach the last nine weeks of the semester with tenacity. Keep focused on our goals and stay determined in achieving them.

Every year, students in fifth grade read historical fiction novels that take place during the Revolutionary War. This interdisciplinary approach connects the fifth grade history and ELA standards and makes the time period come alive for students. This year, Mrs. Hendricks created an immersive experience for her students to set the tone for her next round of literature circles.

Rather than simply giving the students a quick explanation of each book she was offering as a choice, she created a “book tasting.” To set the scene, she transformed her room into the Green Dragon Tavern, which was known as the “Headquarters of the Revolution.” She dressed as a server, created a sign to go outside her door, and set the “tables” so that students came back from specials to a transformed classroom. On a tray sat several copies of the same novel, and every student had the chance to answer some questions about the book. They read the first three pages to get a feel for how challenging the book would be for them to read. After seven minutes, Mrs. Hendricks served the students the next book for them to evaluate with their table mates.

In the end, this activity served as a fantastic example of an ANTICIPATORY SET. The students were immediately intrigued, engaged, and excited by the fun way in which the books were being presented. Prior knowledge was assessed as students were answering questions about each book. Mrs. Hendricks was then able to use the information gathered to place students in a reading group that was both high interest and appropriate for each student’s reading level. Thanks for inviting me in to watch this fun experience, Mrs. Hendricks!

As a district, we operate under the mission statement “Working together for student success.” Last month, teachers had the opportunity to utilize some of their professional development time to lean into the “together” aspect of that statement. This time spent in collaboration is crucial to our students’ success! After all, a team full of people working in isolation from one another will often find themselves plagued by redundancies, overlaps, and oversights. The work of many separate team members can only truly become powerful and effective when those team members’ efforts are carefully aligned.

Teachers were able to meet with colleagues teaching in their content areas in the grades above and below their own. Fifth and sixth grade teachers met to discuss the transition from elementary to middle school. Middle school and high school content area teachers met to examine the ways in which current practices are aligned as well as to identify the ways in which the alignment between courses can be fine-tuned.

Personally, I was excited to participate as the facilitator of the K-12 health and physical education group. These teachers were grateful for the opportunity to meet, and their conversation was full of insights and new ideas. While it was apparent through our discussion that students present very different developmental needs at each grade level, these teachers were able to quickly find common ground in the core principles they desire to instill in students throughout their time at TCSC schools. A shared goal emerged as these teachers expressed a desire to teach students about mental as well as physical health, relationship dynamics such as leadership and teamwork, the value of movement to regulate the nervous systems and process emotions, and the overall benefits of prioritizing our physical strength and wellness. This group of teachers left their session with a vision to continue developing a shared set of core principles that can guide their future work with students.

Teachers across our district took advantage of this opportunity for collaboration and growth, and we will see the benefits of aligning our efforts as we move forward in serving our students!

This month, I would like to highlight two teachers from the ELA team at the high school. First up is Denise Keogh, who teaches English 10. I was invited to join her class on a virtual field trip. Virtual field trips are taken using interactive technology on student laptops. They can be an engaging and interactive way to promote literacy, including digital and cultural literacy, in the classroom. Students navigate through parts of a museum, stop at each part of the exhibit, watch the video or read the pop-up article. Students can move at their own pace and are given opportunities to respond and reflect on their experiences individually and with other students. When asked, students had very positive feedback about the experience, and I learned quite a bit myself.

I also spent some time with Brett Stoker and his ACP Composition class. They performed "The Sandbox" during class, on the auditorium stage. Students read the play as part of the assignment. They conducted background research about Theatre of the Absurd, the playwright (Edward Albee). Then, they were given the opportunity to bring it to life on the stage. While Mr. Stoker remained the "producer", the students were given the duties of directors, stage managers, costumers, set designers, and actors.

It is great to see the different ways teachers are getting students engaged and involved in their education.

Curious what testing windows will look like across the district? Add the 2021-2022 TCSC Assessment Calendar to help plan around these instructional interruptions.