A quote or two of mine made Louisville's newspaper this week {The Courier Journal}. The link is above, but here is the article:
Special pep talk
'New' teachers urged to connect with students
There are warehouses full of research that says high-quality teachers matter the most in education, Oldham County Schools' Superintendent Paul Upchurch told a roomful of teachers earlier this month.
"What you believe and what you do over the next year makes quite a bit of difference."
Upchurch and several other Oldham school officials spoke during an Aug. 8 orientation for teachers who are either new to the profession or new to the school district this year.
The district has about 70 new teachers, said Rebecca DeSensi, a district spokeswoman.
Kelsey Irwin attended the event, which was held at the Holloway Conference Center in Crestwood. Irwin, a first-year teacher, is teaching English this year at South Oldham Middle School.
"It's nice to see the faces of the administrators because they won't really be in your building," she said.
Irwin said she appreciated some of the inspirational or motivational parts of the day.
South Oldham High School Assistant Principal Nicole Adell spoke to first-year teachers and those new to Oldham County during an orientation Aug. 8.
Nicole Adell, South Oldham High School's assistant principal, got the audience fired up with her animated talk focusing on making connections with students.
Adell used examples from her personal life and from her interaction with students at school. One example was about a student last year who she befriended by commenting on how he always had a breakfast burrito with him in the mornings and by "talking baseball" with him.
Rather than saying "give me a moment, give me a moment," when things get busy, Adell told the new teachers to "take a moment" by putting students first.
The simplest way to start is by greeting students at the classroom door every day, Adell said.
Children spend a majority of their day under the care of Oldham County Schools during the year, she said.
"You have to acknowledge that our influence while they're under our care is huge."
Irwin said that as a new teacher, everything can get overwhelming when there's so much to learn about the districts and schools. However, Adell's talk helped simplify things again.
"This was a good way to remember why we're really here," Irwin said.
1 comment:
You're already being quoted ... I LOVE IT!!
A.L.
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