Live Your Dreams

I consider myself a pretty transparent person.  Those who know me, know I don't hold much back.  I won't sugar coat it, but I will share my thoughts and give you my honest opinion based on my experiences and what I know.  I'll admit when I'm wrong, and I'll tell you when I don't know.  If it's a topic I'm especially passionate about, I may come off a bit strong, curt, or harsh.  My husband says it's my strength and curse together - stubborn as a mule.  

Today was no exception.  We started our staff meeting with our very first Twitter Chat - feel free to follow us @RothsaySchools #Shineontigers (sharing what we do as educators) #RothsayLead (Professional Development) - pushing ourselves to grow as educators.  We discussed school climate and culture - What does it look like?  What is Climate?  What is Culture?  How do you define it?

Then we moved into the Mindset of the Month and 

THIS. HAPPENED.  

"Are the habits you have today on par with the dreams you have for tomorrow?"   

"Everything you do on a regular basis today will determine your success tomorrow." 

Stephen Curry

It made my EYES WET.  In front of ALL of my teachers!  Then started one of those PASSION talks. The talks where my heart leads the way and I find myself emotionally vulnerable, but completely REAL.  

It started something like this: "Are you doing what it takes to LIVE YOUR DREAMS?  Are the climate changes we make today creating a culture where our students are encouraged to live their dreams?  Are we modeling these habits to help them with their success?  Are we making sure to recognize them as individuals with their own unique strengths and fostering an environment for them to develop those strengths? "

And then I got on my soapbox:  "We're in the midst of MCA tests right now.  The one GRADE we get from the state that is the summative assessment(which is not a best practice by the way, everything we've learned says the use of formative assessments helps us teach students best) of how well we've taught our students all year and the once chance for them to prove to everyone how much they know.  This one test is what our school will be graded on.  No pressure everyone!  And make sure your students know how very important this one test is so that when they score a 549(partially meets) instead of a 550(meets), they can emotionally destroy their worth because they "let everyone down" and now because they missed the reading test by one point, how are they ever going to pass the math test????  That my friends is how our value is measured as a school.  Our report card is based on how many of our students Meet or Exceed on their MCA tests(oh, and a great deal of other factors and formulas based on sub groups, standard deviations, and percentages - yes, I'm completely snarky in my opinions at this point) in math, reading and science.  

What about the measurement of students who worked their tales off and did their very best?  How is growth measured for those students who simply overcame failure last year and tried their darndest(I know it's not a word, just something my Grandpa says) again this year because their teacher believes in them?  How are we measuring the students who took responsibility for some bad choices and fixed it because they want to do better? Is the 549 or the 550 going to matter when they graduate and go out to Live Their Dreams?  Do any of us remember what we scored?  Is it a reflection on the people we are today and the Dreams we are living out?  Each one of us in this school took a test at one point that determined our "value" and look at each one of us.  We each have a role that is making a difference in the life and DREAMS of a student.  Who would you hire in your workplace?  The student who scored the 550 or greater, or the student who was hungry to work, committed to making a difference in society, overcame failures and kept going, used their strengths to do what they are good at, was kind to others, practiced GRIT and was anxious to learn anything that would make them better at their job.  How do you measure that success?  Which will really help them live out their dreams?"

With all of that said, and forgive me because I couldn't remember word for word what I actually said, so technically I shouldn't have
"quoted" it, but I think you get the picture; I do practice and model the importance of MCA testing.  I get it, the state has to be accountable, and schools need to be accountable.  I just know there has to be a better way.  A way in which we recognize their social and emotional needs and measure them accordingly.  A way in which we value the hard work and growth of our students without putting them through the emotional torture of the one time snapshot of their worth through an MCA test.  They are WORTH so much more than what that one assessment shows.  We know better than this, so let's figure out a way to do better people.   

My point is this:  Let's not lose focus on the skills and character traits that lead to a successful, happy life in which our individual strengths are valued, embraced, and contributing to the better good of our society.  To quote Todd Whitaker "A follower won't cure cancer", but (and this is my own addition to the quote) if you are a follower, follow your hopes and dreams, use your strengths to make a difference you are passionate about.  

*End Soapbox* 

*Continue wet eyes throughout the day*

#Imlivingmydreams