Tough Call

One of the most important decisions a Superintendent has to make is to call off school on a snowy day. This morning as we woke up to very little snow knowing we weren't going to school. Parents were looking at the weather and said the school should have been in session. As I sit know looking at 7 inches of snow and what would have been dismissal time, it would have been tough to get kids home in this weather.
There are a lot of reasons why I don't want to be a Superintendent but his is one aspect of the job that appeal even less than others. I don't envy Superintendents at 4:00 in the morning having to make an educated guess about the weather, New England weather. I don't look forward to my third shoveling stint, but there is no guesswork to that!

Being Off Schedule

I created a nightmare for myself this morning. I fell behind schedule. Now I am all out of sorts.
It is quite interesting how I have become such a creature of habit. Each day the routine is similar, everything should be within a couple of minutes to stay comfortable with the schedule. I wish it wasn't so.
I wish I could just do whatever the day needed. Wake up later sometimes, wake up earlier on other (yea right). The free spirit gene skipped a generation.
I just wish that I could get over the mood that being off schedule gets me into. I would love to learn a new trick or two.

One to One NOW!

With the prospect of economic slowdown, the good news is that prices of everything are going down. This is the time to get our One to One laptop initiative off the ground. The need is clear and the skills our staff possess are more than enough to move our instruction forward. We have been through the discussions and presentations and it is time to trust the future. Our students lag behind each day they are not able to put the technology in play in their work. Enough with the wait, let's get going.

Watershed Moment

There are times in history that are watershed moments. The Election of 1800, the Election of 1860, the passage of women's suffrage, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the release of the Iranian hostages come to mind for moments that changed history. Today brings promise of change. I look past the clearly obvious fact that President elect Obama will be our first African American President but rather to the potential of having a statesman who could have such a positive effect on our society and culture. This is a moment of trial and challenge and how we react as a country (and world) will be greatly influenced by our new president.
It is a day filled with excitement and hope. Maybe it will be a watershed for great things to come.

Assessment

How do we know what students are really learning? If they come home each night and work hard, hand in quality work, and perform on a test or project well, we assume they are doing well and are ready for the next step in school. But what is the material that they are learning? Is it what they really need to know?

There is an assumption that we are preparing them for the next school or step in their life. But I propose that we really are working in many cases without knowing what is essential in the next step of their lives. Are we really preparing them for the life ahead? What exactly is the life ahead?

I would challenge our society to ask, what is truly expected from our learners and citizens?

That is enough for now.

Patriots

Is it really any fun watching the playoffs without the Patriots in them? I enjoyed the season of the underdog and they had their two chances to get in the playoffs, Indy and the Jets second game. I don't blame the Jets for not beating Miami in the last game but I am confident that Baltimore would have had a little harder time with the Patriots offense than they did with Miami. Good games this past weekend but not as fun as if the Patriots were there. Tough being a "homer".