Wake Up!

"I am not a teacher, but an awakener."

-Robert Frost

Earlier this week, I shared a blog post written by Dave Meister. He was my principal during my time in the classroom, and I credit him with a great deal of the learning and growing I did as an educator. In my first year, he dropped a book on my desk that challenged many of my notions about what school should look like. What has followed has been a decade long exploration into how we teach and how students best learn. What Dave and Robert Frost are getting at here is the root of great teaching and learning. A tired and unengaged mind is only capable of so much, but if we can get our kids' brains firing on all cylinders, anything is possible. With our 1:1 initiative, we have the tools to point our students in the right direction and then let them run. Don't be afraid to let go in the way Dave describes in his post. One of the greatest gifts I ever received as a classroom teacher was the ability to take risks without worry. I knew that if I "let go" and it flopped, Mr. Meister would be there to encourage me to try again. I want all of our teachers here at SMS to feel the same way, so please, take risks and let go!