I had the opportunity to hear Tammy Pawloski, Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Poverty, speak at our annual Title One meeting.  Her talk came at the perfect time for me.

While I was in Washington DC for a conference, I found out we are an “F” school as determine by the state.  The grade is based on student proficiency in reading, math, and science and student gains in reading an math.  This did not come as a surprise because we already knew the numbers and Shaw’s numbers have been very low for the past four years. The surprise came when I read a newspaper article naming Shaw as one of the five lowest performing elementary schools in the state.  That felt like a punch to the stomach because I love my school, and we work very had to provide a great education for our students who deserve the very best.  I am a strong person, but the news made me cry.

I immediately caught myself making excuses for the poor performance, but I stopped myself before I got very far.  My students don’t need excuses. My families don’t need excuses, and my staff certainly doesn’t need excuses.  What we all need is a plan to make sure it never happens again, and it is up to me as the lead teacher to ensure we have a viable plan in place when students return August 10.

That’s why the timing of Ms. Pawloski’s talk was so critical.  It came two days after finding out we were at the bottom of the state’s list of 300 lowest performing elementary schools.  She share the work she did with an under performing school in South Carolina and the dramatic turnaround which happened in just one year.  The school went from an “F” to an “A” in one year, and the difference was relentless leadership.  At that moment I had hope again, and my determination came back.  I decided that my goal isn’t just to move Shaw off the list of L300 schools.  My goal was to lead the team which makes the most dramatic turnaround in Florida grading history.

The work will be hard, but it is not impossible.  The leadership team knows what we need to do to make the turnaround complete.

  • We will emphasize the importance of relationships.
  • We will teach teachers to ask “What has happened to this child?” rather than “What is wrong with this child?”
  • Administrators and coaches will be in classrooms every day providing instant feedback to teachers.
  • We will educate families on the importance of school attendance.
  • We will focus on making our good teachers great.
  • Our families will become an integral part of the educational process
  • Students will receive lessons to match their learning styles
  • Administrators will ask the tough questions
  • The leaders are dedicated to doing whatever it takes to make every teacher and every student successful.

2016-2017 is shaping up to be a remarkable year at Shaw Elementary.  I am excited and ready for the challenge.  However I will always keep my mission in mind:

I will inspire others to use their strengths and strive to be their best.  I want to clear the path, inhabit the moments and remember to have fun along the way.