Ron Clark visit
I am like a kid in a candy store! I will be traveling to Atlanta this weekend with my team leaders to visit the Ron Clark Academy. We are so excited to participate in this professional development activity! In February, Mr. Clark visited our school district and spoke to us about “getting energized” for the home stretch….His enthusiasm and spirit certainly motivated me! I then discovered that he hosts educators each year in the summer for a summer institute. So, I registered along with my team leaders for next year to attend this weekend leadership retreat. I will keep you posted as to what we learn! I also can’t wait to become “slide certified” as each visitor is required to slide down the two story slide following their visit!
As a sidenote, I distributed copies of The Excellent 11 to my faculty and staff at our end of the year faculty celebration last Saturday. This professional book study will be the impetus for our character education program for next year. If you will, please join us this summer as we read and blog our reflections to this book. As a matter of fact, Chapter 1 (Enthusiasm) is due next week. What gets YOU excited about education? I can’t wait to read your responses!
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What makes me excited about education? Let me list the ways….helping my students have lightbulb moments, someting new and different everyday, encouraging curiosity and a desire to learn more in each of my students. I have the reputation for being rather “high energy” but this is because I love what I do!! If I’m not excited about what I’m teaching, how can I expect my students to be excited about learning it??
Jakki Wiseman
If I as a teacher am not enthusiastic about education, how can I expect my students to be enthusiastic about theirs? I never want to become one of those teachers who is set in their ways, never wants to try something new, or have the philosophy “I have done it this for the past 20 years and I am not changing now”. I love the four components Ron Clark lists in his book, THE EXCELLENT 11, “Children get excited and enthusiastic about learning when they are confident, see they can be successful, are having fun, and are praised. Those four components will light a fire in the hearts of student s and get them to perform.” How easy for us as educators to believe in and implement these four components into our teaching!
Amanda Cook
Loving what you do makes all the difference. A smile is contagious! Children know when a teacher is happy and invested in them. I believe in trying new things and seeking ways to be better…never settle…always striving to be more.
Vickie Norton
What doesn’t get me excited about education??? I LOVE educating students! It is great to see students “get it” and teaching other students-it’s amazing and there it nothing like it. Teaching students to become successful is priceless.
Angela Fomby
SET THE BAR HIGH!!! As I was reading chapter 1, I loved the part that stated “as teachers we must set the bar as high as possible. I am a firm believer that we can get out of students what we expect, and if we aren’t setting our expectations extremely high, students aren’t going to perform extremely high.” I believe that we at DME do a wonderful job at having those high expectations for our students!
Wendy Todd
As expected, from word one, Ron Clark’s book is captivating. His energy and enthusiasm is contagious. I find myself encouraged, intrigued and energized simply reading the introduction. One of the first statements that I find myself embracing is when he is describing his hardest and as it turns out best teacher he had growing up, as having a “passion and enthusiasm….that was infectious” and as a result he and the other students “all worked three times as hard” in her class. They knew without a doubt of her dedication, belief in and hopes for them. They knew the high importance that she placed on the education she was to provide her students. Her dedication and demands resulted in her students achieving their best.
I like how he includes teacher, parents and students in the 11 excellent qualities that he is focusing on, for ultimate success, everyone in the life of the student advantages the learning experience when the aforementioned qualities are present.
In chapter one, we are reminded again how important our own excitement about what we are teaching and discussing is in bringing interest and excitement to our students. We are reminded that we must “inspire them and motivate them to want to learn, to have a desire to achieve, and to want to be the best person they can be.” Our students are very aware of our interest level as teachers and so dependent on our praise for their achievements. They know if we truly believe in them, want the best for them, expect their best and value their efforts. I can’t wait to read chapters 2-11. ~~Teri~~
We were so excited to be going to the Ron Clark Academy. It turned out to be even more enrigizing and fun than even we imagined.
Becky Thrall