Mrs. Catoe's Chronicles

Well, we are slide certified!  The visit to the RCA yesterday was truly an adventure!  We spent the entire day there visiting teachers' classrooms and touring the facility!  We participated in instructional activities; I must say that DME teachers were a hit!  Jakki's rocket flew on top of the building!!!  We finished the day with a two hour visit to Kim Beardon's and Ron Clark's classes.  In Kim's class, she was "speaking my language."  As a former English teacher, so many of the ideas that she shared with us - I was ready to go and do with my students.  Even though I am not in the classroom as a teacher, I can still share this newfound knowledge with my teachers during our professional development activities and meetings.  Then, we concluded the day with Ron's students.  The entire two hour observation was one of high stakes, high expectations, and all about holding children accountable for their learning!  If a student didn't know the answer, then Ron "stayed with that student" - holding his focus and instructional targeting on him/her until there was a "lightbulb moment."  Sometimes this "wait time" was lengthy; in fact, probably more than I would have allowed, but he waited and waited and waited....which held that student needing help in check and on point for his/her learning.  This practice also held the other students in focus because they KNEW they were accountable and had better know the answer when he called upon them.  All during his lesson he practiced his Essential 55 rules.  They were his mantra and were creatively instilled as non-instructional and instructional procudures in his classroom and all over the school. 

Chapter 2 of The Excellent 11 talks about adventure. In fact, Ron begins the chapter with a quote from Abraham Lincoln:  "only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."  That quote sums up what I saw in this school yesterday.  This school was built from an abandoned warehouse in the middle of Atlanta.  It is not in the most pristine section of the suburbs.  Still, like a phoenix, it rises from the ashes of a neighborhood that may not have the promise it holds if Ron Clark had not risked "going too far."  I have truly enjoyed the comraderie that I have felt this weekend with our team leaders.  (It was also an awesome experience to be among fellow KCSD educators and enjoy some time with our colleagues from other schools - elementary, middle, and high school!) Their dialogue and articulation of ideas has been uplifting and enlightening.  We have made plans for next year, discussed programmatic changes, discussed the related arts schedule, and socialized.  Over dinner each night, we have not had to eat hurriedly, open any ketchup packs or milk cartons, or hold a detention table.  Still, every bit of our discussion has been about the students at Doby's Mill Elementary. 

Keep reading Chapter 2....I am almost finished.  I will share more about the adventure of becoming slide certified later and the prom last night.  Ron even asked me to dance at the prom!!!  Now, that was truly an adventure!