A community’s children are their most precious treasures. I have a passion for working with staff that is committed to every child’s success, and where the diversity of each child and their culture is readily appreciated and celebrated.

Learning by Doing

At the foundation of my educational philosophy is the belief that humans learn best by doing—whether as children, youth, or adults. While listening and observing others, when strategically done, can help advance learning, the greatest tool we have in our learning toolbox is to actively engage in the learning. Whether this means through direct instruction approaches involving choral or physical response, or in inquiry-based learning where learners seek authentic solutions to real-world problems, or anything in between, the more involved in the learning process, the more the learner learns.

Education Means. . .

The purpose of education is to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. While literacy and numeracy are foundational skills for learning, they are not the end-all-be-all of life. As important as the ability to read, write or compute are, raising people of high character and integrity are even more important. Hence, education must cultivate critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creative skills. The arts and humanities are fundamental aspects of teaching these skills, and it is incumbent upon education systems to ensure the development of well-rounded, life-long learners who are devoted to advancing civilization.

Mission

My own personal mission statement is “Continuous Improvement Through Collaboration.” As such, I focus on building collaborative partnerships—whether with students, parents, teachers, administrators, or policy-makers at any level to continuously get better. To do this, I have developed facilitation, communication, and coaching skills to bring together diverse opinions that create a common vision and collective actions. In unity, we can do so much. When divided, our efforts most assuredly fall short.

What I do

I lead with a vision of high quality learning for every student, every day. The foundation of improvement efforts is in high quality teaching and learning, grounded in a culture of high expectations for students. Hence, my focus is on building the capacity of stakeholders—designated leaders, instructional staff, and students—to improve learning. This includes making sure that all systems support high standards, and that high expectations are held for each other and for students. It also includes the creation of a culture of mutual accountability for improving each other’s practice and student learning. It involves the documentation of results and making those results public. And it involves the celebration of successes and developing a staff focused on not just meeting standards, but growth of both students and staff—for in order to improve student learning, we must begin with adult learning.

How we do it

Improved instructional practice hinges on ongoing and job-embedded professional learning. This means engaging with thought-leaders and practitioners, in person and through their writing and correspondence, to stay on the cutting edge of research and best practice. I believe in, advocate for, and work to implement Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning. This includes collaborating with multiple groups to create systems of professional learning—whether mentoring new teachers, coaching veterans, or implementing systems of evaluation—that will lead to increased educator effectiveness and improved learning for all students.