What a great way to start a week-- spending the morning at Wilson Middle School! Walkthroughs are a critical process in my role. First, they allow me to see the real work of teaching and learning in classrooms, sometimes my chair can seem far far away from what matters most. Second, walkthroughs are a way to help me identify patterns and trends of both successes and areas of improvement across the district. Finally, since I only conduct these annually I can observe the progress/ improvements the school has made from the previous year. And it is this last piece that I want to celebrate with you. I know Mrs. K will be providing specific feedback on what we saw so I am just going to share some general observations.
As I walked through your school it was clearly evident that this is a school that puts students at the center of everything. How did you communicate this to me? Consider the following.
- Use of authentic/ relevant work- Students at Wilson aren't doing busy work they are engaged in reading, writing, and thinking about things that have relevance in their lives. For example, after a unit of student in 8th grade social studies students wrote about why or why not a school should be named after Thomas Jefferson. In Language Arts students were using a poem about a family struggling to stay together as an entry point into their new unit. It's not hard to capture kids attention or motivate them when they can connect to the content.
- Literacy Rich Environments- Students have ample opportunities throughout the day to read and write about their learning. Students are learning important content, while they are also learning to write like a scientist or historian.
- Use of Feedback- Someone once said feedback is the breakfast of champions and if that is the case given the amount of rich feedback I saw, your students are definitely in the winners circle. Individual feedback can be seen in classroom displays and in one on one discussions teachers conduct with students during independent work.
Wilson students are in good hands. The value you place on their role in the instructional process is very clear. I appreciated the opportunity to observe all of your good work. Thanks for all you do.
Dr. Mausbach has shared with you some highlights of our walk through that will illuminate our path toward higher implementation and achievement. Congratulations to all of your for "putting our best foot forward!"
ReplyDeleteI often think about how grateful I am to be a part of Wilson. Some days are rough, but in the end, I know I am at a place where I can make a difference in the lives of many and also know that I am valued. I have been lucky to be here through "the change". I've seen Wilson grow tremendously as a school and I know that we are going to do big things together!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing specifics about what the other grades are doing to promote student learning. It is rare that I get to interact with even the language arts teachers at the different levels in a way to know their focus and results. Thank you for sharing some of the highlights, and I loved hearing many other highlights and observing student displays during our PD.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed daily by the relentless commitment and dedication to student success I see exhibited at Wilson. Know that you are ground breakers and role models at the middle school level not just in the Council Bluffs district but across the state of Iowa and beyond. Keep up the great work everyone.
ReplyDeleteWe know that is very important to reflect on our work, but it is just as valuable to hear feedback from outside perspectives. It is wonderful to know that our efforts are noticed, and that positive things are happening. The entire building is working hard to make sure that our students are successful, and I am so excited to be a part of it!
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