I can remember this time of the year when I was in the classroom.  It was one filled with mixed emotions.  I was panicking because I wanted to cover a certain amount of material before our state test. I was excited because my eighth graders were almost in high school.  I was tired because of the long nights grading papers and planning assignments for different students.  I was looking forward to getting over testing and traveling to Savannah with my students so we could relax and finally enjoy ourselves on a trip we’d planned all year.

I can remember it being a crazy time.  Students would sneak down the hallway to my room during breakfast to ask a question about the homework.  They’d try to stay to finish work during their Connections classes.  They wanted as much time with me as possible because I’d told them that showing they were proficient in the standards was the first step to entering the doors of high school….and they were ready to get out of middle school and to this big, unknown place that we’d spoken of all year.

Looking back on those times has me not only missing the days and relationships I was able to build with students who have graduated, are getting ready to graduate, etc., but it also has me comparing and contrasting those feelings to the ones I have as an administrator.  It’s not completely different, but it is, in a sense.  You see, as an administrator, one starts to plan for next year during this time.  Master schedules, shifting of teachers, allocations, student accommodations and projections, innovative ideas and new visions…it all starts to happen during this time.  It seems as though the year goes from January to January on this side of the ropes in contrast to the August to May timeline.  It seems like everything is rushed, but it’s exciting to watch everything unfold and happen.

Over the next few weeks, we have planned to complete a myriad of tasks that range from helping teachers implement a clear assessment and grading plan with fidelity to designing a schedule that promotes differentiation and personalized learning plans for each student.  I’m more excited now, at this part of the year, than I’ve ever been.   I think it’s because I know the tasks that we have coming up are tough, but it’s also because I know that we have the right people in place to do the work we want to accomplish.

I was talking to a teacher today, and she said, “Dr. Gardner how can we get these other students to Project SOAR on Saturday?  I was looking at some of this work, and I wanted to cry.”  She wanted to cry…not because the work was subpar, but because there were some things she needed these students to know and understand.  There were some concepts that were still needing additional help, and instead of saying, “Well, I taught it…they just didn’t learn it, ” she was already making a plan to fix the issue.  Those are the types of teachers we have at Carver Road Middle School, and those are the types of teachers that should be at every school.  Those are the teachers who are passionate and have students sneaking down the hall to ask a question about work before class.  Those are the teachers who come early and stay late because the job they have is one of the most important jobs this universe has to offer.  And despite it being, “that time of the year,” we know that we’ll persevere and get kids what the need to be successful.  I’m excited, and I’m looking forward to it.

With #2185Pride,

Dr. G.