A NOTE FROM TANYA Some of you may have noticed the “L-Plate” I have next to my desk. I take this very seriously actually, because even though I’ve been at the school for an indecently long time, I am very much a learner in my new role as principal. That is why I have been away from school recently, even though I’m desperate to rehearse the children in these last two weeks before the performance. I have been attending seminars for new principals and the subjects we have covered have been invaluable. It’s also great to have a chance to talk to others in a similar situation. There are more small schools out there than we realize, but even the big private schools share many of the same challenges that we do. However one thing I’ve realized is, not only do the students benefit from being in a small school, the staff does as well. All the teacher performance practices that schools are implementing to ensure that staff receive feedback and peer appraisals is able to happen quite naturally at Village School on a weekly basis. The teachers often work together planning joint class activities and spend a long time each week at staff meetings reviewing and evaluating learning events and the children’s behaviours. We sometimes don’t leave these meetings until after 6:30pm, but the communication we can maintain and the ongoing professional development is worth the time and effort. Having Kari work one day a week has also freed up the teachers to observe each other on a regular basis and we are currently working on ways to ensure that we, as Village School teachers all share basic practices and beliefs that identify us as “Village” teachers. We realize this is a work in progress as we are all very individual people, so we would appreciate your feedback as well. I’m sure there are many ways we can improve the transition from group to group by examining our individual approaches and practices. We look forward to your feedback!
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 08:43:57 +0000
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