Yesterday’s PA Day was a gift.
- An opportunity to listen to and reflect on student voices: both through an incredible, heart-felt student presentation and those collected on paper by our amazing Learning Commons teaching team.
- An opportunity to share. We heard from staff that are trying new programs, attempting different things in their classrooms, experiencing success, and inspiring change.
- An opportunity to solve problems. We can always acknowledge issues, but now, we’re moving beyond just an acknowledgment. What can we try differently right away? What might we reconsider for the future?
- An opportunity to connect as a staff and build a school community. Our school is huge. It’s bigger than many high schools in our Board. Rarely are there opportunities to sit down, mingle with, and really talk to other educators. Yesterday, we had this time. Yesterday, I actually got to sit in the staffroom for 40 minutes and enjoy lunch. Yesterday, I got to talk to people who I rarely get to connect with, while also spending more quality time with others.
Yesterday was a gift, and I’m not alone in leaving the PA Day inspired by new possibilities, reflecting on my own practice (how might I hear and respond to student voice even more?), and ready to co-teach with other K-2 educators in the week ahead. A huge thank you to our whole administrator team — Suzie, Lori, and Tyler — who all worked together to share stories, listen to educators, respond to ideas, and provide leadership opportunities for staff. Driving home from a PA Day with a renewed sense of passion and purpose is truly a gift, and I hope that others felt the same. Thinking back to PA Day experiences, how have administrators and educators helped you feel joy and excitement in new possibilities? What impact has this had on you as an educator? We are heading into the week before March Break, and I’m smiling because of the new opportunities that this week brings. What about you?
Aviva