I believe you have what it takes to increase achievement at EES...but do you believe?

As we begin our approach to the end of the school year, the stress begins to mount.  Have I taught the students everything they need to know to be successful on the EOG?  More importantly...have the students retained everything I have taught them so far?  Or how about the BIG question...will they be able to apply what they have learned to questions (situations) that are similar but not the exact questions that they saw during guided and independent learning opportunities in the classroom?

Although you feel stressed and you wonder what the final results will be, please try to stay calm.  If you've done your best on a daily basis, success will come. If when you found a better way to implement something you tried that something new (even if you are unsure how things would end up), success will follow. If you moved your instruction and activities from good to great, then success will follow.  It's just the way things are.

One piece of research I ran across last week helped me see why I feel at peace with the coming testing season.  The article dealt with research around the idea of teacher grit.  I know you've heard about teaching students grit but this article states that teachers who had a "higher levels of  "perseverance and passion for long-term goals"  (aka "grit")  were associated with higher rates of effectiveness and retention".  This research was done by Duckworth and Robertson-Kraft. Maybe because I focus on the long term goal of creating a community of life long learners and not on the results of testing done one time of year, I don't stress over the EOGs.  My job performance is evaluated by the same data yours is so please do not think that I am any different than you when it comes to the effects of testing on my evaluation.

What does grit look like in a teacher?  Well, I believe it looks the same as it does when we see grit in out students.  When we encounter frustration and situations that make us upset and want to quit, we don't "BM" about it and we don't talk about why it is impossible.  What we do is roll up our sleeves, plug away at it, and make the best out of the situation.  If we challenge our students to do so, shouldn't we challenge ourselves and our colleagues?

Below is a link to the article about teacher grit and I am also attaching a video about GRIT. I hope you enjoy and looking forward to another amazing week at Erwin Elementary with all of you!

Angela

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2014/03/gritty_teachers.html

Week of March 17-21, 2014
Monday

• Backus at Testing (AM)
• 4th Grade PLC (AM)/ Planning (PM)
• 3rd Grade Planning (AM)/ PLC (PM)
• Faculty Summit at 3:30 Media Center
• Problem Solving Team will split from Group at 4:15 for their meeting
• Scoring of RtA Passages from last week

Tuesday

• 5th Grade PLC (AM)/ Planning (PM)
• 5th Grade EOG Night 6-7 PM
• RtA Passage 
• Think Smart Tutoring

Wednesday

• Career Day
• RtA Passage
• Think Smart Tutoring
• Leadership Committee Response Due to Hill

Thursday

• ECU Job Fair (Hill out all day)
• Problem Solving Meeting at 4:00 PM
• Baby Backus Arrival ?!?
• RtA Passage

Friday

• RtA Passage Makeup
• Enhancement PLC (feedback review)
• 5th Grade Weather Benchmark

Coming up next week...

* Literature Week- 3/24-28

* Battle of Books at THS on 3/24

* PTO Goody Day on 3/25

* Vertical Planning at 3:30 on 3/24

*SIT/ Working Conditions Survey at 3:30 on 3/31

* ELA Review/ Audit by Dr. Honchell on 3/31 (all day) and 4/1 (AM)