Relentless Pressure, Graciously Applied

published December 31, 1969

A Moment with Vern
2/03/11
RELENTLESS PRESSURE, GRACIOUSLY APPLIED
South Sioux City Community Schools is committed to ensuring our students are uniquely prepared to thrive academically, personally, and socially. We are committed to using our collective talents, to bringing rigorous learning experiences to ALL students, and to challenging ALL students to grow thus equipping them with the skills to compete with students across the world.

Recently, with our board of education, with the high school staff, and with teacher councils I shared how we will build on our FOCUS – FOCUS – FOCUS and introduced “The Three Difference Makers.” (Please go to our website and open the presentation, “The Changing Face of Education” for more information.) Embedded in the three difference makers are these essential targets –

1) All students on grade level in reading, writing, and math by the end of 3rd grade.
2) More rigorous experiences at the high school including additional honors courses, more Advanced Placement Courses, and bringing meaning to a student’s senior year.
3) Establishing high expectations for students, educators, and parents.

There is evidence that our CARDINAL FAMILY is meeting the challenge to bring rigorous experiences to ALL children, and I am aware that conversations on what it means to be at grade level by the end of third grade and how we design rigorous experiences at the high school are already taking place.

Yesterday, I was invited to the math PLC meeting at the high school. Our high school math teachers are creating a vision for academic rigor that ALL children will experience. Our high school math teachers are developing plans to provide immediate and appropriate support should a student struggle. Our high school math teachers illustrated the kind of talent that exists among our CARDINAL FAMILY and their plans showed a commitment to ensure we stretch the learning for ALL students.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their conversations about homework, about grading and what a grade really means, about standards, and about course sequence. I am proud of our CARDINAL FAMILY. You can’t imagine just how impressed I was as I walked away from that conversation. Our math teachers challenged each other, they challenged me. They illustrated the kind of commitment and wonderful talent that exists throughout our family. Most important, our math teachers had fun! They were excited about the plans they created, our math teachers laughed as they discussed teaching and learning, and our math teachers respected and genuinely listened to another colleague’s perspective. Our teachers, our family is responding to the Changing Face of Education.