There's Always a Plan B

Danny Thomas once said, "Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself, it's what you do for others!" Teacher leadership is about service! Last week I went to New York City to support my friend Jed Dearybury as he represented South Carolina in the New York marathon! Jed is one of our teacher leaders on the CERRA Advisory Board.  He teaches second grade at Woodland Heights Elementary School in Spartanburg. He's inspired all of us through his journey to wellness and qualifying for the New York marathon is no simple feat! It was exciting to be a part of the adventure! 

Jed is also a huge advocate for Donors Choose, an organization that makes a difference in the lives of students and teachers across America by giving individuals opportunities to donate to projects for classrooms.  Jed's students have reaped many benefits from the organization over the years and in the process Jed has paid it forward by encouraging others across the state to submit projects. 

Before checking in for the marathon, Jed arranged for our group to visit the headquarters of Donors Choose. It was really cool to see where all the magic happens and tour the facilities. While touring the office, we had the opportunity to meet the founder of the nonprofit, Charles Best. He served as a high school history teacher in the Bronx. His innovative idea to make it easy for everyday citizens to help public schools has been revolutionary. Check out the impact it has made in South Carolina!

The educator behind Donors Choose: Charles Best

We enjoyed our visit to Donors Choose and the opportunity to meet the staff. After we checked in to the race venue along with thousands of other would be runners, we headed back to our hotel. While waiting on our rooms, we received word that the marathon was canceled. Little did we know, "Plan B" would make all the difference. The race was canceled, but not the giving spirit of the runner! Plan B turned out to be more extraordinary than anyone ever imagined. Jed organized his own marathon, Dash for Donors, this weekend in Spartanburg to raise funds for schools affected by Hurricane Sandy. It's not too late to contribute! 

Consider making a donation by visiting the Dash for Donors page! To date, nearly $6,000 dollars has been raised for students whose classrooms were affected by the hurricane. If you decide to make a donation, you can use the following gift codes for your contribution to be matched: "horacemann12" or "science."

The essence of teacher leadership is service. As we enter the Thanksgiving season, there are needs all around us and many reasons to be thankful. John Quincy Adams once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." I'm thankful for teachers leaders like Jed who inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more!

The Finish Line at Dash for Donors!

Common Core Provides Leadership

It's always a joy to meet and work with outstanding teacher leaders across the state who are making a difference! I had the pleasure of meeting Kristen Hearne, the 2011-12 Anderson 1 District Teacher of the Year, this past year through our work with state teacher forum! Kristen is making a mark on our profession and a lasting impact on the students and faculty at Wren Middle. Check out this Education Week article about the role of the school librarian in Common Core. 

Anderson Area District Teachers of the Year
Anderson 2:Terri Ivester, Anderson 1:Kristen Hearne, and Anderson 5: Curtis Smith

 Here is an excerpt from the article below:


With the common standards on her doorstep, Ms. Hearne has a lot to do. Her library at Wren Middle School in Piedmont, S.C., is a nerve center in her school's work to arm both teachers and students for a focus on new kinds of study. She's working to build not only students' skills in writing, reading, research, and analysis, but also teachers' skills in teaching them. She and other librarians say they view the common core, with its emphasis on explanation, complex text, and cross-disciplinary synthesis, as an unprecedented opportunity for them to really strut their stuff.

"When it comes to the common core, librarians can be a school's secret weapon," said Ms. Hearne, who blogs as "The Librarian in the Middle."Like most school librarians, Ms. Hearne has been trained both as a teacher and a librarian, a combination she thinks is perfectly suited to helping students and teachers as the Common Core State Standards presses them into inquiry-based modes of learning and teaching.


You can read Kristen's blog at  "The Librarian in the Middle"

It's great to see one of our outstanding teacher leaders featured in Education Week! Congratulations Kristen!