Monday, September 30, 2013

Now What...Moving Beyond the Buddy System

"Now What" from our September Cohort
It gives me great joy to be a part of the South Carolina Mentor Training initiative. At CERRA, our work continues one mentor training at a time as we partner with school districts around the state to move beyond the buddy system of yesterday! We must embrace a structured system of support that accelerates new teacher development! Ultimately, the work is about our students! Someone once said, a mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. Let's all seek out mentors and be committed to serving in that capacity for those around us. Since the inception of the initiative, 10,512 mentors have completed the initial mentor training! Check out our website as we will have several mentor trainings occurring throughout the year.  We hope to see you at a future training soon!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Sumter Teacher Forum is ready to SOAR!


Teacher leaders make a difference daily! It is always a joy to be in a room filled with passionate educators who desire to make a difference in the lives of students and the profession! It was a joy to attend the first meeting of the Sumter Teacher Forum for the 2013-14 school year! 

The energy at the Sumter Teacher Forum was contagious as members of the local community, the local legislative delegation, school board and district office personnel gathered with teacher leaders for a common focus.. to advocate, advance and inspire students and the education profession! 

The theme for the year for the local forum is reNEWal! I issued a challenge for the teacher leaders to think about all the ways they can SOAR! Let us all be committed to asking ourselves:

S What are our Strengths?
O What are our Opportunities? 
A What are our Aspirations? 
R What are our intended Results? 

I am excited about the renewal efforts Sumter Forum will lead this year as they empower others to make a difference! I know the results will prove beneficial for the students and the education profession! Keep up the great work!