Things That Make Me Proud

A couple Road Runners queried "What accomplishments at Hawthorn are you most proud of?" I hope it goes without saying that I am very proud of Hawthorn, its students, staff and community. Hawthorn, like Renner, is a very special place. I am Hawthorn's biggest cheerleader and next year, I will, without a doubt, be Renner's biggest cheerleader.

Though there are many things to be proud of, the thing I am most proud of is the sense of community and positive culture we have created at Hawthorn.

In my opinion, Hawthorn has some of the most respectful, courteous students you will ever met. This did not occur by happenstance. This occured through a collective effort focused on common expectations; Ron Clark's Essential 55; and cultivating an atmosphere of respect for students. Do students still need redirections? You bet. Yet, through our common expectations and focus on treating students respectfully, these redirections (and in many instances consequences) are given in a manner that helps students reflect on and change their behavior.

This positive culture is also evident among our staff. Hawthorn is a community founded in mutual respect. Staff do not always agree, but they always treat each other with respect. At Hawthorn, everyone knows gossip and negativity is not acceptable. We have a collective vision to be a positive influence on each other, our students, Park Hill and our community. We are each other's biggest supporters and believe in "the power of nice". (Check out the book The Power of Nice by Kaplan Thaler. It's a quick read.) Again, this culture did not occur by happenstance. It occurred through teambuilding; colleagial conversations; and commitment to this collective vision for our school.

Parents are also a part of this positive culture. Most PTA meetings include a "Ten Minute Topic" that focuses on a school issue. I may talk about the budgeting process; the media specialist might talk about summer reading programs; the third grade team might talk about MAP testing. The topics vary, but the purpose is the same - respect parents as their child's first teacher and help them be a part of the team at Hawthorn.

So, though I am proud of many things at Hawthorn, it is the community that we have created that I am most proud of. It is this community that allows and encourages all other accomplishments to occur.

I am eager to work with the students, staff and parents at Renner to build upon and create a community that supports the mission of Renner Elementary. It's going to be exciting!

By the way, Renner's PTA invited me to attend their meeting this Thursday, April 2nd. If you're in the building at 6:30pm, stop by and say hello!