Today kicks off the first full week of a new year, and not just any year, a year that symbolizes hope and change for many. In the spirit of a fresh start, we are launching a new blog series today that will hopefully instill a sense of hope and change in you. 2020 was a history-making, heart breaking year for so many, but there were still plenty of happy stories and positive lessons learned. Educators across the country (and world) stepped up to ensure that school still happened and that students could feel as normal as possible. Even still, these educators are striving to be better. As we embark on a new year together, we are sharing the “New Year’s resolutions” of educators of various types. Today’s post focuses on principals:
Donna Long, Principal, Shallowford Falls Elementary, Cobb County School District
Each week I include an instructional focus in our weekly newsletter to staff. We have so many wonderful teachers on our staff and I am constantly seeing great ideas when I visit classrooms. I would like to use this space to highlight our teachers and note the best practices that I see in place at our school.
Daniel Kielon, Assistant Principal, Lakeshore Elementary, Greece Central School District
My resolution is to learn new strategies to engage our underprivileged and underserved students and families.
Harvey Bagshaw, Assistant Principal, Stallings Elementary, Union County Public Schools
For 2021, I have three resolutions: To find more ways to support and build up our students and staff…socially, emotionally, and academically! To continue learning…and then sharing that new knowledge with colleagues in order to impact student learning! To take some time to share some of my favorite read-alouds with our classrooms!
Lindsey McGovern, Assistant Principal, Shallowford Falls, Cobb County School District
Interacting with our students is my daily “recharge,” and navigating school leadership during a pandemic has resulted in limited opportunities for these interactions. During the new year, I am resolving to find new ways to connect with our students.
Linda Roth, Executive Director, Community School, Virginia
As we think about ourselves and others, we need to have less judgment of who we need to be and more acceptance for who we are. We are perfectly imperfect and what we are doing is enough. This applies to me and my staff, who have been working so hard the past year.
Many thanks to the incredible principals who are working hard to ensure that their staff, teachers and students have the resources they need to excel. We know you’ll do great things in 2021.
