Superintendent's Message [6]

 

As many of you know I am a runner. I run when it is hot. I run when it is cold. I run short distances, and I run long distances. I run for fun, and I race to challenge myself.

 

This spring I finished my 14^th consecutive Flying Pig Marathon and completed the 26.2 mile course with a personal best time of 2:56. This was five minutes faster than my personal best and surprised many who follow my running.   I have been running since a student at Ludlow and competed in both track and cross country. I have never really stopped. I ran my first marathon at the age of 30 and just ran my personal best at the age of 44. People have asked me, “How did you do it?” and “What was the difference?”

 

I have come to this conclusion…I was ENGAGED in my running! I had a goal and was focused on accomplishing it! Unfortunately I have now become COMPLACENT in my running. This means that I am still running and working out; I just lack the internal drive and passion that I had last spring.   I need to find that spark and desire to set me on my way towards my next goal.

 

All this brings me to the third part of our Dayton Independent Schools’ theme of Lead, Grow, and Engage. One of our goals is to provide students with an engaging classroom experience versus a compliant experience.    Some of these ideas come from the work of Charlotte Danielson. The difference between a classroom in which students are compliant and busy and one in which they are engaged is that the engaged students are developing their understanding through what they do. That is, they are engaged in discussing, debating, answering “what if” questions, discovering patterns, and the like. A critical question for an observer in determining the degree of student engagement is “What are the students being asked to do?” If the answer to that question is that they are filling in blanks on a worksheet or performing a rote procedure, they are unlikely to be cognitively engaged. 

 

We are working to make sure that all students, staff, and parents are ENGAGED in the work of our schools. Moving from being compliant to being ENGAGED takes time and commitment. We will get there TOGETHER!