I'll be honest...I wasn't sure I wanted to have a blog. There are plenty of reasons not to. If I don't update it regularly, you'll think I am a schlub. If I update it with uninspired posts, you'll stop reading.
However, I ask our teachers to take risks with technology in their classroom, so I am also trying something new, even though it might take me some time to get it right.
So, with this blog, I hope to share observations from La Mariposa, and some emerging trends and topics in education.
My ultimate hope is for this blog to be a conversation with you, so please share your thoughts and feel free to offer counterpoints to anything I say.
I recently read a post on CNN called "What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents." I found parts of the post to be truly in line with the way I felt in the classroom and now as a principal. What the article lacks, though, is an openness for partnership. I think teachers are sometimes portrayed as sanctimonious and demeaning towards parents. Teachers are well educated, often holding at least one graduate degree. However, these degrees do not qualify us to "know better."
What the writer does not mention is the necessity for a partnership. Partnering does not mean "listen to me because I know better." Partnering means saying "What do you think?.....Well, here's what I think. Let's find a solution." Read about Dr. Joyce Epstein and you'll see what I mean.
So, while teachers do deserve the benefit of the doubt, it is critical that they also accept the role parents play. Parents do not serve their children by being "helicopter parents." Neither do teachers serve children when they demand respect from parents that they are not willing to reciprocate.
