Principal's Perspective
Charting a Course Toward a Successful Year

Each year seems to move past with increasing speed; it hardly seems possible that we are already beginning the second semester of this school year.  This pace coupled with ever increasing expectations upon schools can (if we allow it to do so) make it difficult for us to find a sense of joy in the moment. 

I can remember when I was still a classroom teacher that I would invest my time each summer planning, preparing, and making adjustments in order to create optimal conditions for a successful year.  As I moved into administration, this time table has shifted to January of one school year leading to preparations for the August of the following school year.  This is often difficult because we do not have a complete picture of the year we are in the process of completing.

As time goes by, even this advanced planning schedule no longer seems to be sufficient.  It seems that each month there are significant adjustments that need to be made in order to keep us on target. 

Although I have never navigated any large vessel such as a ship or a plane, I understand that it is a never-ending process.  In order to remain on course toward the desired destination, it requires an established plan and constant check points.  If at any point the vessel begins to veer off course (as noted by the coordinates being recorded at a particular checkpoint), then only a minor adjustment to the “wheel” is necessary to return to the charted course.  However, if those checkpoints are ignored or not taken at precise intervals, then it would be quite easy for the vessel to veer off course to such a degree that a major adjustment would be necessary to return to the charted course.

Each school year we begin with a good idea of where we would like students to be performing at the end of that school year.  We even have specific targets provided by both the state and the district.  While aiming for those targets, we talk a great deal about students performing at their personal best.  We realize that each student’s best is unique; therefore, he/she should compare progress only to his/her own performance in the past to note growth.

We believe that we have a clear understanding of the growth that students should see from year to year.  It is our goal to see that each student is meeting or exceeding that level of growth each year.  We are disappointed when a student falls short of the growth that we expect to see.  Yet we continue to revisit the situation in hope of returning to our charted course toward our destination of individual success.

As always, this cannot be achieved in a vacuum.  We must all work together to see that each student is working to his/her potential.  We cannot allow them to sit down on the tracks of progress only to be passed by those continuing to move forward from one year to the next.  We thank you for the value you place upon your student’s educational experience and for keeping us focused upon individual progress within each year and aware of your concerns if performance might be veering of course.  Thank you for helping us to see that each GES Star continues to shine as brightly as possible for years to come!