Week In A Review

The past week has been a busy one, with lots of opportunities to see the great things happening out in our schools.  On Monday, I met with U.S. Representative Andy Barr to discuss the federal omnibus bill that includes competitive grant funding for school safety initiatives. On Tuesday I spent time at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, where I shared my leadership journey with some of our students whose experiences are similar to mine growing up in inner city Wilmington.  The students shared their stories with me and we had an open conversation about the importance of choosing your friends wisely, believing in yourself and surrounding yourself with people who want the best for you. I was impressed with the teacher, who as part of the resiliency framework had identified positive attributes and qualities in each student as an affirmation to them as we talked about the different types of resiliency, the choices we make and support we receive. Each of our students has gifts and talents to share with the world and helping them develop those skills is directly related to ensuring that they are equipped for the future, as we have established in our Portrait of a Graduate.

On Wednesday I had my final visit with my first grade class as part of the Real Men Read program. Just seeing the looks on the students’ faces when I walk in each month has been awesome. They are less interested in who you are and more interested in the fact that I care about them. There’s a special excitement about having a regular guest in the classroom – they tell me about the exciting things that have happened since we last saw each other and whisper about their upcoming birthdays.

Being with the first graders has been wonderful, because I’ve had a chance to see them grow over the course of the year. When we started last fall, I was reading to them. But this past week we took turns doing choral reading and round robin reading. As they read to me, I was struck by how much growth our students make over the course of a school year and it reinforced the transformation that happens in classrooms across our school district. I’ve participated in Real Men Read in other communities for more than 10 years, but I have to say this was the best year ever.

At our first district leadership meeting back in August, we had a presentation about the Real Men Read Program. As we sat there listening to the folks from Scholastic, I thought that perhaps we would have one or two schools agree to participate. I never imagined that we’d have 29 schools interested! Kudos to our school leaders and teachers for opening your schools and classrooms and allowing volunteers to interact with our students on such a large scale. I owe a special thank you to my teacher for letting me come in once a month and get the kids all riled up during my visits. I also want to apologize to the teachers on either side of us, because we do get loud.

Later that night, I met with the leadership of our Fayette County Education Association. They gave me a really thoughtful picture capturing some our advocacy in Frankfort during the legislative session. I have been touched by the cards and notes I have received from teachers, staff and principals about our work together to stand up for public education. Fighting for our children is a part of our DNA and it is an honor to serve with educators like you who are called to be champions for those who have no voice.

I wrapped up the week at Bryan Station High School for their 12th annual diversity fair. Under the direction of special education teacher Mrs. Shakir, the fair gives students a chance to experience cultures from around our world. More than 20 countries are represented this year. The fair has a bit of everything – food, dance, music, presentations and more. Experiences like this play an important part of our mission to prepare our students to excel in our global society.

And by the way, I attended the Calendar Art Reception!

Please find pictures from these events below: