Greetings, GreenMount Community,
How does one begin to speak of the
end? This will be my last head message
to you and, frankly, I am struggling with what to say. It will, of course, be safe to remain
clinical and give you specific data about my tenure here. This is approximately my 238th
head message to parents since 2007, with just a few emails in between. I suppose that I have repeated myself a few
times and I will admit that I have gone back to retrieve earlier messages about
instruction at certain times of the year.
This is because I believe that a school leader must not simply advocate
the “flavor of the day” when it comes to best practices.
Many of the things we discuss at
our staff meetings are the same general topics that we discussed seven years
ago. This has worked out well and we
know this because of developing research that appears in educational
journals. Many times, when presented
with the latest “innovation” in an article, our teachers commonly remark, “We
already do that!” If you have been
following innovations in education as long as I have, you will know that things
have a way of resurfacing with another, more up-to-date title. One famous educational author once exclaimed
that he had been hit by the educational pendulum so many times that he has
become numb to its strikes. Another has
said that there is nothing new under the sun in education. A book on my shelf is called, The Art of Teaching by Horace Mann
(1796-1859). This little book is 31
pages long and contains most of what is embraced today as the way to teach
children. For example, one quote of
Horace Mann is, “By leading pupils to discover for themselves, the teacher
gives them a natural reward with every new discovery.” Does this sound familiar? So, be heartened that your teachers are where
they need to be instructionally. In
fact, I think we are way ahead of where other schools are in preparing our
students for that uncertain future that’s out there.
The future – what does it hold? For me, retirement is an exciting
proposition. However, I know that for a
time, at least, my soul will be like Swiss cheese with 110 holes in it. I will miss your children terribly. I have known for many years that being with
children, watching them grow, playing with them and listening to them is
something that gives adults, and especially teachers, a joy that cannot be quantified.
It has been an exceptional
privilege to be the head of this school for the last seven years. I leave hoping that I have made things better
for you and your kids and for the staff.
I know that the future of GreenMount is bright and I will keep in touch
in the coming years. If you think of it,
let me know how your children are doing.
My home email address is cb7sw@comcast.net.
Thank you for all of your support over the years. You have certainly helped to make this the
best experience of my entire educational career.
May the
road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand. – An Irish Prayer
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand. – An Irish Prayer
Cheers,
Steve
