Where Best to Invest the $$$

I had to go shopping today as I was in desperate need of some new shoes as well as some other items. In spite of the fact that I strive to be frugal it's hard not to spend at least $100 at times for needed items. It's hard to not be a little discouraged. The following poem which is a favorite came to mind while I was wallowing in some self-pity about finances.

One Hundred Years From Now
Author Unknown

One hundred years from now

It won't matter

What kind of car I drove

What kind of house I lived in

How much money I had in the bank

Nor what my clothes looked like

BUT

The world may be a little better

Because, I was important

In the life of a child

Therefore, guess I will continue to choose to invest in inspirational books about education and attend seminars and conferences that will make me a better educator...even if it means I have to buy the $15 pair of shoes instead of the $27 pair of shoes.

Learning About Teacher Evaluations

An Esperanza Board member, Suzi Ramos, and I went to the Charter School Conference dinner last night and then Carmen Thompson, another Esperanza Board member, joined Suzi and me for the conference sessions today. All of the sessions were helpful, but my favorite session was the one titled "Conducting Effective Teacher Evaluations" presented by Dr. Joe Heywood. There were some points I especially want to remember:

• Answer the question: Why do we evaluate?



• Answer the question: What do we want the outcome of evaluation to be?



• Have the purpose of evaluation be "Wonderful growth!" rather than "Gotcha!"



• Create a Professional Development Plan with teacher evaluation: 1) Goals, 2) Conferences, 3) Trainings, 4) Peer Interactions (Projects, lessons, etc. in collaboration with other teachers) and mentoring beyond 3 years and sharing knowledge, 5) Observations



• Use multiple observation tools such as a running log with marginal notes and interview questions.



• A good administrator nurtures the growth of his/her teachers by 1) providing strong professional development opportunities, 2) work closely with teachers to improve teaching ability, and 3) care enough about each teacher as a person and a colleague.

Our attendance at the conference would have been worth it if this were the only session we attended. Many thanks to Dr. Heywood for sharing!