Showing posts with label HOL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HOL. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wishing Wild Success to Superintendent Hart!

Congratulations to Dr. William Hart - the new Superintendent of Schools in Ipswich, MA!  


Dr. Hart on his last day at Pentucket.
(As usual, he blended into the crowd 
and cheered on others).
The Pentucket Community was fortunate to have Dr. Hart as an Assistant Superintendent; the district grew tremendously during his tenure.  Under his guidance, teachers received support and training to fully embrace 21st Century Skills (preparing students to meet the needs of today's world).  Dr. Hart helped institute systematic changes enabling teachers to work more collaboratively.  As a result, all PRSD educators participate in 'Professional Learning Communities', with identified 'SMART Goals' to enhance instructional skills and create 'Powerful Learning' experiences for students.  Most notably, has been the work he accomplished moving instructional practices to incorporate the five 'Habits of Learning': Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Independence, and Creative Exploration.  The progress made in these areas has been so impressive that state officials and  neighboring districts have sent teams to Pentucket for site visits.  

I had the pleasure of working closely with Dr. Hart for four years.  He was a great mentor, who facilitated many administrative meetings focused on leadership and team building.  Those who know Dr. Hart, recognize his expertise in the area of thinking and questioning.   Whenever, we approached a new task he was famous for asking the question, "If ---- was to be wildly successful, what would it look like?"  

Reflecting on my four years with Dr. Hart, and the wonderful strides the district has made, I can confidently say he was wildly successful!  

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Power of Words and Actions

 I recently stumbled upon these two cute videos that made me think...
For the past several years, our district has focused professional development efforts on explicitly teaching students the 5 Habits of Learning: communication, collaboration, independence, thinking and creative exploration.  This first video highlights why explicitly teaching-  and encouraging- creativity is so important.




Derek Sivers also created this video, which has an important message about the power of our words and actions.  Just as harsh words can stay permanently in a person's heart, they may also stay permanently on the Internet.  It is so important for children, and adults, to realize when they write something on the Internet it is not easily erased- it becomes part of your "digital footprint."