Friday, September 29, 2017

Stakeholder Blog Series (4 of 4) - Students are the reason that we are all here…

2017.9.29


Stakeholder Blog Series (4 of 4)
Students are the reason that we are all here…

“Outtakes”. A snippet of thoughts to kick off this blog post:
I saved the best for last - our kids. Our students learn more than just content in schools. Our job is to provide a well-rounded education that considers the whole child. Hopefully, the end product is smart, creative, adaptable, good people.

What I am looking forward to putting into practice, or continuing:
Continuing the focus on the whole-child and understanding, supporting, and fostering different personalities and learning styles (directly and through our staff).

Quote(s) that resonated with me this week:
Perspective means everything. Consider what others may see before judging their viewpoint.

This week's blog wraps up the four-week series on stakeholders in education. This has been exciting to think about because it factors in all of the moving parts that make an educational system operate. EdTechReview defines a stakeholder as follows:

“A stakeholder is anyone who is involved in the welfare and success of a school and its students, including administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, community members, school board members, city councilors and state representatives”. ( EdTechReview)

Throughout this series, we focused on four specific groups of stakeholders: parents, community, faculty and staff, and of course, our biggest asset, students. As an educator as well as a parent of three school-aged children (Ellie, G7; Brooke, G5, Nicholas, G1), I considered both perspectives throughout the series. Now, let us take a look at “Students”.  

At some point along the way in our careers, we as educators were drawn to the idea that we could help youngsters be their best self. Some impart content-specific knowledge onto their young, absorbent minds. Some provide experiential or life-lessons. Some teach them to be creative, adaptable thinkers and learners. Hopefully, all do a combination of each.

Students are the lifeblood of any academic institution from preschool up through college. There is nothing better than seeing their eager to learn eyes light up with joy and wonderment as they navigate a learning situation. Our job as educators is to prepare them for life beyond the formal, somewhat structurally rigid years of school. This goes beyond the rigors of academics in the cognitive domain. It also includes the physical elements of being healthy and well. Most importantly, in my opinion, is the social-emotional learning that takes place when nurturing the affective domain. NCPS has done a tremendous job emphasizing this (you can read more about that here) and our students surely benefit from this approach.

The goal is to help students be their best self. To be good people. One thing I have seen since coming on board at NCHS is that the collaboration of all stakeholders has done just that, create good people. NCHS students are kind. They are sincere. They are curious and genuine. Best of all, they really are good people. Often times, pictures speak way more than words. Please check out the following pictures of our students in action and let them speak for themselves!

Thank you for reading and thank you to everyone who has taken a moment to follow along in this series. I appreciate you.   

Please feel free to contact or follow me:
Twitter: @DavidGusitsch
Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org

**Bonus**: “1SE” (One Second Everyday) clip from August 30th through today (9/29/17)







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