JH & HS Principal - Cherokee ISD By Rebecca Sharkey
Over the last week, I had an opportunity to visit with a few of our students for various reasons. In our conversations, our students were honest about their struggles to adjust to the pressure of higher expectations. Each of the students I spoke with acknowledged that nothing was being expected of them that they could not accomplish, but they found the adjustment to actually being held accountable to a higher standard difficult to navigate.
Last PD Friday, we were extended a challenge to begin to raise the bar in our own classrooms. We were challenged to elevate our own expectations of ourselves and our students by asking them to do more with the information they glean. We were challenged to offer varied opportunities appropriate for the varied levels of students in our rooms. Or, just different ways for students to show what they know. Additionally, we were charged with providing opportunities for students who finish faster with their assigned tasks to continue to grow in their understanding through authentic extensions to lessons.
Not unlike our students, the struggle is real. Taking a risk and trying something new is often scary. Stepping outside of what we have always done because it has worked for us in the past is uncomfortable, but not impossible. As we have acknowledged boldly on our shirts and in our words, “Change does not come from comfort.”