Friday, October 16, 2015

People are Our Strength!

Many thanks to Lynn Briggs for setting up my Blog for me.  I am not sure where to start.  I have seen and met so many wonderful individuals throughout my travels in the schools since September.  I was fortunate to witness the incredible spirit presented by our staff at Convocation.  I can say that I have never experienced such enthusiasm and school spirit by school staff in my career. I have been to a football scrimmage and a volleyball game in Windsor, a football game and field hockey game in Smithfield, and the county fair to hear the band and chorus from both WHS and SHS. I have eaten school lunches in several of our cafeterias. I have visited all nine schools and have started my rounds to visit all classrooms in Isle of Wight County.
 
I was recently asked what separates Isle of Wight County Schools from other school divisions and why are they so successful? Even though I have only been here a short time, I believe I can answer that question.  The people that I have encountered inside and outside the school division have been so welcoming. The teaching staff is very experienced.  They are dedicated to the children of Isle of Wight and the consistency that they provide is the backbone of the school division.  People are the strength of any great organization and Isle of Wight County Schools is no different.

My main goal instructionally will be to encourage and inspire teachers to facilitate authentic learning experiences for students that will bring communication skills, critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity to the forefront of our children’s education. I look forward to highlighting teachers that are providing great opportunities for our children and discussing issues in education that may affect us as a division in upcoming blogs. I’ve attached some pictures of where I’ve been.  Enjoy!