Welcome back to school is something we, in education, not only hear a lot, but say a lot. There is something about starting back to school that get the juices flowing again. I had a veteran teacher tell me this week, “I know that professional development is important, but I'm just so anxious to get the kids back.” What a great attitude.
Every year at our opening day of professional development, I always give a “State of the School” address. It usually takes about 40 minutes or so and it gives everyone a chance to settle back and hear more good things that are happening at Okoboji Community Schools. We always start with pictures from weddings that happened over the summer, new babies that were born and any other exciting good news that we can get a hold of. I always challenge our staff to be innovative in their classrooms and also encourage them to be risk takers. Singling out events is a big risk for failure to mention someone or some major event that has occurred.
I don't mind taking risks with our staff. I think that, as I begin my seventh year at Okoboji, they expect that of me. I tried something new again this year. Instead of using the same template on a power point, I taught myself this summer how to use Prezi. Others in our district have used this form of presentation software in the past but I never have. After seeing David Warlick's presentation at the SAI convention earlier in August, I just had to give it a shot. I have included my prezi here for you to look at. I would certainly welcome any comments or suggestions on how to make it better, run smoother and have better transitions.
I believe that the start of the new school year is the most exciting time of the year. People have a fresh start, almost like New Year's Resolutions. Everyone starts with an A, has perfect attendance and have great attitudes. Our staff at Okoboji have heard this before but it bears repeating, being an educator is about as close as one can get to a religious calling in the secular world. We are called to our positions. We have a moral obligation and purpose to prepare our kids to the very best of our abilities. God bless the teachers of the world for all the good work that they do. I really do hope that this is the best school year ever and that everyone has a fantastic year as well.
