Hello!
Our SAM teams in Florida are in our thoughts this morning. It is striking the power of a hurricane to do harm. It is impressive the power of school leaders to put the pieces back together for students and families. School is, for many students, their one safe place. They trust their principal, office staff and teachers to have their interests at heart—to care for them.
In order for a SAM team to impact teaching and learning they must create that safe place—a culture that knows, appreciates and cares for teachers and students—a culture that expects each adult and student to move forward academically, socially and emotionally.
Being a SAM team is pretty cool. You get to impact the future by your actions every day. The time to take to help a teacher become centered and focused on improving a lesson—the time you take with students to show what you value—the time you spend in your SAM Daily Meeting planning your use of time to have the greatest positive impact—the time you spend asking questions of each other that moves your own practice forward: these actions lead to a better life for staff and children.
NSIP Director Mark Shellinger says good leaders and teachers start with the heart. He’s right. “If we really want results in schools - if we really want kids to succeed - then the teachers have to be nourished, teachers have to be honored, and the art of teaching as well as the science has to be something the principal respects and invests in.”
Our Florida SAM friends will return to school later this week. They will be doing the same thing you are doing today: showing their staff and students they care by their actions and expectations.
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