I get sick and tired of
hearing the negative news about all the things that are wrong with public
education in America. Well, let me
tell you what’s right! Monday I
visited Mary Ford Elementary School in Charleston and now I want a job
there!!! The children were
precious, but what children aren’t precious to me! They were well behaved, enthusiastic, cooperative, and
excited about learning. At one
time Mary Ford was a “low performing school,” but NOT any more!!!
Behind every great student
is a great teacher.
Behind every great teacher
is a great administrator.
Behind every great
administrator is a great superintendent.
Dr. Nancy McGinley is the
amazing superintendent of Charleston County Schools. Great things have happened since she came here, but I’ll
tell you her secret. I was told
that Dr. McGinley says, “I work for children.” What she means by that is that politics and school boards and
parents are secondary to the needs of children. If we could all hold hands and truly say, “I work for
children,” what unbelievable things we could accomplish!
After singing with the
primary grades I visited Ms. Small’s first grade and made a book with
them. Her name might be “Small”,
but she’s a GIANT when it comes to teaching and creative ideas! I walked in the room and was greeted by
this message on a table. She
explained that someone was throwing out the table, so she painted the top with
chalkboard paint and writes a message on it for the children each day.
She’s also quite a poet!
A little rhythm and
sometimes rhyme.
You better get ready,
It’s poetry time!
Here’s another cool idea
from a first grade teacher. He
bought several super hero belts and uses them to reinforce good work in math
and reading. They call them their
“champ” belts! Look at those proud
faces!