My Hope for the Week…

I know I don’t really start until tomorrow, but I thought that I’d publishnone blog post today to try and create a little context for the things I’llnprobably say this week.

I’m a teacher. I had to make myself some business cards not long ago and Instruggled with what to put on them. Teacher is really a littlennon-descript, in my mind at least. I eventually settled on “EducationalnInterventionist.” That’s what I do; I intervene (as part of a larger team) innsituations where students aren’t succeeding in learning. Much of the time thatnmeans doing the things that a special education teacher does. And after all,nthat’s my actual title and my position at the moment. I’m the only specialneducation teacher at a very small elementary school. But the changes that werenmade in 2004 to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mean thatnI spend part of my day “intervening” with kids that haven’t been placed innspecial education yet – and maybe will never be.

While my business card might say that I’m an Educational Interventionist, thentruth is that I’m an educator in the broadest sense. I’ve taught phonemicnawareness to kindergarten kids and math to fourth graders. I’ve worked withnspecial education students at the middle and secondary levels. I’ve taught a fewncollege classes as an adjunct. I’ve taught Sunday School at a Baptist church.nI’ve taught grammar and vocabulary to ESL students in both high school andncollege. And I’ve taught senior citizens how to use a mouse and find their waynaround Windows.

Along the way I’ve thought about what I do. When I took the Introduction tonLeadership at Marshall University some years ago, one of the things theynemphasized was professional reflection. I bought into that, and I suppose it isnone of the reasons I write about education (or anything else); writing helps menreflect, helps me clarify my thoughts…

I’ve thought about why my school system can’t find the teachers it needs.nI’ve thought about how we treat students with disabilities and about why Johnnyn(sometimes) can’t read. I’ve thought about vouchers and charter schools, aboutnscripted curriculums and the role of technology in our classrooms, about highnstakes testing and about where we go from here. And who will lead us there.

This week I hope to share some of those thoughts with you, to make you thinknabout what the issues really are. If you think leadership is primarily aboutncompliance and paperwork, about audits and personnel management, you’ll probablynfind me at least vaguely annoying. If you think leadership is about vision andnpurpose, about service and about shaping the future for the greater good ofnsociety, I’d like to think you’ll find what I have to say thought provoking.

Well, I have to go get ready to watch the Super Bowl…

Greg Cruey, Guest Blogger