While I could probably write pages upon pages of what I learned at the Learning Forward Conference this year, I thought I’d take a different approach and write about how awesome we are as a district. I’ve always known that we are an amazing school district and attending this conference helped confirm that what we are doing in Kaneland is ground breaking.
I attended a session about creating healthy classrooms and school cultures. Much of the research suggests that music, laughter, and movement help create the best cultures.
When I walk the halls and classrooms at Harter, music is a staple in so many areas of the building. Whether it is music playing when students enter the building in the morning, during passing periods in a grade level wing, or during work time in a classroom, music can be heard throughout the day.
When I observe the learning activities throughout the building, in all grade levels and subjects, movement is a key part of lessons. I was able to brag to a math instructional coach from Pennsylvania about how our math teachers incorporate movement into their lessons. I explained that it’s not uncommon for students to move from station to station as they work collaboratively in groups. I discussed how our math teachers create unique lessons where students act as servers of a restaurant and use math in a fun, creative way. This math instructional coach was blown away! In fact, she gave me her card and asked me to email her so she can learn more from us. While I used math as an example of how we utilize movement in our classrooms, you’ll find this in all classrooms and subjects throughout the building. While this is “just what we do at Harter,” I realized that not all schools and districts view teaching and learning like we do.
Laughter has always been something I’ve embraced as a principal. You can get a sense of a school’s culture by how much laughter you hear throughout the building. That’s what I love about the Harter staff; they are always laughing. At our most recent Building Leadership Team meeting, a conversation was had that made us laugh as a group and we couldn’t stop laughing. Some might believe this will lead to an unproductive meeting, but it actually strengthens us as a team and makes us human. Over the years, I’ve learned that the best teams will laugh from time to time. Our BLT is definitely a strong team and the laughter we shared together on this day reminded me of this.
During every session I attended, I found myself explaining to others from across the country what Kaneland and Harter do to create such an engaging environment that encourages student and staff growth. At each session, the presenter asked us to talk with our table group or to find someone else in the room that is not at your table. Every single time this happened, I found myself the star of the show explaining what we do and how we do it. Fellow educators from around the country were fascinated to hear about Kaneland and what we do for kids.
As a Kaneland staff member, you don’t hear enough from educators outside of our district about how amazing you are. I was able to experience 3 days of this. Educators from around the country kept telling me how impressed they were with what we are doing. My message to all of you is simple; You’re awesome!
I’ll end with a story that happened years ago in Wisconsin at a personalized learning conference. I know this didn’t happen at Learning Forward, but it correlates with what I heard from others at Learning Forward. Jim Rickabaugh, who’s been dubbed the godfather of personalized learning, came to our Kaneland table during a gallery walk activity. I knew who he was and I was quite nervous explaining to him our personalized learning journey. He asked me, “you’re doing this throughout the district and not just in a little pocket of the district?” I said, “yes sir.” He shook my hand and told me how impressed he was with the work we’ve done and the work we are doing. The godfather of personalized learning just shook my hand and told me how impressed he was with Kaneland. How cool is that? He expressed that so many schools/districts are afraid to do what Kaneland is doing because it’s not easy.
I shared this Jim Rickabaugh story with the Harter staff years ago, and I wrote a letter to express how thankful and proud I am to work with such talented educators. Now I want to share with you a similar message:
If Jim Rickabaugh knew Kaneland, he would know that this is just who we are. At Kaneland, we do the impossible. We are willing to try new ideas and create unique learning experiences for our students. We collaborate and work together. We push ourselves to be the best educators we can be. Why? Because we care deeply about our kids, each other, and the Kaneland Learning Community. Our commitment to excellence is second to none. The student-centered philosophy we have isn’t the norm everywhere else and I’ve learned this time after time when attending conferences.
I am proud to be a Knight!!!! Thank you for being YOU and bringing your awesomeness to our schools and district. At Harter, I try to express my gratitude to the staff, but I don’t really get the opportunity to express this to the entire Kaneland staff. Thank you for all that you do for our students, buildings, and learning community. Your efforts do not go unnoticed and you are appreciated. Thank you for being innovative, taking risks, and providing extraordinary learning experiences for our students. We are lucky to have you in Kaneland.
#YouMatter
Keep being awesome!
Brian
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