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As an incoming parent I
would want to know what the school feels they are all about. What’s the
mission, the vision, the goals? Or more simply put, what’s in it for my child
and family as we attend this school? The formal statements of mission and goals
are on our website (www.warwickschools.org). I can give you the
rumors, the 411 and the word on the street about this school and what we
actually intend.
I have a reputation for
being demanding of those who work with me. I expect them to do their best and
to make a personal commitment to this work. Not everyone in my 13 year tenure
has appreciated this and might have moved on to other opportunities. I approach
my position from a business model, not assuming you had to send your child to
Winman, rather that you chose to lend us your child for two years. I think
about the public’s perception of us a lot and preach that to the faculty. I
accept my position as someone under greater scrutiny than folks in other
professions and remind the faculty that they too, like it or not, are subject
to the same expectations from the public they serve.
There is also a feeling
that any teacher who comes out of Winman is very knowledgeable about
educational issues. I have heard that from colleagues that have inherited some
of the department heads we’ve trained here and have gone on. Directors like to
have Winman teachers on district committees for the same reason. We spend our
monthly faculty meetings learning and the teams spend a portion of their time
analyzing test scores and strategizing what methodology works best with
particular learning modalities. They participate in looking at student work
using protocols from the Annenberg Institute to refine lessons. We’ll be doing
much more with assessment models as the year progresses because that’s the next
bee in my bonnet. Formative assessment should be used more for diagnosing if
the students “got it” and inform teachers of what more needs to be done before
the unit is concluded. Summative assessment- projects, quizzes and tests are
the stuff that should comprise a child’s final grade.
We absorb all the data
that pours into us and try to be certain that there is value added to each
child during their time here. We have a big job: educating them socially,
emotionally and academically. The first two of those are usually only
observable but the last is certainly measurable. Our NECAP scores are very
decent. We are the second highest scoring school in the entire urban ring
category and we are looking to dethrone number one- a
For several years we have
pursued literacy as our way to bump those NECAP scores. We have national
winners in world languages and history and that all goes back to thoughtful
professionals doing their best.
I wish I could promise
that there will be perfection in your association with Winman JHS but I know
better. We can’t make everyone happy all the time but our focus is always on
the bigger picture and the long view.
Short term disappointments can shape the future adult. Missing a
deadline or doing a detention and having to live with the consequences, we
hope, produces a more thoughtful person when similar circumstances arise.
Should the feeling be that your experience or your child’s is less than you’d
prefer; I hope you’ll give me a chance to discuss the matter. Although we might
not always agree, we can have a polite conversation and explore each other’s
rationale. I am much easier to contact via e-mail (since I am not always in the
office) and open to your input about what should or should not be a part of our
program.
My partner, Mrs.
Pelletier, deals solely with student safety and I am certain you’ll be
satisfied with your conversations with her. She is a sincere, compassionate
disciplinarian. She does need your cooperation in that she needs accurate information
in a timely manner. Her technique is to address each issue with justice and
respect. Hopefully as you speak of us after your two year stint, this picture
of what we try to be about will be an accurate one in your minds as well.
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