educating for the journey

Set high standards and few limitations for yourself.
- Anthony J. D’Angelo

Often reminders come to you when you least expect it. Today is the beginning of a celebration of seventy-five years of the Carol Morgan School. We had a long assembly which was classy, entertaining and a good reminder for us gringos about the bigger community which we are a part of. It made me proud to be a part of Carol Morgan. This however is not what this blog post is about.

It’s about something far simpler.

At the beginning of this year the band program at CMS was big. Class sizes were at or near to their maximum. This didn’t last long as the new director made it very clear that students would work for every grade that they received. Class sizes dropped, dramatically. Students rumbled about fairness and change but the experienced director had a vision and held the students that remained to it. He has worked tirelessly this year with his students and with his instruments towards that vision. Today i heard the band for the first time since early October and they blew my mind away. They were tight, they were focussed and they sounded great.

It’s a simple model really - but one proven time and time again: have a clear vision, expect lots, work tirelessly towards it and never settle. It’s also a model that is not only applicable at all levels - administrators with their teachers, teachers with their students, directors with their staff, students with their work - but its also highly contagious.

not much of a ed-tech post, but for certain this works here too. The reminder just hit me powerfully today and i wanted to write it down.

GaDeV
(gracias a dios es viernes)