I could not believe the beginning of this chapter. A day in the life of "Greg," a high school principal, could have easily been a description in a day in the life of "Sheridan," a rural school teacher in South Dakota. As educators, we are constantly being shown the newest "priority," and that is stacked on top of the last five "priorities." Someone needs to look up the definition of priority, and submit it to the right person.
The author has done extensive research in classrooms across the USA. I especially found his descriptions of different "learning walks" to be very effective. It was interesting how he stated that when a group of teachers would look at a classroom's lesson, they would grade it anywhere from an F to an A -- looking at the same lesson. This held true in public and private schools across the USA. I think what all educators need to sit down and do -- principals, superintendents, teachers, school board members, even students -- is look at this question, look at the research, and make some careful considerations:
"What is the real problem you're trying to solve, and how do you know it's the most important problem you should be working on?"
Overall, I agree that the teaching education as a whole needs to be addressed. It is unfortunate that over half of all new teachers will leave the profession within the first five years. However, I can understand why. I recently heard the question posed on television, "Is the presidency too much for one individual to handle?" and I would have to apply the same question to teaching. If I did not have the close-knit connection with the paraprofessionals and the other certified teacher in my building, it would be too much. On a daily basis, I have to reevaluate and ask myself, "What are the most important things we will accomplish today?" I wish we did have more time to collaborate with each other and get useful feedback in order to improve our instruction.
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