CHCCS is a district full of resources.  We have amazing teachers, staff and administrators.  We have dedicated students who want to learn, to further their education.  We have parents who are always willing to pitch in and make sure the schools have what they need.  We have community members who share their knowledge with students and staff. When I look at all the positive things we do every day across CHCCS, it is inspirational.  While there is still much to do, we have so much to build on.

Growing up, one of the things my mother always asked me and my brothers was, “What did you learn today?”  While this may seem cliche, it’s something we can and should ask our students. Classrooms across CHCCS are filled with some amazing learning experiences.  Just last month, we had national poet and author Kwame Alexander visit East Chapel Hill High School. He inspired me, so I can only imagine the impact he had on the students who heard him talk and who interacted with him.  Find out what is happening at your student’s school, in your student’s classroom - you’ll be amazed at what you find out. No cliches here.

We are about to enter what many people refer to as the “holiday season.”  Our busy lives tend to get busier as we add more events to our lives.  Over the next few months, there are many reasons and opportunities to celebrate.  In addition to the usual celebrations, let’s also be thankful for all we’ve accomplished in our classrooms. Our students have been working hard to learn vocabulary words, multiplication tables and science theories.  Our teachers have been helping students learn every day they are in classrooms. So even though there are holidays to celebrate, CHCCS celebrates learning every day.

Momentum is important in education, as it’s a part of learning.  We start every school year with expectations of increasing our knowledge.  Every day is a building block, which leads to the next spark of an idea, the next piece of comprehension.  Without momentum, we don’t grow. Instead, we remain dormant, sluggish.

As I travel across the district, talking to students, staff, parents and community members, I’m always listening to make sure we have positive momentum.  I find encouragement in the wonderful things I hear and can feel let down when I hear something adverse. Both affect the district’s momentum, and not always equally.

Our classrooms and schools are places of confidence, hope and support.  Teachers and administrators cheer on student learning every day. All CHCCS employees strive to support our students in all they endeavor.  I am proud at the high level of expectations we have set for ourselves and our students. I am proud of how hard everyone works in this district, students and staff.  I am honored to be at the helm. I know, as a district, we may not perfect, but we are striving to be better.

Let’s learn from every moment, good and bad.  Let’s continue to show everyone this is what learning looks like.  Let’s sustain our positive momentum because with it, we are unstoppable.

Running is all about finding a rhythm.  You get those first steps behind you and find yourself naturally breathing evenly, pacing yourself, giving yourself over to your conditioning.  Being an educator is like that, too. We spend years learning and training, using the latest strategies and methodologies. Then it’s time for us to run on our own, to be a teacher, an educator, an administrator, to find our tempo.  Even though we may have been doing this for decades, putting the steps behind us, confident in our rhythm, what happens when something new comes along? Do we run away from it or do we run towards new possibilities? What would we advise our students to do?

Some days just seamlessly fall into place.  Everything goes smoothly and without incident and, before we know it, the final bell has rung and the school day is over.  These days make learning easy. The other days, those filled with angst, misunderstanding or frustration, make the simple days seem few and far between.  Let’s think about that though . . . don’t we really have more better days than not? Aren’t our classrooms filled to overflowing with learning, wonder and fun?  Even if there may be a moment of defeat, don’t we help each other up and get back to learning? I see all the phenomenal things our teachers are doing in classrooms across the district.  I see classrooms where students are learning more than just what is in a textbook. I see the momentum of what’s being taught and how it can sweep across a teacher, a student, a class, a grade, a school, a district.  Can you see it, too?

We’ve already completed a month of school and I feel our learning energy picking up as we head into fall.  I know September had some interesting moments thanks to Hurricane Florence, but I’m proud of the way our community handled everything we endured.  And this is a perfect time to thank the district’s Maintenance Staff for all they did to prepare our buildings, as well as clean up after the rain and wind moved on.  As we get deeper into the school year, I’m looking forward to continuing to see how our students are building on what they learn every day in our schools.

One could say education is being scrutinized like no other time in our history.  What are best practices? How much is too little to spend per pupil? Why do teachers need families to donate supplies?  While these questions are valid, they are not our purpose every day.

Educators have to find their motivation each and every morning they walk into their school.  We know they have to put their Why in front of them to fend off any of the negatives they may encounter.  We also know a person doesn’t go into education to become financially wealthy.  Thankfully, there are other kinds of wealth, and educators have these in scores.

Any given day, I know I can drive to one of our schools and find solace.  I can visit a music class and sing with some first graders, who only know how to sing out loud.  I know I can go to a school library and read to students, who cannot wait for every page to turn.  I know I can go to a middle or high school social studies classes and listen to healthy debate. I can see a student hug the school custodian.  I can watch as one student helps another. I can listen to students tell me how much they’ve learned in class or why this year’s teacher is their favorite.  All of these moments make me wealthier.

It’s true there may be a lot of policies written by people who aren’t educators for educators.  It’s true that no amount of money per pupil spending ever really covers everything. It’s true that it’s difficult for teachers to purchase all the supplies needed for their classrooms.  And we know all of these things are not what education is about.

Education is about inspiring students and being inspired by students.  Education is about having continued faith in students they can learn whatever it is they think they cannot - and being motivated when they learn that piece of knowledge.  Education is a child’s smile, offered for no reason. Education is watching as students learn and grow through their years in schools. Education is all those small, incredible moments that happen every day in our schools.  This is why we stay in education - for moments like these.

People all over the world are looking for something to inspire them.  They spend lots of money on experiences that are supposed to awe. I can honestly say, those people are missing the biggest inspiration:  students in classrooms. Everytime I go into our schools, into a classroom, I find inspiration. From that kindergartner who is learning how to put letters together to form a word, or the exceptional child who overcame an obstacle they’ve been working on all year, to the student who is stretching him/herself by taking an AP course - all of these students are inspirations.  Maybe instead of looking outside our community for inspiration, we could look in our schools and see where true inspiration is happening.

As I make my way around schools, meeting students and staff and watching the beauty of learning in our classrooms, I’m often asked about why I went into education.  Was it that one teacher who saw a kindred spark in me? Was it my ability to help other students learn something? Was it my desire to help others strive to get more out of their education?  It was all of these things and more. Teaching has evolved, and will continue to evolve, since I was a student; however, the main focus of teaching has not really changed. Teachers share their passion for education with their students, their drive to learn something new, their challenge to continue to learn, no matter how old a person is.  As long as we, as educators, continue to learn and grow, our students will continue to learn and grow, too. And isn’t that what being a teacher is all about?