What Does Education Mean?

It’s not an easy thing to provide public education. There is of course a lot of pressure on the cornerstone of democracy.  It’s complicated.

Our local superintendent offers nearly an axiom a week for the 2011-2012 school year describing what it means.

“The St. Mary’s County Public School Way” by Dr. Michael J. Martirano, Superintendent of St. Mary’s County Schools asks, “What does that mean?” and answers:

We care about children and they come first in all our decisions

We are relationship driven

We are collaborative and connected

We work as a team and we are a family

We have a clear and consistent shared vision

We are forward thinkers

We want success for all

We support each other with a healthy sense of competition

We work hard and we are nice

We know people personally and we are welcoming

We know who to call when help is needed

We care about families

We work for equity among our children

We are dedicated and professional

We expect excellence and academic rigor for all children

We share leadership and we are dependent on each other

We share ownership once decisions are made

We focus on process, product, vision and relationships

We are data driven

We are respectful

We maintain consistency and we are flexible

We are positive

We are innovative and resourceful

We are resilient and persistent

We go above and beyond to connect to the community

We are proactive and committed

We work to ensure the success of all employees and students

We have a sense of humor

We are progressive and proactive in regards to instruction/pedagogy

We believe that all children can and will learn and we will find a way to make it happen

 

Well. Hear! Hear! And welcome back to school.