Leslie Moline

I’ve never regretted giving someone a second chance. I have, however, regretted not giving someone a second chance. To be human is to be flawed. We are all a perpetual work in progress.

We all make dumb comments from time-to-time. I’m normally good for at least one per week (had one today). In that moment you hope everyone has a short memory. Keep that in mind the next time you hear someone say something that doesn’t showcase their best side.

Let’s not forget that we are all in different places in our lives & careers. This means an idea may be old hat for one, but could be a new perspective or approach to another. Please don’t relegate a thought to basic or ‘known by all’ just because it’s not new to you.

Averaging grades tends to distort the accuracy & validity of a grade. If we believe a grade should represent what a student knows at a given time, then we need to remove as many past variables as possible. The most recent & consistent evidence should carry the most weight.

Sometimes we focus too much of our energy on how others are acting & we neglect to focus on how we are acting. No matter the circumstance, it’s almost always easier to change yourself than someone else.

We need to teach students how to disagree & question adults in a polite & respectful way. By modeling with other adults (because we don’t always agree) & by receptively listening to our students, we can better take advantage of our students’ many great ideas.

A sad reality is that far too many students define success in school as achieving good grades. We must ensure students AND parents know #education is so much more than just grades.