Did you know ADHD, anxiety problems, behavior problems, and depression are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children right now? More than ever, we need to integrate mental health education into the core curriculum, equipping students with vital coping skills and fostering emotional intelligence. Additionally, we need continued training for our educators and staff to identify and address mental health issues. Engaging our students on topics such as anxiety and depression will not only support them but also save lives. We need to be educating children on the importance of focusing on their own mental health and how to tackle those days when they just don’t feel themselves, they feel overwhelmed, or however they are struggling. Every student is unique and we need to embrace that. Let’s fight the stigmas around mental health for young people!
Did you know there are classrooms at Cedar Creek Elementary with no windows? While this is obviously unhealthy, it is incredibly surprising how many variants in design there are in classrooms even within just one school. Every student and educator deserves a healthy learning and work environment. Locker rooms should be mold free and band halls should have capacity for ALL the students. And what is up with the parking? The Long-Range Facility Planning is our district's current commitment to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment. Thoughtful facility planning will allow us to distribute limited resources in a way that serves the most students effectively. This needs oversight and experience from a parent that has been working inside our buildings. I will bring that experience and insight. Our plan needs to enhance security , provide updated technological infrastructure, increase accessibility of facilities for all students and modernization to improve the climate, lighting and acoustics of the classroom, just to name a few things! Research shows increased academic performance from students in a comfortable learning environment. As for recruiting teachers, having a new or updated school shows our community is invested in and values the public education it provides. It has been shown that new and renovated school buildings can have a significant impact on how long teachers stay at a particular school or even stay in the profession entirely. Renovation effects extend well beyond the brick and mortar.
Did you know that In a recent poll in Community Impact, 70% of teachers have thought about leaving the profession? We need to combat our teacher shortage crisis by developing a coordinated recruitment strategy, increasing compensation and providing additional financial incentives to build a sustainable pipeline of educators. We need to be supporting efforts to better prepare, develop, and retain talented and diverse educators in our schools. We can increase our leadership opportunities to support teachers to grow professionally. Our teachers need quality substitutes they can trust when they need to be away from their classroom. We need to build strong and respectful relationships among all school community members—administrators, teachers, students, and their families— which will create an environment where people want to be. I have been that steady voice and listening ear in our community for a decade now. We can build a school climate that makes teachers want to stay. We can strive to be the top place to work in Texas.
Did you know Modern Classroom students show evidence of growth mindset? Differentiated instruction is individualized instruction that reaches the student where they are at. Nurturing cognitive development and strengths in each child on their level provides a strong foundation for success and a true love of learning. We want our students to feel empowered to work at different rates to cultivate confident learners and later down the line - leaders who excel in all endeavors. I will continue to advocate for maintaining ideal classroom ratios and evaluating the specialists on each campus so our students have the extra support they need. How did they ever teach in a one room school house?
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