The Parent Principal

2. We Are Our Best Resources

Almost 30 years ago, my wife and I were in Rome on our honeymoon, a time I obviously will never forget. What I remember, among many things, is the fact that I was in constant search of literature and memorabilia that I could bring back with me to the classroom. At the time, I was a sixth-grade social studies teacher. Ancient Rome was part of the curriculum I taught and like any good teacher, I was always in search of resources to enhance instruction and the learning experience for my students. What better place to find instructional tools that would support the curriculum?!

For all educators, resources are an invaluable and essential component to the learning experience. Every year, when completing the budget specific to our school, teachers would always anticipate decisions made that would reveal how much money was being allocated to them for their specific assignments for the upcoming school year. And, it goes without saying, that our teachers would supplement this amount and make purchases and investments out of their own pocket. Having instructional resources enabled our teachers to be as prepared as they needed to be to start the school year.

The search for resources is on-going for teachers. You never know where you will find something that can make the learning experience more fun, meaningful, and engaging. (I did find several items to bring back from Rome for the upcoming school year.) But I will say with 100 percent certainty, that for all the energy expended gathering resources for each teacher’s classroom and students, all educators have the best resources available to them each and every day, right at their fingertips.

Another mantra our learning community heard repeated in many settings and on many occasions was, “We are our best resources.” Our staff, me included (especially me when I come to think about it!), had an array of resources available to us every day. Each one of us brought something unique, something, special, and something that was a perfect fit for a lesson, a unit of study, or a specific experience being shared by any one of our staff members. Our PTA leadership and parent volunteers brought their expertise, passion, and motivation to support our teachers and students throughout the school year. Along with the students, I felt as if I was the beneficiary of such talented, creative, and dedicated people, all of whom helped to enrich our learning community in so many ways.

One of the strengths I felt I brought to my role as educational leader of our school was to tap into the collective talent, creativity, and intellect of our staff and parents. I knew that decisions made were best served when everyone had an opportunity to weigh in on the topic at hand. Our teachers often said that many of the best staff meetings we had in place were when they were given time to plan and utilize the strengths of their colleagues to create meaningful learning experiences for their students.

When teachers find those resources that are a perfect fit for the lessons that are part of units of study, students are the beneficiaries, as they should be; they become more engaged during the lesson, which leads to a more successful learning experience for them.

We are our best resources.