Competence as the subject of today’s blog is rather ironic since my computer cannot access my Internet connection at the moment.  My husband and I have been trying for two days now to solve the problem with no luck at all.  However, unlike many people today, I gladly admit my incompetence with most computers and cell phones.  I am not ashamed that I refuse to update and buy the latest versions of whatever technology is offered today.

    I am, however, competent in the work that I do.  I am able to converse with people, find valuable information, and exist quite well side by side with my “techy” counterparts.  Oh yes, it might take me a little longer, but I can produce excellence.  

    As a leader, I find that I must keep improving to do a good job as a leader.  My experience has shown me that from the first moment I became a leader, someone was always pushing to replace me in my leadership position.  When I was able to achieve awards of excellence, someone was right there to prove to me that they knew more than I did.  Even in workshops where I was presenting, I could always count upon one or two audience members who tried to monopolize the question part of my presentation to show how they could do the same thing in a better way.

    I guess the incidents I’ve mentioned are living proof that a leader must continue to improve and must always accomplish more “than the average bear!”  Our whole accreditation process with North Central is about continuous progress.  In fact, that is what learning is all about…continually progressing toward new levels of thinking, new inventions, new experiences, and developing new concepts.  Truly, isn’t this one of the ways that differentiates man from animals?

    I expect my first-grade students to develop competence in their reading, writing, listening, math, and speaking skills.  Every day we hone these skills until they are automatic.  Without that level of competence, students will have a difficult time advancing their knowledge base.  We first grade teachers have a very big task placed upon us.  It is usually in our classes that poor vision or hearing problems are detected.  We are usually the ones who suspect or discover possible learning disabilities in a child.  We take our teaching task very seriously since we are laying the foundation for that child’s life during that first year of formal instruction.

    Unfortunately, over the past thirty years, we have witnessed classrooms all over our country fall short in competence in teaching reading, writing, and math skills.  Too many teachers did not themselves receive proper instruction in phonics and therefore could not help their students.  Now we see such lack of competence paired with greater emphasis on Internet activities weaken the language and reading abilities of students.

    My job as leader of our school is to train new teachers in the ways of excellent education so we may continue to offer our students an excellent education.  I also must keep abreast of new research and studies that have a proven track record of improving student success.  This is no problem for me since I love reading about learning, thinking, and educational methods.  Now as to the computer competence I mentioned at the start, I will trudge on…learning what is necessary to keep up with my staff! (I didn’t say I would like it!  My old computers and phones are familiar friends to me…I hate to just abandon them because a new kid is on the scene!)     

- Kay