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Instructional Leaders Teach Again
teaching again
You may have heard or read that a few BCLSD principals have recently stepped back into the classroom instructing our students. Besides the safety of our students, one of our highest priorities focuses on ensuring instruction is effective and maximizes our students’ potential.

A few months ago, I came across an article in a professional journal, Educational Leadership (March 2019), in which the idea of principals returning to the classroom was presented. I decided to take this idea to our Instructional Leadership Team. We discussed the importance of our instructional leaders staying connected, not only to our teachers, but also to the needs of our students. Let’s face it, the longer principals and other administrators are no longer in the role of delivering daily instruction, the more distant those important skills and knowledge can become.
  
We have a responsibility to stay informed of sound instructional practices, to model professional growth, and to ensure our teachers are following and utilizing the best instructional methods. Returning to the classroom to teach builds connections to our teachers and students, and reminds us of the challenges we face. The experience engages all of us and makes us better evaluators, better leaders, better teachers, and better learners.

I commend our students, teachers, support staff, and principals for their work. On a few occasions, our curriculum director and I have stepped back into the classroom with our principals for more than just the random visit or walk-through. Visiting the classrooms and engaging in lessons with our students is truly the most enjoyable, enlightening, and humbling experiences I can have.

I want to say thank you to our principals and teachers for working together for the benefit of our students.


Go Bulldogs!
Shawn Haughn
Superintendent