The lessons I found most valuable were the ones I learned from hearing Johnny Briseno and Timothy Chargois.

Johnny Briseno taught me that Data is extremely important, but numbers don’t tell everything about the kids.  Numbers don’t tell you about children’s home life.  They are not numbers but people.  Data has become a real focus on our campus.  We look at numbers from pre-assessments, post-assessments, and summative assessments.  We look at the low and the high, the average, and the percent of proficient students.  Sometimes I wonder if teachers, myself included, have bought into the process of collecting and analyzing data to improve instruction so much that they have forgotten about the individual child-the relationship that improves instruction.

Timothy Chargois talked about teachers and how they should never stop learning.  Whether you attend meaningful staff development sessions and conferences, pursue another degree, read professional books, or conduct an Action Research project, teachers have to continue learning.  I heard someone say once that once a teacher stops learning, he stops teaching.  We are educators who promote learning.  We have to be lifetime learners as well.