For my Comments for Teachers assignment, I was assign to an Elementary School principal by the name of Erin Paynter. Paynter has a blog called ErHead. In one particular blog post entitled "Lasting Legacy of "The Red Group,"" she makes an interesting perspective about students being accustom to one particular group. In her blog post, she explains her visit to the doctor with her son. A little girl in the waiting area spotted a display of colorful pencils. The little girl asked one of the ladies at the front desk if she may have one. The woman gives the girl and her brother the okay to get a Back to School pencil. The children eagerly looked through the pencils and there the girl spotted a red pencil. She was so excited about the pencil. One of the ladies at the desk ask her if red was her favorite color. The girl looked and simply says No, that she was apart of the RED group.Paynter made it clear that she didn't know exactly what the red group was; it could have been the advance group or her reading group or even the group for kids who don't learn as fast. However, the point is even though groups are a great way to incorporate collaborative learning,it is also a problem in a sense.
The little girl basically identified herself to the group which her teacher assigned her. I'm personally all for group activities and learning amongst my peers; but at some point the teacher does have to allow students to work with people who they are unfamiliar with in the class. As educators, we don't want to create just a red group or a blue group. Students should have the freedom to move freely with their learning. I totally agree with Erin Paynter's perspective. I personally would never have view her point the way she present it. In my comment, I thanked Paynter for sharing such a great perspective. In her response, she thanked me for commenting and was honoured to be apart of my learning process.
In Paynter's blog post, she explains that she is apart of an online mentoring project called School Admin Virtual Mentor Program, SAVMP. As part of the group discuss, each person was invited to write a letter about their vision for their school. She continues to explain herself by giving a brief summary on what her year has been like and she also shared a copy of her letter to the school's blog.
In the letter Paynter introduce herself to her new school. Erin gives a brief summary of her family history and her home life. She stated that before she became a principal she was a vice principal and a homeroom teacher for another school. Paynter expressed how excited she was to become apart of the Dunlop Elementary family. In addition, Paynter explains through the letter to her staff and parents that she wants her team of teachers foundation to be built off of the six C's. The six C's consist of: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Character, and most importantly Community. Their goal at Dunlop is to " prepare students to participate fully, even transform, our global word." She explains how the six C's will actually help them reach their goal of knowing "21st century skills."
In my comment, I explain that communication is key. I also told her how I admire her passion for education and I like her idea of building her school off the six C's. In closing my comment I wish her the best for the school year.
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