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In the East Troy Community School District, we aim to empower and engage students in their learning. We know that learning can look different depending on the needs and interests of each individual, and that our students come to us with varying readiness levels, passions and backgrounds.
That said, we continue to create learning environments that recognize these differences and the process of learning. This focus affects everything we do, spanning the areas of leadership, teaching practices, curriculum, programming, professional development and facilities. It also influences technology, assessments, student grading, activities, homework, school structures, budgets, human resources, communications and our belief systems. These are the areas we must keep reshaping and transforming to enhance the natural curiosity and imagination of all students as they explore their interests and prepare themselves for college and careers.
Learning is and should be the only constant for our students. This is much broader than one source of information and should reflect our value placed on the learner, the learning process, all disciplines and student achievement. We must assess what we value. We are not about sorting and selecting talent, nor are we about conformity and compliance. Rather, we are about learning, developing talent and improving upon the mentality of “not yet.” As A.J. Juliani and John Spence state within their book, Empower: “Our job is not to prepare students for something. Our job is to help students prepare themselves for anything.”
To that end, we must focus on ensuring that learning growth occurs for all children. We do this by creating personalized environments that keep the student at the center of the learning process. We provide content that is strongly aligned to learning targets at each grade level and within each discipline. In addition, we infuse more student voice and student self-reflection, while supporting our students toward becoming assessment-capable learners. This leads to greater opportunities for creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication—especially related to when and how students represent their own learning.
This is about more than academic achievement—it’s about intrinsic motivation, confidence, motivation, engagement, purpose and creating learning environments that promote self-worth. We want to continue to remain focused on the learner, the learning process and achievement.
As our district forges ahead for the betterment of our students, staff, schools and community, we must recognize the competitive nature of education by providing a high-quality, authentic learning environment in East Troy and beyond. We must ask: “Why should students go here?” As the choices of education expand through open enrollment, part-time open enrollment, the Early College Credit Program, Start College Now, virtual learning and more, school districts and communities must address this key question.
I am confident answering this question because we understand that our system should fit the student—not the other way around. We must continue to do what is best for children, ensuring our educators have what they need to do the best job possible. To serve our students, we must also serve the people who work with them.
I recognize that we have much work to do. But I am also extremely proud of the work of the East Troy Community School District and all of our wonderful staff members. As Walter Elias Disney once stated: “Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” Let’s continue to DREAM BIG!
Thank you for your ongoing support of our students and schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher G. Hibner
District Administrator
Updated 9/26/19
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