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In the East Troy Community School District, our concern is not about engaging students in school, but rather empowering and engaging them in learning. We recognize that learning is not the same for each child, and children have different readiness levels in various disciplines, different interests and passions and different backgrounds. This is what makes our children and adults so unique — we are all different.
That said, our district continues to work toward 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 impacts technology, assessments, student grading, activities, homework, school structures, budgets, human resources, communications and our belief systems. These are the areas within our system we must continue to reshape and transform 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 each and every child. As A.J. Juliani and John Spencer 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 make this happen, we must focus on ensuring that learning growth occurs for all children. We do this by creating personalized learning environments that keep the student at the center of the learning process. We must continue to provide core content (learning targets at each grade level and within each discipline), but also infuse more student voice into the representation of these targets. This leads to greater opportunities for creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication, especially when it comes to when and how students represent their learning. This is more than academic achievement — it’s about intrinsic motivation, creating learning environments that promote self-worth, confidence, motivation, engagement and purpose.
As our district continues to move forward for the betterment of our students, schools and community, we must recognize the competitive nature of education by providing more opportunities and choices to families in East Troy and beyond. We must ask, as all educational institutions do: “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 question.
I am confident answering this question because we understand that our system should fit the student — and not the other way around. That said, I recognize we have much work to do toward offering personalized learning environments that truly keep the child at the center of the learning process and authentically maintains an emphasis on one constant: learning.
I am extremely proud of the work of the East Troy Community School District and all of the employees throughout our schools. 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.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher G. Hibner, District Administrator
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