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Challenges for a New School Year.

Friday, September 5th, 2008

The new school year began this week. This start was quiet as everyone fell into the routine that has been established over the last few years. While that sounds wonderful it is a little too uneventful for me. Each of the last three years brought changes and the challenges that went with them. It is […]

Leadership

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

During the last three years I have learned the value of using a variety of tools to engage students in learning not just content but also the 21st century skills.   Employers are looking for employees who have a different skill set then they did even ten years ago and schools need to prepare their students […]

NECC 2008

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

From June 29 until July 3 I was with more than 17,000 attendees at the NECC in San Antonio. This national conference is an exciting place to learn about teaching and learning in the 21st century.
As I sat through various workshops in addition to the keynote speakers I met people from all over the […]

STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

The news media continues to bring attention to the lack of interest in the hard sciences in today’s American youth.  The media also brings attention to the high interest levels in hard sciences and engineering amongst the youth in Asia.  Schools throughout the United States are responding to this situation in a variety of ways.
Minnesota […]

Defining Great.

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

This past weekend I spent time with people who are from the Greatest Generation and I listened to them complain that nothing is made in the Great United States of America anymore. They went on to say that maybe our country is not so great anymore. This made me reflect on a few things.

First, is […]

Tools for teaching and learning.

Monday, December 3rd, 2007

The other day I gave a tour to a family that is exploring schools for their son who will start kindergarten in the fall. As I gave the tour, I pointed out the ways St. Raphael’s staff works with students to help them grow and develop their academic abilities. We witnessed both small […]

Middle School Program

Friday, October 12th, 2007

As a member of the National Middle School Association, St. Raphael receives the monthly professional journal, Middle Ground. In The Family Connection part of the the October issue one topic covered was what is the best grade configuration for young adolescent students. The article has been inserted below.
2007 • Volume 12 […]

Why the title “Chief Learner”?

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

Some of my staff members and students have noticed my newly chosen title. I have not explained it to them but thought this is the proper place for them to hear the answer.
As an educator I learned very early in my career that the principal does affect a school’s climate and student achievement. I have […]

Summer Learning

Saturday, June 30th, 2007

In June, Mrs. Sjogren, Mrs. Juetten and I went to the National Educational Computing Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This was a wonderful experience for us.
The conference was attended by educators from around the world. I met principals from many different states and countries including Australia.
Two of the most interesting people we talked to […]