Let It Go!

From Jan

I was visiting a kindergarten classroom last spring when the teacher came up to me with a little one who really wanted to sing a song for me.  This cute little girl stepped forward with her karaoke microphone and confidently and powerfully sang every word of “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen.

Idina Menzel in the making....

My first thought was, “Out of the mouths of babes!”  How many times do we hold on tight to something when we should “let it go”?  It is part of human nature to cling to what we know, to what is familiar.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools has committed to a very different path.  The School Board set a vision several years ago that makes clear a commitment to a vision for what we want students to experience in our classrooms.  In order to have HSE²¹ classrooms we are going to have to let go of practices that no longer fit. 

As educators it is imperative that we model:

• An openness to a new way of doing things
• Deeper conversations about why we do what we do
• A willingness to look at the worthiness of the work we are asking students to do every minute of every day.  
• A commitment to one another to engage in pedagogical conversations that will take us to new places as educators
• A willingness to experience cognitive dissonance—real change leads to a sense of disequilibrium and dissonance
• A willingness to be a risk-taker

When I was in college (far away from home and homesick) I was in the bookstore and saw a poster that said, “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

It’s time, HSE family, to “let it go!”  Let go of those things that keep us mired in practices that do not lead to engaged students involved in authentic and rigorous work.  Let go of the shoreline that keeps us from discovering new oceans. 

 Thanks for your commitment to move this district forward in the transformation to HSE²¹ instructional practices and rich learning environments for our students!

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education

Respond to Jan at jcombs@hse.k12.in.us