>> Ready to answer?
>> These second graders in Columbia, South Carolina are
about to come face-to-face with a class
of second graders halfway around the globe in Jordan.
>> Good morning, South Carolina.
>> Good morning, good morning.
>> This teleconference is just part of the technology-rich,
twenty-first century curriculum mix at Forest Lake Elementary.
>> We want you to meet our Principal, Dr. Cannon.
>> Spearheaded by South Carolina's elementary principal
of the year, Kappy Cannon.
>> Good morning!
>> Good morning girls and boys.
>> I don't think there's a school in the world
where you have a regular classroom
where everyone is exactly the same.
Our school is a microcosm of the world so we work very hard
to make sure that we know where children are.
We don't take time to teach things that they already know.
We try to go where they are and take them as far as we can.
>> What are you working on?
>> Oh, I'm working on swamps.
>> If we all speak the same language, that we're all
on the same page, when children are getting the same messages
from all of us on what our expectations are,
we know that they are going to have much greater achievement.
>> Seventy-five percent of us got that right.
>> Our focus is on preparing children
for the twenty-first century.
We know that they have to have science technology, engineering,
and mathematics to be successful.
So we make sure that we do have a shared vision
and that shared vision is something that's always being
tweaked and changed a little bit here and there
as we find our way to making the best decisions
on behalf of students.
>> What's our challenge this time?
What are we researching?
Yes, sir?
>> Classroom community is something that's extremely
important and you can't build a classroom community the first
week of school or the first month of school.
It is an ongoing process.
>> Who can tell me what we can tell by the graphs?
>> It's also something developmentally
that the way it looks in kindergarten might be different
than the way it looks in fifth grade.
>> So that's what they're going to be the experts about
and they're going to present that to us.
>> But at the same time building that culture of excellence
and having the personalization with the students.
You know bottom line is this; you can have all the tools
and all the bells and whistles, all the technology,
but it's still is going to boil down to one thing:
the relationship between a teacher and the student.
>> Can you make someone else feel great this morning?
Who would you like to complement?
>> We have created our own walk-through form
which is an observation, it's not an evaluation.
And we call that our "failure is not an option" form.
And what we did was we tried to think of all the things
that we have worked on in the past few years.
Maybe we've gone to a workshop, it might be professional reading
that we have done,
conversations, staff development.
Collectively put it all together to make sure that we're doing
that we say that we're doing
and to stay focused and to stay on track.
>> And you like spending that time with him?
>> We also have times during the years where all
of the teachers will go in each other's classroom.
And again it's a nonthreatening type of process
and you can get just that one snapshot of going
in someone else's room and seeing how they have taken some
of the same information that you have been given
and they're using it in a different way.
>> You are the best Arabian knight I've ever seen.
>> Thank you.
>> You're just awesome, awesome.
>> Thank you.
>> If I were to advise anyone on how to get started
with training it would be to find those in your building
that have a natural interest in technology
and invest in those folks.
And you really have to be strategic with that
and it can't be a hit and miss.
>> Do you want to make sure that you include that?
>> Yes.
>> Okay, good.
>> You need to select teachers that are master teachers.
That doesn't mean veteran teacher.
It means that it's a teacher that is well-respected
by their peers and can ignite the fire, the excitement
with other teachers and then once it begins to grow,
you know, your job as a principal is
to provide what it is that they're asking
for because before you know it you have a school full
of instructional leaders.
>> First we place in a light.
Was this experiencing a day in the life of?
>> Anyone who does not hold a classroom teacher position
in this building including myself knows
that our number one job is to support the classroom teachers
in what they're doing.
>> Who can think of a question to go with our graph?
>> Teaching is one of the most challenging
and rewarding professions, and I think it's critical
that the administration understands that,
not just by saying it but truly understands
and respects what they're doing every day.
>> Great try.
Let's see.
Is there anyone who would like to help Juliana this morning?
>> For more information on what works
in public education go to edutopia.org