Week 13: The Tools to be Perfect

Happy Friday!

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to supporting our students and each other this week. We have made significant strides, and it is inspiring to see your commitment reflected in everything from classroom engagement to our district’s performance targets. Your efforts contribute directly to our mission of ensuring that our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. Each week brings us closer to our goals, and today I want to reflect on the importance of using the tools at our disposal to achieve excellence together.

Tools to be Perfect

When I was a teenager, I worked several jobs, each involving tractors and farm equipment. One summer, I found myself working on my uncle’s farm, where he and his brothers grew row crops—corn, wheat, and milo, to name a few. One afternoon, my uncle tasked me with planting milo on a 50-acre plot. He handed me the keys to a tractor equipped with a seed drill and explained how to put the seeds into neat rows across the field. I listened and felt confident, ready to show my family what I could accomplish.

As I climbed up onto the tractor, I noticed a metal bar attached to the far end of the drill. It had a small disc that would make a mark in the soil—a guide to keep my rows straight. It was called a row marker. But, as a teenager with a bit of overconfidence and lots of experience with farm equipment, I decided to skip this step. "I do not need that,” I thought. "I can eyeball it just fine."

So I went back and forth across that field, the smell of diesel exhaust and tilled earth filling the air, as I focused on getting the job done quickly. At the moment, I felt certain I had done well, keeping my rows reasonably straight. But then, a week later, the milo sprouted, and the reality of my shortcut became painfully clear. The rows were not straight at all. They were crooked and overlapping, a clear sign to everyone that I had not used the tool meant to guide me. What could have been neat, even rows of green shoots turned into a messy, tangled embarrassment.

Looking back, I realize how easy it would have been to follow that guiding line—a simple tool meant to ensure the job was done well. But I did not see its value until it was too late. That small bar with the disc was there for a reason, a tool to help me succeed, yet I had not used it.

Our Teaching & Learning Tools

Reflecting on that experience, I am reminded of how often we find ourselves surrounded by tools and resources that could guide us if only we chose to use them. Just like that guiding bar on the seed drill, many of the tools we provide at Mena Public Schools are here to support you, to help ensure your work has the impact and precision you aim for. Yet sometimes, in the day-to-day rush, it is easy to overlook them, feel we do not need them, or think that there is not enough time to learn them. Of course, we will never achieve perfection in anything we do, and it is unrealistic to think we will. However, it is essential to keep striving for it, knowing that each step toward that ideal, that vision, helps us grow and achieve our best.

One tool I would like to spotlight this week is the ATLAS classroom tool. This tool is designed specifically for creating Common Formative Assessments (CFA) in subject areas with more than one teacher and for designing assessments based on standards, written at various depths of knowledge. Utilizing the ATLAS classroom tool not only aids in consistent assessment creation but also allows students to grow more familiar with the same system and structure they will encounter in state assessments.

Why Use the ATLAS Classroom Tool?

Studies have shown that familiarity with test format and structure can improve student performance. Research in educational assessment reveals that when students repeatedly interact with a particular assessment platform or structure, they experience reduced test anxiety, greater cognitive focus, and improved time management. These factors directly contribute to higher achievement scores. By using the ATLAS classroom tool, you are equipping your students not only with knowledge but also with the comfort and confidence of a familiar test format, giving them an advantage when it is time for state assessments.

As we move forward, I encourage each of you to take a moment and consider if you are fully utilizing the tools available to you. Whether it is the adopted curriculum, technology, collaborative planning, classroom strategies, or resources for student engagement, these tools are in place to help us be our best, to create the 'perfect' learning environment we aspire to for our students. Let us take full advantage of these resources to ensure we are not simply working hard, but working effectively with the tools at our disposal. We will provide whatever support you need to make that happen.

Power of Essential Questions

Another powerful tool available to us is the use of Essential Questions to guide instruction. Essential Questions are open-ended, thought-provoking prompts that encourage students to explore big ideas and connect them to real-world contexts. By framing lessons around Essential Questions, teachers provide students with a clear focus, helping them understand not only what they are learning, but why it matters. This approach allows students to delve into the underlying themes and connections within the curriculum, promoting critical thinking and deeper engagement.

To further strengthen instruction, our emphasis on referring to clear learning targets and thoroughly knowing our standards is crucial. When teachers understand the standards deeply and communicate learning targets clearly to students, each lesson becomes more focused and purposeful. As students see the connection between daily targets and larger goals, they gain a clearer sense of progress and relevance in their learning.

In today’s classroom, AI tools like ChatGPT can be valuable resources to enhance this process. For example, teachers can easily plug in a specific standard and ask for a grade-appropriate Essential Question that aligns with both the standard and learning target. This approach can make the learning objectives more accessible, engaging, and relevant to students’ lives. AI can help generate new ideas for framing standards-based content, providing teachers with fresh ways to introduce complex concepts and deepen student understanding.

In the end, using Essential Questions and emphasizing clear learning targets is not just about covering material; it is about cultivating a classroom environment where students actively seek knowledge and are inspired to think beyond the surface level.

Closing

Yesterday, Mena's talented athletes competed in the Arkansas State Cross Country Championships at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, showcasing their hard work, dedication, and Bearcat spirit. We are proud of each competitor representing Mena on this big stage. Please go to this link for results.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of our teachers and students who are dedicating time to visit and engage with the elderly residents at The Cottages retirement home. These visits bring warmth, joy, and lively energy to the residents, who look forward to the bright smiles and genuine connections shared with our young Bearcats. In turn, the students gain invaluable life lessons from these residents, whose wisdom and stories offer rich insights into resilience, kindness, and the importance of cherishing every moment. This exchange of joy and knowledge truly strengthens our community and deepens our understanding across generations.

Tonight, our Bearcats face off against the Dardanelle Sand Lizards on their home turf for the 4-4A Conference Championship. With a win, we secure a perfect 10-0 regular season and a bye in the first round of the playoffs! Adding to the excitement, we are proud to announce that our own Jair Hernandez has been recognized as the All-Arkansas Prep Player of the Week for his game against Clinton last Friday. Make the trip and rally together, cheer on our team, and bring home the championship. Go Bearcats!

Important November Dates

November is National Career Development Month

November is National Scholarship Month

November is American Indian & Native American Month

November 3: Daylight Savings Time Ends

November 8: National STEM and STEAM Day

November 11: Veterans Day

November 11-15: National School Psychology Week

November 17-21: American Education Week

November 20: Education Support Professionals Day

November 21: National Parent Involvement Day

November 22: Substitute Educators Day

It was a good week for us at Mena Public Schools!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Keep the #menareads posts coming and have a nice weekend!