A Few Words From Mr. Tenopir
What are some areas of teaching and learning that you can lead in your building?
I find the description posted in the article for this point to be very interesting. The author contends that many principals got into their position because they are a nice person or a good manager. While this used to be the case, in our age of accountability it is crucial that teachers and parents can trust the principal to lead the instructional programs of the school. Acknowledging that I am including myself in this group--meaning, take this statement for what it’s worth--District 211’s principals are strong instructional leaders, and not just good managers. (But I still consider myself to be a nice person, too!)
This year, we are focused on three main areas that impact instruction: (1) Using the iPads to enhance the educational experience, (2) Focusing instruction and assessment on the Critical Learning Standards, and (3) Collaborating with colleagues in course-level Professional Learning Teams. Out of those three areas, I must admit that I am learning most of the new iPad skills along with the teachers. The other two areas have long been professional passions of mine. Through our professional development experiences, I have tried to make sure that our teaching practices incorporate the current research on motivation (remember my posts about grit and the growth mindset?) and how our teaching practices can influence motivation.
On Monday, I led an all-day workshop for our school’s professional development committee, comprised of teachers from every department and a couple of administrators. There, we planned out the remaining professional development sessions for this year. Included in our discussion were ways to get students more involved with the learning activities and assessing their own performance and progress. We also discussed ways to more effectively communicate the students’ progress and perfomance to the parents. It was a productive session, and it proved to be an important opportunity for some of my staff to see me in the role of instructional leader.
Upcoming Course Selection Process
As we approach the time when your student selects her courses for next year, I wanted to point out a few of the visual slides on the FHS main page. Out of the many great offerings we have for students, three of them involve an application process.
- Project Lead the Way is a national program with several STEM-related topics. At Fremd, our courses focus primarily on Engineering. Over the last few years, these courses have become wildly popular. Click here for their application survey.
- Our Education Internship course is open to juniors and seniors and provides opportunities for students to partner with teachers at FHS and other area schools. This class is a perennial favorite for students who are either thinking about education as a profession or who just like to work with people.
- New for next year is our Small Business Incubator class, where students get to learn how to turn a business idea into a successful endeavor. Seats are limited for this great opportunity. Think of this as the high school version of Shark Tank.
Highlights and Successes
- Congratulations to Coach Kristen Newby and the Boys Varsity Swim and Diving Team on winning 2nd at the Bronco Relays in the White Division. Event winners included : Dylan Assmann, Andrew Mueller, Alex Schillinger, Danny Konishi, Roshan Rajan, Kenny Benjamin, Nick Nevins, Austin Yurasek, Joey Carlisle and Joe Mayer.
- Congratulations to Coach Dan Ruettiger and the Fremd Wrestling Team on taking 4th place at the Prospect Tournament. Award winners include: Champions, Alex Jacobs and Zach Nemek; 3rd: Dom Gallo; 4th: Trevor Kristo; 5th: Cole Riemer, Grant Barwacz, and Dom Lorig and 6th: Aaron Cortez.
- Congratulations to the following Viking Pride winners: Aastha Agarwal, Megan Albert, Molly Aronson, Jorge Bermudez, Annie Bielinski, Kailey Brey, Melissa Byrd, Zoe Che, Kathryn Evenson, Prethika Ganesan, Christina Hynda, Kyle Ingram, Abby Iuorio, Megan King, Trenton Marean, Joe McTague, Tom Narey, Austin Pace, Karolina Sas, Magda Szozda,Yuming Tian, Daniel Tokarz, Vaishnavi Vembar, Amanda Vieceli, Ethan Violette, Hannah Watanabe, Mizuki Yamashita, and Monica Zawisza.
- Congratulations to Coach Shana Dinham and the Varsity Vikettes on placing 2nd at the Eisenhower Regional Contest in the Lyrical Category.
- Congratulations to the following Varsity debaters who won awards at the Libertyville Public Forum & Lincoln-Douglas Debate Tournament: Lincoln Douglas--Angie Peng (2nd place), Jessica Lu (3rd place). Public Forum: Matt Carlins & John Komoll (1st place), Josh Lee & Sresht Iyer (3rd Place). Speaker awards were also won by Angie Peng, Jessica Lu, Sindhu Battula, John Komoll, Sresht Iyer, Josh Lee , Matthew Carlins, William Wang, and Scott Lenz.
- Congratulations to Varsity debater Leonard Lee, who won a Best Presiding Officer award at the Rolling Meadows Congressional Debate Tournament.
- Congratulations to the following Varsity debaters who who awards at the Andrew High School Lincoln-Douglas & Public Forum Debate Tournament: Public Forum: Sresht Iyer & Eric Simon (3rd place). Speaker awards were also earned by Alice Zhang and Prerana Jayanth, Eric Simon, and Sresht Iyer.
- Congratulations to coach Elise Ference and the Girls Gymnastics Team on their first place finish at the Mid-Suburban triangular meet with a 147.55 at Palatine. Christine Radochonski took first with a 9.9.
- Congratulations to Coach David Yates and the Girls Basketball Team on their 48-29 win over ThunderRidge (Colorado) at the NIKE TOURNAMENT of CHAMPIONS in Phoenix Ariz. Haley Gorecki scored 25 pts.
Upcoming Home Activities and Varsity Events
December 19
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Orchesis Holiday Show
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December 22- Jan.2
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Winter Break
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January 8
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Incoming Freshman Parent/Student Night, 7:00 p.m.
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January 12
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Choral Exchange, Auditorium (periods 1,2,6,7)
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January 13-15
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Finals
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Staff Spotlight
Name: Eric Dolen
Position: Assistant Principal
Years at Fremd: 11th school year at Fremd
Life Before Fremd: Before arriving at Fremd, I:
· grew up in Tremont, IL.
· earned a BS in mathematics from Millikin University where I also played football.
· taught math and coached football and track at Peoria High School; Pekin Community High School and Hoffman Estates High School.
· served as an assistant principal at Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg High Schools
Hobbies/Interests:
I enjoy weight lifting/ fitness activities and attending/ watching sporting events. I am an avid St. Louis Cardinal Baseball fan
Insider Tip for Parents:
Teenagers often benefit more by simply being heard rather than hearing unsolicited advice.
Ask the Principal
Are you curious about something at Fremd but have never asked? Email me at ktenopir@d211.org. If your question is pertinent to a wider audience, I will include it in the next blog post.
I am truly saddened to read that one of the main areas of focus that impact instruction is "Using the iPads to enhance the educational experience". And quite honestly, I am appalled that it is listed first.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? iPads are the most important thing to enhance our students' education?
Even my high school student -- who at first loved the idea of getting an iPad -- now sees it as a distraction, both in and out of the classroom... too much focus on the technology (and the inherent 'technical difficulties') rather than on learning. Last year, my student was in the pilot program, and upon learning they'd get one again this year, dubbed it "a time-waster".
Don't get me wrong; I am not anti-technology, in fact, I've worked in high tech companies throughout my career. And this is precisely why I realize that technology when applied correctly can be very beneficial and can make our lives more efficient. But it is too often and too easily used as a panacea.
More real world feedback from my student... the technology as it is currently being used is getting in the way of learning. One example is that having to do homework online is time consuming, cumbersome, and aggravating because it takes so much time to input the answer so that it is accepted as correct.
Please, stop introducing technology in the classroom just because you can. Technology can be exceptionally powerful but it should be transparent. It should "just work" and it should make things easier for teachers, students, and administration alike.
bobD
parent of three past & present FHS students