I thought the discussion of what is to be said when being called for a reference was very good. I thought the case study was interesting in that the person who quit had people calling to see what kind of reference was being given by the principal. I remember Dr. DeSpain recommending if you have nothing good to say, make the following statement “I have no reference to or for this individual”. And I thought the books response for the question “Would you hire this person back” and the response is “We take all of our candidates seriously”. It’s a very good response that gets you off the hook. I also enjoyed the group work, with the IIRC. There is lots of information there to try and digest. And next weekend should be interesting to see who will be the 6 big winners to go on the island. Remember to vote for Bill!

The article on the Top Notch Teacher makes some good points. The authors make the statement that scores rise when a high-quality teacher comes on board. What does high-quality mean? We know teachers who are experts in the content area, but can not relate the material to the students. I think you have to have someone who is “excited” about whatever they are teaching. That comes across to the students, and then you have a chance for them to pay attention and hope they learn something.
If a beginning teacher comes in and wants to learn the “craft” from other teachers, they will be able to pick up ideas. But they have to want to learn. Mentoring can only go so far.