It's all about trial and error.  And error.  And error.  This past week felt like error overload.  Lots went wrong with a couple of things going terribly wrong.  Because of those notable flops, we've tightened up a behavior plan, improved communication with parents, created a better system of tracking our work, and made other positive adjustments.

At Venture, we are failing our way to becoming the most ideal system of education for at-risk students available in our area. For example, the mistakes we have made and continue to make with MTSS are essential to an evolving system that responds quickly to the needs students.  Work with project-based learning morphed into an approach that values student-centered learning with some projects - a place we would never have landed without the courage to risk failure by trying PBL. We could each cite numerous examples of missteps opening doors to better solutions.  It is much easier to trudge along in the ruts created by the previous century of education, than it is to implement better methods with the uneven skill of a novice.  Errors, failures, and missteps are hard on the ego, but remain a necessary precursor to skillful expertise.   The courage and willingness to manage all the icky feelings that attend failure is an essential ingredient to any success including successful learning.

Of course, you already know all of this.  Teachers know better than anyone that learning feels bad before it feels good.  You also know that we have to teach kids to embrace error and failure as the inescapable landmarks of learning.  What you might not know is how deeply appreciative I am, and that the community is for the courage you bring to the table every time you risk doing something poorly for the sake of doing it better.  You bring heart and courage to this game and you've lifted the Venture mission off the page and made it come alive in your work with students.  Thank you for the difference you make every day.

 This week, let's celebrate with our kids and with each other every little mistake because our future potential is hiding amongst those failures.

Collaboration February 6...We are changing things up a bit for collaboration this week.  In addition to our collaboration time around Phenomenal Teaching,  we will meet as a staff during department time to work on TBRI using a consultancy protocol.

Please bring these things to the collaboration:

• A lesson you've taught in the past two weeks.  This doesn't have to be a formal lesson plan, but one about which you can write out the specifics of each step of the lesson.
• A problem you're having with a student that might respond to a skillful trust-based relational intervention, but you're not sure how.

Bus/Parking lot duty: Eastman and Mahoney

Monday 2/6: Certified PD Day: Review Workshop, Thinking Strategies, TBRI

Tuesday  2/7: 

Wednesday 2/8: Pizza with the Principal - Gaynor's class

Thursday 2/9: Extended Learning

Friday 2/10: Wellness

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hook and Fehling

Monday 2/13:  Non Work day

Tuesday  2/14: 

Wednesday 2/15:

Thursday 2/16: Extended Learning

Friday 2/17: Flex day/no school

Bus/Parking lot duty: Cooley and Smith

Monday 2/20:  President's day: no school

Tuesday  2/21: 

Wednesday 2/22:

Thursday 2/23: Extended Learning

Friday 2/24: Wellness

Bus/Parking lot duty: Baker and Doering

Monday 2/27:  PD Day Agenda

Tuesday  2/28: 

Wednesday 3/1:

Thursday 3/2: Extended Learning

Friday 3/4: Wellness