Southwest Secret Ingredient -- You!

Much is being said about public education from political campaign trails to local blogs and our own Star Tribune.  Longer years, longer days, more technology, less technology, better teachers, newer teachers, small schools, home school, and the list goes on.  Not one of these has any support from any research in the last 40 years.

A strong, meaningful curriculum, solid instructional delivery and willing students are the factors necessary for a good school.  Lots of people and sales folks want to put labels and names to these factors but the essence of these three are what we need to stress to improve teaching and more importantly learning.  What do we need to teach, how and who is learning.  Without straying from the point, add assessment (how do we know) and you have focused instruction.

I believe there is a secret ingredient at Southwest.  The ingredient is expectation.  I know there was not a shock and burst of surprise. Without a doubt Southwest over the years has been fortunate to secure and maintain a solid curriculum, foster and support great instructional staff and motivated and encouraged students.  But the real reason for success as been all of that mixed with a heavy dose of expectation.

Our community continues to send students to Southwest with the expectation of a quality education.  Our staff expects and demands of themselves and each other well-planned and meaningful daily lessons.  Our staff expects students to come with a wide variety of academic abilities, some unwillingness and needing reason and motivation.  Our staff and students expect to provide and receive support.  Our students arrive with their own expectations mixed with teen age rebellion, typical youth vigor and energy and fear of not knowing who and why they are.

It is up to us - the staff, students and community to maintain the expectations.  Once we assume this one or this group is lost or helpless, what we have been over the years is gone.  If we mistake the behaviors and appearances of being young as some intellectual sign of defeat we have forgotten our our development and certainly our professional calling.  The late to class, the sagging pants, the head down and hood up, the noise and laziness are outward signs of inward confusion.  If we expect that behavior they will more than oblige.  Yes, as long as there are teens there will be adults struggling with them.  It is a daily struggle.

We cannot control the nature of the wonderful students who enter our doors.  Public education, in fact, encourages all to enter.  Let us control what we can- the curriculum, the instruction and the expectation. Let's continue to strive to encourage and to motivate students to be the willing academic learners.

Let's encourage our students,familis and community members to work with us in building an improved tomorrow.

Thank you
Bill Smith
Principal Southwest High School