Dear Parents, I thought it might be a good idea to write to you about the life of a teacher at Moharimet - from the principal's perspective. First, and foremost, from where I watch, interact, and participate the teachers here are a group of individuals working together in order to be collectively and individually the best that they can be as educators for the children we all serve here. They work very hard to stay current with the latest research and to connect with students, parents and each other in ways that benefit the children. In days past, teacher preparation for the instruction of the day meant following a text and a schedule. In today's world it means communicating with the variety of resources which enrich their ability to serve the individual needs of children. Collaboration with other adults is a major part of a teacher's responsibility, and it is time consuming. The teachers here are very different from one another. Their work day is structured based on their individual time clocks. Some arrive at 7:00 a.m. to prepare for their day; others remain at Moharimet until 5:00-6:00 p.m. Those of us who provide the support to teachers do so by attempting to accommodate as much as possible to the varied needs of the classroom teachers. Staff meetings occur twice a month and include dealing with educational issues ranging from standardized testing, to the math curriculum, to the need to provide information to parents. A significant number of Moharimet teachers involve themselves in the UNH intern program which has existed in the school since 1991. This provides a wonderful connection to the University for our children and for the school. It provides us with the opportunity to connect with the next generation of teachers and exposes us to what is being taught at the University. Children in the school benefit from this connection every year. Everything that contributes to keeping teachers connected in our community is valuable in the overall education of our children. Teachers support one another by insisting on a violence free environment where all staff participate in supporting the effort made every day to see that children understand that respect, non-violence, and civility will always be at the heart of the way we work here. Maintaining high academic standards and examining the methodology used with students is at the center of what teachers talk about with each other. Moharimet is a very active, educational community and teachers make an effort to be part of everything from the Education Committee to the yearly winter carnival. Parent communication is a part of education today that we sometimes take for granted. In the good old days parents were to be called upon only when the educators wanted them and then only to be informed by authority. Today teachers must and should listen, as much as tell and learn from parents, in order to better teach. Teachers at Moharimet spend on the average 52.5 hours preparing progress reports at mid-year to communicate the assessment of each individual's performance relative to the district curriculum. The narrative report was developed in collaboration with parents and in 1994 was given approval by 90% of our parents. I think that the most interesting part of a teacher's life is the complexity of being on the front lines of a profession which is consistently being evaluated at every turn. Individual parents, community, school administration, the national media, etc. produce an avalanche of issues, from social to specific teaching methodology. They creep, and indeed sometimes gallop, into the daily lives of our teachers. They manage to listen and find individual answers to complex questions performing their daily toil, with energy, expertise, and many times, grace. They provide a daily organized and often exciting learning environment given all that I have written above. My reason for this letter is to share some of what I see in the daily life of Moharimet teachers. It is an exciting and varied world. The teaching profession is a far more healthy profession than when I entered it in 1967. Today, with all of the stresses, it is a much healthier one for children and adults. It is a profession filled with the future and has its share of the knowledge of how to make schooling excellent. Sincerely, Dennis J. Harrington Principal
...the most interesting part of a teacher's life is the complexity of being on the front lines of a profession which is consistently being evaluated at every turn.
MOH News Staff Kathi DiSesa 868-5320 Jean Marquis 659-2054 Lorraine Murphy 868-1809 Claire Powell 868-1545 Kim Cohen

Last update on 29-Mar-99 at 10:36 PM.

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