November 6, 2020

Watch this! It is pretty awesome!! 

Dear Perfectionist Teacher, Your Small Win Is a Big Win in 2020

by Julie Mason

I have been thinking about perfection and teaching a lot lately. So many teachers are sharing on social media that they don’t feel like they are doing enough or they aren’t good enough. It’s heartbreaking to see the lengths that teachers are going to do better and be better, especially this year. Perfectionist teacher, I see you. I tried to be a perfect teacher. It was impossible and made it very hard. While there is no quick fix, there are a few things we can do to be kinder to ourselves. Here are the lessons my teacher friends have taught me along the way. 

• Your small win is a big win-  If you are a perfectionist you are really hard on yourself, and it’s difficult to turn off your negative self-talk. Learn to be kinder to yourself. It’s not easy to change your chatter, but if you’re looking for a place to begin, start noticing your small wins.

• There’s no perfect 10 in teaching 

• The glow instead of the grow-  I started asking them to share a glow and a grow from the week. What did they feel went well? What did we need to work on?

• You’re not good at everything, but you’re good at a lot 

• Your productivity doesn’t make you a good teacher- I know. Bear with me here. Working hard is something to be proud of. But working hard isn’t what makes you a good teacher. Taking the time to ask a student how they are doing and really listening to their answer makes you a good teacher. Recognizing that your students are frustrated, and pausing your lesson to take a break makes you a good teacher. Realizing that you are exhausted and hungry, and not finishing your grading so you can make something to eat and get some sleep makes you a good teacher.

Celebrate these small moments, and see them for what they are: big wins. You are showing up every day despite the uncertainty, anxiety, and impossibility of pandemic teaching. Celebrate that for what is: a big win.

District Writing Assessment (POSTPONED)

FSUSD writing assessment is postponed for this year while in distance learning. Once a plan is

finalized to make improvements to the DWA, information will be shared.

Teachers please support our school fundraiser https://www.valleyofthemoonfundraising.com/

Congratulations to Fern for our site teacher of the year! Your hard work and dedication to our students is impressive. 

Board Policy Information - please read

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District maintains Board Policies and Administrative

ions that provide guidance to the operations of the district based on current State and

Federal law.  Over the next few months, this document will highlight one or

two policies that are required to be shared annually with FSUSD staff. 

BP 4119.21 Professional Standards BP 4212.3/4312.3 Oath or Affirmation

The Governing Board expects district employees to maintain the highest ethical standards, behave professionally, follow district policies and regulations, abide by state and federal laws, and exercise good judgment when interacting with students and other members of the school community.  BP 4119.21 - Professional Standards - outlines these expectations. BP 4212.3 and 4312.3 reflect the Government Code requirements that public employees are disaster service workers.

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you for working hard EVERY single day!!

Play: Thank you for dressing up during our spirit days.

Choose your attitude: Your attitude can decide how you will feel for the rest of the day- EVERY DAY!!

Make Their Day:   Make at least one positive phone home this week.