By Dr. Suzanne Koty

​This week CERRA had the honor of hosting the final gathering of the 2021-22 SC Teacher Forum. The forum is made up of a Teacher of the Year from every district. The purpose of this meeting was to plan for the upcoming year as many of them will lead their own district forums. Teacher forums help grow teacher leaders so that they can better serve the profession, their organization, and ultimately their students. 


The members were treated to a special surprise as this meeting came to a close. Ken Reynolds, the Director of Corporate and Community Affairs of Bojangles' Restaurants, Inc. brought his team to distribute Bo boxes filled with books. Each box contained books specifically selected for the teachers based on the grade and subject that they teach. Additionally, each book is dedicated to the teacher in recognition of having been named the district's Teacher of the Year. 

It has been our honor to work with this cohort of teacher leaders, and we wish them well on their future endeavors.

The District Teachers of the Year came together for a final meeting of the 2020-21 South Carolina Teacher Forum. This was the first meeting in which they were able to gather in person. They met at Spring Hill High School which has been home for Sarah Gams, 2021 SC Teacher of the Year. The purpose of the meeting was to learn more about how to lead their district's teacher forum. 

The first part of the day was spent engaging in strategic conversations. They first met with a group to discuss what has worked well in each of the district's forums. The next step was to meet with people whose forums resemble their own. They used the time to plan and talk through existing challenges. Finally, they moved into a silent graffiti activity in which they identified what works, what their next steps are, and what conversations they need to engage in before moving forward. 

The Teachers of the Year had a working lunch as they listened to presentations and a legislative update from both the Palmetto State Teachers' Association (PSTA) and the South Carolina Education Association (SCEA). After lunch they participated in an activity where they had to decide to what degree they either agreed with or disagreed with various statements about teacher forums. They were asked to articulate their thinking. 

The day ended with a surprise visit from Ken Reynolds, the Director of Corporate & Community Affairs of Bojangles Restaurants. Bojangles surprised each of the teachers with a Bo Box filled with books that were selected for them based on the grade level and subject they teach. Each book is dedicated to the individual teacher. The books are intended for use with students in classroom libraries or school media centers. 

The teachers learned more about what a forum is and what its purpose is. They also set goals for their own forums by beginning to construct vision boards. Two breakout sessions were offered. Each participant was able to request their sessions in advance. Options included Engaging Forum Members, Starting a Forum, Leading a Forum, Stories from Forums, Virtual Teacher Forums. 

Everyone at CERRA extends their appreciation to Chanda Jefferson for her leadership this year and to the 2020 South Carolina Honor Roll Teachers who have been there to support the District Teachers of the Year in each step of their journey. Thank you to Sue Weems, Shelley Smith, Tamara Cox, and Stephanie Haecherl for your willingness to serve and lead.

CERRA congratulates Chanda Jefferson, the 2020 SC Teacher of the Year, on being named an Albert Einstein Educator Fellow. Fifteen K-12 STEM teachers from across the United States will spend 11 months serving in a Federal agency, or U.S. Congressional offices in Washington, D.C., engaged in the national STEM education arena. The Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 STEM educators to apply their extensive classroom knowledge and experiences to their host offices to inform Federal STEM education efforts. ​

Before leaving, Chanda Jefferson asked each person to write down a word of hope and reassurance. They put the word inside a box that they tied closed. She asked them to take that word out when they needed something to motivate them. 

Bojangles' Ken Reynolds surprised each District Teacher of the Year with a Bo box of books that were chosen specifically for their grade level and content area. Each book includes a dedication so that the students will always know that the book is there because of their dedication and accomplishment in the teaching profession. 

CERRA is hosting a book study for teacher leaders. Join us for a shared discussion of Simon Sinek's book, The Infinite Game. Sinek shares a framework for individuals to build and sustain strong, innovative organizations.

Four online discussions will be held between January 23rd and April 16th.  You can post your response at any time on the designated days and then participate in ongoing discussions about the topic. 

Registration will be open until January 21, 2020.  Come join us as we explore
                             this newly released book.  

BY TODD SCHOLL

2020 SC Teacher of the Year, Chanda Jefferson, participated in the NHGRI 2019 Short Course in Genomics this summer. The course is designed to update educators on genome science, the ongoing efforts to elucidate the genomic bases of health and disease, and the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic advances. Applying to participate in the Short Course in Genomics is extremely competitive. Only 30 faculty members were accepted from across the country for this year’s course.


Dr. Eric Green, Director of the National Human Genome Research (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health, stated, "We are thankful to Ms. Jefferson for her recommendations on how to meet the current genomic literacy challenges, and how to better integrate genomics curriculum into classrooms. NHGRI intends to continue this new relationship with Ms. Jefferson to assist in the further development and utilization of educational resources. We applaud the efforts of both Ms. Jefferson and Fairfield Central High School to develop increased expertise in this key area. Working in partnership, I am hopeful that we can support and retain students with an interest in STEM careers and help achieve their dreams of being part of the scientific workforce of tomorrow."

Ms. Jefferson is currently serving a one-year residency at CERRA.

BY TODD SCHOLL

Molly Spearman, the South Carolina Superintendent of Education, announced the five finalists for 2020 South Carolina Teacher of the Year this week. They are: Tamara Cox from Anderson One, Stephanie Haecherl from Charleston, Chanda Jefferson from Fairfield, Shelley Smith from Greenville, and Sue Weems from Richland Two.

The five Honor Roll Teachers were selected from dozens of District Teachers of the Year and will each receive $10,000. Interviews in front of a panel of judges will take place to help determine who will be named 2020 SC Teacher of the Year. That announcement will take place on Wednesday, May 8 at the South Carolina Teacher of the Year Gala.

The winner will receive a total of $25,000 and a BMW to drive around the state as they serve a one-year residency at the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA). In this role, they will serve as an ambassador for the teaching profession and lead the state's Teacher Forum.

The 2020 winner follows the 2019 SC Teacher of the Year, Jeff Maxey, from Anderson Three.

Click here for more information on South Carolina's Teacher of the Year Program.

BY SUZANNE KOTY

​We are delighted to bring you the second issue of the 2018-19 South Carolina Teacher Leadership newsletter.  Our goal is to provide a collaborative resource that highlights state and district level teacher leadership activities, outlines issues related to South Carolina education, and sparks ideas among Teacher Forums.

A leader is “anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential”
 
--BrenéBrown

Book Club Schedule
Jan. 14th Goodreads
        Introduction, Ch. 1
Feb. 4th  Goodreads
        Part 1, Sections 2 & 3
Feb. 25th  Twitter chat
        Part 1, Sections 4 & 5
Mar. 14th  Goodreads
        Part 2
Apr. 2nd  Twitter chat
        Part 3
Apr. 29th  Goodreads
​        Part 4

​Aiken Teacher Forum recently held their third annual Brunch with the Board at the Wilcox Inn.  They were able to build relationships and enjoy a delicious brunch at the same time. The baskets were all donated items by Teacher Forum and raffled off at the event. 

​The teacher forum in York School District One raised $3,440 to provided three $1,000 scholarships (and 1 $500 scholarship) to teacher cadets in the district.  The primary goal of the Teacher Cadet Program is to encourage academically talented, high-achieving, high school students with exemplary interpersonal and leadership skills to consider teaching as a career. An important secondary goal of the Program is to develop future community leaders who will become civic advocates for public education.

​The SC Public Charter School District held its first Teacher Forum meeting this month.  The Forum members identified their purpose, established working goals, and set dates for future meetings.  Teachers in this district are spread out across the state, but they committed to collaboration and professional development because it benefits them as teachers and teacher leaders, their organization, and the students.

The Campus Directors at the Teaching Fellows Institutions are always looking for outstanding educators who are willing to share their expertise and passion with these future teacher leaders. The Teaching Fellows meetings/professional development sessions are set up to include formal presentations in front of a larger group as well as informal discussions with small groups. If you are willing to present or have a conversation with the Teaching Fellows, please visit
 https://cerra.wufoo.com/forms/sdcyxw70lt7mi3/.

Teach to Lead works to support teachers as valued experts in instruction and schooling to lead the kinds of changes their students and colleagues need to be successful. Summits provide teachers with time to collaborate, as well as skills and professional consultation, to incubate innovative ideas that can make a positive impact for students in their schools, communities, districts and states. Powered by Teach to Lead Summits expand the accessibility of Teach to Lead by enabling organizations to build on the Teach to Lead model while providing the flexibility to meet local needs. Richland 2 will be hosting their first ever Powered by Teach to Lead Summit on June 18-19, 2019, and they need your help to deliver a premier experience for teacher teams as they work to develop ideas for improving educational outcomes for all students.
 
For this Summit Richland 2 anticipates inviting approximately 25 teams of up to 5 members. Invited teams will have submitted ideas for school improvement which are peer reviewed by other educators. Participating teams will be comprised of certified educators in Richland 2. Ideas developed at the Summit will address a range of school improvement strategies, but must leverage teacher leadership as a strategy. Ideas focus on change at any level - the school, district, or state - and can be functioning at any stage of development - an emerging idea; something currently being developed; or a successful strategy that is ripe for improvement or expansion.
 
To serve as a Critical Friend at the Richland 2 Summit, the individual must agree to:

        *   Participate in an orientation webinar prior to the summit and a brief conference
           call or meeting with their assigned team to begin getting to know the project.
        *  Attend the entire Summit: Tuesday, June 18, 2019- approximately 8:00 a.m. to
           5:30 p.m.  Wednesday, June 19, 2019- 8:00.a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
        *  Stay in touch with their team post-Summit to offer ongoing, encouragement,
           advice, and support.
         * Cover own travel and hotel costs, if required.
 
If you are interested in serving as a Critical Friend for the Richland 2 Teach to Lead Summit or know someone else you think would be great in this role, please complete this quick form so that the Powered by Teach to Lead Summit coordinators can learn a bit more about you or your nominee and make a successful team match.
 
Questions? Please email Patrick Kelly at pkelly@richland2.org. Thank you!

​The State Department of Education is celebrating this February as National Career and Technical Education Month. 
 
The legislature has proposed new education bills and has invited public input as they work towards reaching a consensus on education reform.

​SC Mentor Training
Mentor Training: May 21-22, 2019, June 12-13, 2019
Mentor Trainer Certification Training: June 25-26, 2019