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.
Finally, they heard three 10-15 minute presentations inspired from the work of Daniel Pink. The presentations were as follows.
"Leadership: A Matter of Persuasion" by Sarah Gams
"What is Leading: Persuading, Selling, and Influencing" by Suzanne Koty
"Leadership: A Whole New Mind" by Jenna Hallman
"Leadership: A Matter of Persuasion" by Sarah Gams
"What is Leading: Persuading, Selling, and Influencing" by Suzanne Koty
"Leadership: A Whole New Mind" by Jenna Hallman
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.
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