Our entire instructional staff just completed the 2nd consecutive County-wide Staff Development Day on January 26.  This event took place at seven schools throughout Marin County and brought together 2000 educators.  These kinds of large scale staff development events are not intended to be an end in themselves, but rather to serve as a catalyst for more local work.  

Which brings me to the point of thanking our community for supporting the on-going learning of our professionals, who not only attend these kinds of events, but also spend countless hours on their own investment in learning that benefits the learning of kids.  Parents know that their kids are dismissed an hour early each Wednesday so teachers can work in teams at their schools, becoming the learners themselves.  They work within and across schools. When we hire new teachers to our District, I tell them at our New Teacher Institute that in Mill Valley collaboration is a non-negotiable. Said another way, "Collaboration is expected by all."  We are educating our kids for a diverse work world that stretches across cultures and the globe.  It not only requires individual academic skills, but also skills related to working collaboratively within a diverse workforce.  Our modeling of collaboration 'focused on the work' is critical. 
 
By a very simple approximation, our teachers feed kids' minds over 1,000 hours spanning 180 days.  They feed their own minds about 80 hours over the course of 186 days.  To be sure, they spend many more hours of their own getting better at the skill and art of teaching.  The act of teaching well in the 21st century requires a sophisticated skill set that I have to frankly admit I didn't need 'back in the day'. 
 
I make a point of spending time in schools nearly every Wednesday to observe adult learning.  I am never disappointed with the content of the learning and the attitude of the learner.  We are all grateful for the learning opportunities; and personally I am grateful I work with educators in Mill Valley.
 
Sincerely,