Our HIT Coach at H.D. Woodson High School helps his students stay motivated through discovering an area of personal excellence.
I am a deeply student-centered educator who continues to be inspired by the curiosity of young people. I often think of the Albert Einstein quote, “Man is here for the sake of other men.” Each of us is presented with opportunities to serve and partner with people to work together. In working together, we create a beautiful tapestry of purpose that will drive and inspire us to holistic excellence to share with the world. This is the sense of purpose that I bring to my students at H.D. Woodson High School every day. Thanks to this motivation we have inspired in our students, we saw an attendance rate of 82% at Woodson for cohort 3 of the High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) program. This greatly contrasts the 60% chronic absenteeism rate for DCPS.
An Area of Excellence
Serving as an Academic Coach with Lana has provided the opportunity to partner with students at Woodson as they work to discovery an area of excellence. This can be a challenge for students as they navigate the straight-aways and curves of life outside of school. My goal is to help students answer the enduring question: “Why am I in this class?” I believe that we are here for the sake of serving our best selves to others.
After asking students about these matters, they agree that the fulfillment of life is serving others. Additionally, they state that they want to journey with one another to discover their purpose and mission in life. And only to the extent that we serve others will we know the purpose of living. It is my sincere desire that we grasp the power of this fundamental principle and the magic that it holds. Each student needs a settled purpose in life, a target. By doing our very best every day, we will reach this point on which we have set our compass in helping students discover their areas of excellence!