How do we accomplish this? There are three essential ingredients to a Point Pleasant education that provide the foundation on which we build our program. They are a commitment to the belief that all students can learn, personal attention to our students and professional development opportunities for our staff.
As a mastery learning district, we assume that each and every child can master the educational objectives that we set forth. Therefore, our core curriculum challenges all students to superior achievement while considering the talents of individual students and their varying stages and styles of cognitive development.
Our commitment to each student as a valued member of the community allows many opportunities for both advanced study and basic skills reinforcement. We want to encourage every student to achieve his or her academic and personal potential. This, in turn, will foster the self-esteem necessary for a successful and productive life.
Professional development is a vital element that makes up the Point Pleasant difference. Like our students, our teacher staff also needs the opportunity to achieve their personal best by keeping current in teaching and learning. Teaching is a dynamic profession and must be supported as a continuous process requiring teachers to learn new skills, reflect on past experiences and plan for the future. Most importantly, we have a teaching staff that sees themselves as learners, an attitude that sets us apart from other school districts.
Teachers play a critical role in shaping the attitudes of the young people whose lives they touch. If they are enthusiastic about their work, then their students will be enthusiastic about learning. When teachers set high standards, students are more likely to expect the same of themselves.
When teachers show respect and concern for others, their students, in turn, learn to be thoughtful and considerate of other people’s feelings. It is the passing on of such qualities as lifetime learning, integrity and compassion that are at the heart of Point Pleasant’s mission and our teachers are the ambassadors of that mission. As a district, we must nurture and support them in their development.
Our talented teachers create meaningful learning experiences for their students. All students have the right to learn and we have the responsibility to provide that right to our students.
Today’s children are as vital to this democracy as the right to vote. In that sense, the need here is for everyone to help children become active and vibrant members of our society. Public education provides an opportunity for all children to have a foundation of high academic skills, athletic skills, artistic skills, interpersonal skills, and the ability to use technology. This, in turn, will provide a tremendous resource to our country.
We want to create an environment where the children can feel comfortable, develop relationships, learn new skills, and figure out to some degree who they are and who they are becoming. If we allow them that kind of space, then our children will not merely survive in this world, but will thrive in this world.
We can’t do it alone. An excellent school district does not just happen. It requires the investment of many people who understand what has to be done in order for every child to realize his or her full potential. It requires a commitment by the entire community and our children are deserving of that commitment.
Robert H. Alfonse
Director of Curriculum and Instruction K-12
