- Tempe Union High School District
- TUHSD Newsroom
#WordsofWisdomWednesday: Week Eight
As we begin our second quarter, we continue to be so impressed with the creativity and passion our teachers are showing to build relationships with students in a virtual setting. We are all very excited about the return of smaller cohorts of students to campus. Schools have taken the health and safety of our students and our teachers very seriously and we are confident the return will be a success for everyone.
In our eighth installment of #WordsofWisdomWednesday, we hear from Scott Berren, a math and CTE business teacher at Tempe High. In thinking about what he is looking forward to, Scott shares, “I am looking forward to the small daily connections that I make with students and they make with each other. These interactions are difficult to replicate in a virtual environment.”
While he admits there are still challenges, Scott says, “We are facing many challenges, and will face challenges that we cannot even anticipate as we transition to hybrid. Our most significant challenge at this time is reaching unengaged students and families.
A portion of these students have given up as they do not see a way to catch up. We must provide hope and a path for these students. We need to look at implementing grading practices that allow for grade recovery. Teachers need to consider a 4,3,2,1,0 system that allows for recovery over a traditional 100,90,80,70,60 system where missing work (i.e. a 0 grade) effectively destroys a student’s chance at grade recovery.”
Scott enjoys the camaraderie and collegiality of a group of trusted teachers to help explore solutions to the challenges they face as well as the support of the administration on the campus. When he thinks about his words of wisdom for us, Scott says, “Be flexible, be patient, be kind.”
Great words for all of us! To hear more of Scott Berren's thoughts, listen to his special video message.