As I become one with my couch after a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, I am reminded of the many moments of happiness and gratitude for which I am thankful. Typically, I take a few minutes each day to journal all the positives of my day because I believe it fosters a more positive focus for tomorrow. Still, it also helps to release the less-than-positive moments of my day.
As an educator, there can be many less-than-positive moments; however, I am still here, passionate about teaching, and grateful for the wonderful memories it’s brought me. I still have such a passion for education because of my time spent in FCCPS. I came to FCCPS post-COVID because, like many teachers, it was time for a change. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have taught at two excellent schools before coming here, and I still keep in touch with many of my colleagues and students. However, coming to Meridian has fueled me with a greater sense of purpose, a drive to create better lessons, and strong relationships with families and colleagues.
It’s pretty easy to see how great this district is by looking at the numbers. But the problem is that it reduces us to nothing more than a number. And we are so much more than that. We are the scared student who has just tested out of the EL program and fears she won’t measure up in a regular classroom. We are the teacher still here at 5 pm grading essays so his students get immediate, actionable feedback to improve their writing and critical thinking skills. We are the departments so dedicated to bettering their craft that they create Learning Walks to observe other professionals in the wild to increase rigor and engagement in their classrooms. We are the community that makes teachers feel supported, which is truly a blessing.
When I first arrived at FCCPS, I had the great fortune to work with a student in my co-taught Language and Literature 11 class who recently tested out of our EL program. She was quite attached to Ms. Planas, and who could blame her? Suzanne is an amazing teacher and an even more amazing human being. Unfortunately, Ms. Planas had to leave our class, and I could see how much this crushed the students. I knew I needed to make this student feel safe. Throughout the year, I worked with her through nearly every Mustang Block, every writing assignment, and every class period. We sat and chatted, even if it wasn’t about English; we bonded. That beautiful student slowly built her confidence, learned how to self-advocate, and crushed her SOLs at the end of the year. Data will show her as a number, a statistic. I know her as an incredibly dedicated student who persevered while navigating some very scary waters to gain the confidence to be successful in a language that did not come easy for her. That’s part of the secret sauce.
Any English teacher can attest that every once in a while, a stack of essays sits on our desk a little too long before they’re graded. As much as we’d like to say this never happens, it is an unfortunate reality of the job; we sometimes get bogged down in essay grading. Not Brian, though. Consistently, he is the last English teacher to leave the building, sitting at his desk, grading papers. Part of Meridian’s grading rights and responsibilities for students is that they receive actionable feedback that is both timely and purposeful. He is an English teacher who is so dedicated that he stays at school regularly past 5:00 pm to provide such feedback. It should come as no surprise that Mr. Walsh’s IB Paper 1, Paper 2, and Higher Level Essay scores are as high as given the time and effort he puts into meeting his students where they are at in their writing. So, while the IB testing data show high achievement by our students, it leaves out the time, effort, and dedication so many of our teachers provide to better those students. Student scores would not be where they are without people like Mr. Walsh going above and beyond for our students. That, too, is part of the secret sauce.
The teacher/student relationship is critical to any school district’s success, as is the teacher-to-teacher relationship. Despite our extremely overloaded schedules, a good teacher understands the benefit of watching and learning from their colleagues. With that in mind, the Individuals and Societies department completes Learning Walks, where they travel to other departments’ classrooms for non-evaluative observations. As a department, they decide on the aspects they’d like to learn more about or improve on within their practice. These travels into our classrooms have opened up a cross-curricular dialogue that benefits all teachers. Teachers can engage with their colleagues from other academic areas and return that information to their classes. Students are noticing. They ask if we’ve spoken to one of the math, science, or I&S teachers since we’re all doing similar engaging activities across the board. This not only fosters collaboration among professionals but also shows our students that their teachers care enough to work hard at being better for the students’ benefit. Our students recognize that their teachers are diligent about creating an atmosphere of learning, engagement, and belonging. Yep, you guessed it….more of the secret sauce.
Great school districts require many moving parts to thrive: the students, the educators, the decision-makers, and the leaders. Yet we could not be completely successful without a strong community willingly giving their time, effort, and patience to lift those of us in the trenches. The level of care and concern parents and other community members provide to FCCPS is unlike any I have witnessed in other districts.
I teach upperclassmen, and I am pleasantly surprised by the number of parents attending Back to School Night, parent conferences in October, and course nights in January. Seeing the love and support families give to their students and their local school community is heartwarming, to say the least. My parents helped me with the yearbook. They have offered to chaperone yearbook trips to New York City. I have even developed personal relationships with several outside of the school. Whether it is feeding us, offering classroom grants, or reminding us that we’re important, the community of Falls Church City is a major ingredient in our secret sauce.
There isn’t a way to mass market our secret sauce; the addition of all the finest ingredients, prepared at the proper temperature using the best methods, takes us from a series of numerical data to a recipe for success.
About Lisa Eaton: I have been teaching at Meridian High School since 2020, and have been the English CTL since 2021. I came to FCCPS via Patriot High School in PWCS. Prior to that I spent 9 years at Central Academy of Technology and Arts in Monroe, NC just outside of Charlotte. At my school in Charlotte, I was also an English teacher, yearbook adviser, literacy coach, and lead mentor. When we moved to northern VA, I took a rest from wearing all the hats and enjoyed being an AP Lang teacher and yearbook adviser at Patriot. Overall, I am in my 18th year of teaching. I have two boys, Clifford (20) and Jonah (18), who are both in college, one at NOVA and the other at VCU. They really are my pride and joy, and I can’t imagine life without them. I am an avid reader and concertgoer. My summers are typically spent on tour or at music festivals. Music is my therapy and my way to decompress. I am originally from Buffalo, NY (GO BILLS!), but have lived in several states up and down the east coast. Buffalo will always have my heart, but they can keep their snow. A Superbowl win would be nice – fingers crossed Josh Allen can be the man to get the job done.