Participating Teachers
Participating School Districts
Participating Businesses
Participating Chambers of Commerce/Civic Organizations
Program Sponsors
Participating Affiliate Steering Committee Members
Additional Teacher Participant Quotes
PARTICIPATING TEACHERS:
“[Leadership Teacher] has begun to fill in many gaps of my teacher training/preparation—specifically how content and processes apply to the world of work. I am able to view my students as future employees more than ever before. This allows me to key into their varied interests as a way to motivate them toward careers which I have now seen firsthand.”
“I would suggest to my principal/superintendent to send other teachers from my district….[Leadership Teacher] has opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know much about. I’ve learned about different careers that I had no idea about. I’ve been educated in what our local businesses are looking for in employees. What you put into this program is what you’re going to get out of it!”
“The most valuable part about [Leadership Teacher] is the connection between business and education. Educators need to remember to make these connections in order to make education real for the students and for learning to stick. Researching businesses and taking tours of businesses in the community in which I teach will help students feel connected to their community. Hearing the expectations of members of the business community will help students understand the importance of the ‘real world’.”
“I would encourage people to apply because [Leadership Teacher] is an eye opening opportunity to see what is going on in the real world. It’s overwhelming to imagine that we are responsible for preparing thousands of students for jobs that we don’t even know exist—this program helps us, as educators, get a glimpse of what is out there.”
“I definitely think [Leadership Teacher] is a valuable program worth continuing and expanding. The most helpful part has been the opportunity to work with colleagues on curriculum idea development and exchange—there never seems to be enough time to do this! Discovering what post secondary employment opportunities exist has also been a huge benefit—many places we’ve been to or have had speakers from were unknown to me prior to this year. I think the possibilities are endless. I would also encourage my superintendent/principal to send participants in the future.”
“I would encourage another teacher to become involved in the LT Program because it's an opportunity to experience first-hand how education impacts an individual's opportunities in the working world. LT participants also get to interact with teachers from all grade levels, and to share "best practices" from their teaching repertoire. The program emphasizes the fact that education is an ongoing process, and that we must continue to learn and grow as adults. It helps us realize that what we do in our schools really "matters" - that we can make a difference in a person's life by supporting them and being an advocate as they go through school. It's also a good opportunity to spend time with adults who are not teachers. We spend most of our workshop and staff development days with colleagues, and it's been very interesting to discuss education from a much broader perspective.”
"Effective communication between the private sector and the region's public schools is essential in order for the schools to be appropriately responsive to the needs of business and for business, in turn, to better understand the constraints and opportunities available within the educational community."
“I see myself as part of a continuum—a continuing process of education for our young people. I think more about bringing real-life activities into the classroom, making what we do more appropriate to the needs of today’s—and tomorrow’s—society.”
“Through Leadership Teacher I have met and gained support of colleagues in our region who are motivated to “stick their necks out a bit” and try new ideas rather than the same plans year after year. I have connections to businesses and people who can break down the walls of our classrooms to bring content area to real life. I can talk with confidence about ways my subject area connects to various careers and I am more confident in my school to blaze a new trail and sell a new idea or gently chip away at embedded procedures that need updating.”
Overall Program Assessment“[Leadership Teacher] gave me the opportunity to explore myself, my knowledge, and gain experience. It has shown me that I can become a leader and the qualities a leader needs to have. I have gained so much knowledge from the presenters we have had throughout this year. Each experience with presenters has opened many doors for my students and me. To be able to connect to the business world—our student’s future—has been invaluable. [Leadership Teacher] has given me confidence, knowledge, relationships, experience and time to share with my colleagues.”
PARTICIPATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS:
“I nominated a teacher who I thought would be a great administrator but who had been reluctant to consider a career in school administration. This program has given this teacher the opportunity to see the "big picture" in education and I am hopeful that the experience will make him more willing to consider a future as an assistant principal and/or principal. With the current shortage of competent and qualified candidates for administrative positions I believe that a program such as Leadership Teacher will help to meet our future demand for school leaders.”
“The Leadership Teacher program has been extremely beneficial for our three participants. Although the teachers were selected for the program due to their potential leadership skills, they lacked the confidence necessary to take on a leadership role. However, this program has provided them with the ability to network with other teachers as well as the business community, leadership skills, and the confidence necessary to become strong leaders in each of their school buildings. It is difficult for a school district with so many other pressing issues to provide such an inclusive yea-long experience for their staff. We are grateful that the Leadership Teacher Organization did such an outstanding job.”
“As a representative of a major New Hampshire company, we know it's in everyone's interest to raise the visibility of engineering and leadership among our young people. They represent both business and New Hampshire's future success. Leadership Teacher builds a strong bridge between industry and the classroom to greatly improve understanding and excitement about these opportunities.”
PARTICIPATING CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE/CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS:
"Leadership Teacher opens educators eyes to the connection between what is taught in the classroom and what students need to know in the 21st century marketplace. This program gets to the heart of school-to-career like no other."
“Tomorrow's problems will be solved by tomorrow's engineers. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) realizes that the most successful way to expose our youth to engineering is through their teachers. For this reason, the New Hampshire Section of the IEEE is pleased to support and participate in Leadership Teacher.”
PARTICIPATING AFFILIATE STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
“Leadership Teacher is like a mini sabbatical—it gets you out of the classroom and provides time to explore new ideas and relationships, which will make you a better teacher in the future.”
"As a Leadership Teacher session leader and member of the business community, I can attest to the value of the program well beyond its intended benefit to participating educators. The process of putting together our "day" compelled us to think about the relationship between our professional skills and the needs of society at large. As we shared those skills with participating teachers, we found ourselves feeling validated for the work we do. The exchange between business people and Leadership Teacher participants opens new and important avenues of communication, and we are all beneficiaries."
“I really enjoyed having the opportunity to share ideas about education, and make connections between the classroom and the “real world”. As an educator, I found LT to be empowering—a place where a teacher’s voice mattered.”
ADDITIONAL TEACHER PARTICIPANT QUOTES
"This program day has been by far the best. I can go back and apply many ideas. Plus I’ve learned about many connections, networks, and opportunities."
"I hope that I will continue to view the world with eyes wide open—and I will help my students appreciate and understand diversity."
"[This program day] has made me want to generate new ideas for planning for my classroom."
"It is so important to know who we are and this knowledge comes from where we are. It is essential to not overlook our place and all it has to offer."
"I feel energetic and excited to make improvements in my class. I’ve set goals and will have personal growth. Everything included in this retreat was worthwhile."
"[This retreat] got me thinking about my own leadership style/skills and ways to improve them."
"I am thrilled to be a part of this program and the more exploration I do, the more comfortable I am in sharing these ideas and implementing them in my classroom."
"[The Retreat] introduced me get to a wonderful group of teachers, whom I feel are now my colleagues."
"The small group breakout sessions are the best part of each program day. It’s really nice to brainstorm with fellow teachers at different districts."
"The small group sessions really give us valuable time to share ideas and link what we learned during the day to how we can use it in the classroom."
"[After this program day,] I am eager to use the list of web sites provided to explore more information."
"[This program day] made me realize how many careers there are!!!"
"I feel [these program days] really open our eyes to how we can use the knowledge such as today, math, and expand on it and explore different ways to open our kid’s minds to what is ahead!"
"I’m always interested in what the private sector is looking for in a work force and ways for us to gain insight into business culture. By continuing to provide this group of teachers with these opportunities we are better able to develop perspective, which assists us in identifying positive and negative features of school culture."
"[This program day] helped me become aware of what I might need to do to prepare my student and gave me ideas about how to integrate technology more into the classroom."
"[This program day] has made me want to find ways to use technology more in my teaching and to give my students more experience with it."
"I feel like more of a leader at school when it comes to helping other teachers."
"The tour of Praxair/TAFA and the discussion with their HR department about what they are looking for in employees."
"The tour of the Tuck Library, with its rich history, was so interesting."
"The speakers were knowledgeable, well prepared, and very interesting."
"I am charged up and ready to go back to my classroom to try many of the ideas I learned here today."
"The people who care most about what I do at Leadership Teacher are my students."
“I really enjoy the networking opportunities each session day allows with both business representatives and with my colleagues.”
“I was very interested to hear what skills and traits businesses value in their employees and how businesses actively recognize the value of their employees.”
“This retreat has caused me to challenge myself not to be so rigid, to try new ideas, to listen, and to incorporate the ideas of others into my teaching goals and strategies.”
“I am committed to having a larger-scale impact. I am ready to take some risks.”
“It was interesting to hear how businesses deal with similar problems we deal with in the classroom, such as motivational issues and absenteeism.”
“I found it valuable to hear from so many presenters about the importance of developing values and principles in addition to academic skills.”
“It was fascinating to hear the many different roles in one business establishment and the emphasis placed on teamwork, leadership, ethics, and principles.”
“It was interesting to engage in dialogue with business leaders about a common challenge we both have: to help students/employees understand their purpose in the work they do and the purpose of the work they do in furthering their educational or career goals.”
“The information each speaker shared and the relationship of this information to teamwork was the most valuable aspect of this session day.”
“I was impressed with the importance of identifying and setting goals and will have students make a resume, even in first grade.”
“I left this session with an understanding of the importance of teaching students about the changes in technology over the years and exploring upcoming changes and the impact these changes will have on our students’ futures.”
“I found it interesting to hear that many companies use the cooperative learning model in the production of their company’s products.”
“This session day has made me aware of a whole new aspect of problem solving and has opened my eyes to many opportunities for high school students.”
“This session day reminded me of the importance of “daring to dream” and the concept that we need to encourage our students to dream and think ‘outside the box’.”
“I was impressed by the amount of technology involved in coordinating day-to-day business and production efforts in various companies.”
“This day has provided excellent connections with business people interested in being involved with education and exciting stories to share with coworkers and students.”
“The information from this session day will allow me to speak with my students about the changes in our world and how we can adapt to and take part in these changes.”
“I was impressed by the diversity of occupations that are available to students.”
“This session day has opened doors for me and helped me gain insight into different types of careers.”
“This session day has made me realize that we need to allow students greater access to computers and build interdisciplinary units involving more technology.”
“After hearing the speakers today, I realize the importance of allowing more classroom time for creative problem solving and the brainstorming of solutions.”
“I now have a different perspective about robots and robotics and their function which I can share with my students.”
“This session day has encouraged me to continue my own education and get a masters in the field of technology.”
“I came away from this session with several ideas for sharing with other teachers and building/creating real-world classroom connections.”
“I enjoy hearing about the number of different career professionals involved in a single project. I could listen about these group efforts all day.”
“Many ideas popped up—ideas for a sabbatical, ideas to bring back to my fellow science and math teachers, ideas for my career counseling unit.”
“I left this session with new lesson plans for my classroom.”
“I am developing a greater open-mindedness about what’s out there in the career world and I think this will allow me to help my students realize what the real world is like.”
“This session day has given me new approaches to teaching. I feel that teachers need to understand the connections to real life in order to impart that knowledge to kids!”
“Great day! I forgot my watch, but never missed it.”